Gallery Cosmos has organised a group print exhibition titled “Nature Quest” by 14 artists at it gallery in New DOHS, Mohakhali, Dhaka. The artworks on display are the outcomes of a recent etching/intaglio workshop, conducted by Rokeya Sultana, Professor at the Department of Printmaking, Faculty of Fine Art, University of Dhaka and Uttam Kumar Bashak, Professor at the Visva-Bharati University of India.

Etching/Intaglio is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. As a method of printmaking, it is, along with engraving, the most important technique for old master prints, and remains in wide use today.

Alvaro de Salas, Ambassador of Spain in Dhaka, eminent artist Samarjit Roy Chowdhury and avid art collector Durjoy Rahman Joy jointly inaugurated the exhibition as distinguished guests on November 10. Tehmina Enayet, Director, Gallery Cosmos, Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, a Bangladeshi career diplomat and former Foreign Advisor to Caretaker Government and eminent artist Monirul Islam were also present on the occasion.

The artworks by Rashid Amin, Anisuzzaman Anis, Nagarbasi Barman, Ashraful Hossain, Sujit Sarker, Boni Adam, Palash Baran Bishwash, Farzana Rahman Boby, Sourav Chowdhury, Nadia Yeasmin, Juton Chandra Roy and SM Ehsan are on display. The exhibition is also showcasing 29 exclusive etching prints by noted Indian Artist Uttam Kumar Basak and two prints by Rokeya Sultana and an oriental line-based print by Tehmina Enayet. Following the exhibition, Cosmos Atelier71 Printmaking Studio is also going to publish a portfolio with selected artworks by every participant of the workshop.

The displayed prints at the exhibit are outstanding regarding their artistic composition. The artists have beautifully depicted diverse imageries of nature including landscape, foliage, fish, face, butterfly, bison and more. Mature tints and a balanced proportion of space division in the composition of the works have attributed rare artistic qualities. Prints, being a complex art medium, artists seldom choose not to work in the medium. But the show has beckoned a revolution in the art media. Uttam Kumar Bashak's works are poetic. They are evocative of graceful lines and compositional beauty. Mature colours coupled with a subtle game of light and shades are the hallmark of his works. The artist is particularly happy with the quality printmaking studio in Bangladesh. “If such an initiative continues in the days ahead and the art materials can be available in Bangladesh, I believe the passionate printmakers of Bangladesh will one day lead globally,” said Uttam Kumar Bashak.

Cosmos Atelier'71 Studio, set up in 2009, has made a significant contribution towards printmaking medium more popular. As part of their vision to elevate art, the studio contains state-of-the-art facilities, which are exceptional in Bangladesh. It aims to break new grounds by acting as an incubator for the emergence of graphic art in Bangladesh. To that end, it focuses on the encouraging young printmakers to develop their craft before presenting them with pathways for a future in printmaking.

The exhibition, open from 11am to 8pm daily, will conclude on November 30.