Sculpting Icons

Khalid's solo painting exhibition, titled “Colour and Nature”, will be held at Gallery Kaya in Uttara; the artist (Inset).

After a hiatus of 12 years, noted sculptor-painter Syed Abdullah Khalid's solo painting exhibition, titled “Colour and Nature”, will be held at Gallery Kaya in Uttara [from April 11-25]. His last exhibition was held in 1998 at Gallery 21 (the gallery is now defunct).
Khalid said, “Over the last few years, Goutam Chakraborty, director of Gallery Kaya have requested me to hold an exhibition at his gallery. Finally, I agreed. Around 40 paintings will be displayed at the exhibition -- mostly done in acrylic, and a few oil paintings.
“Most of the paintings had been done between 2001 and 2006. After 2006, I was seriously ill and could not produce a single painting.
“This year I've started concentrating on painting again. Colours and forms are the noticeable features of my recent works.”
Khalid completed his BFA in painting in 1969 from East Pakistan College of Arts and Crafts (presently Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka) and did his MFA in painting and sculpture in 1974.
“When I was a student of Dhaka University, Mir Mustafa Ali, head of Department of Ceramics, and Abdur Razzaque, head of Department of Sculpture, encouraged me to work on sculptures,” the artist said.
Khalid's amicability earned him friendships with several legendary personalities of the country. He has done busts of Dr. Motahar Hossain Chowdhury, Professor Abdur Razzaque, folklorist Monsur Uddin Ahmed and poet Jasimuddin, among others.
Khalid is currently a Professor at the Sculpture Department, Institute of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka.
Losing himself in nature, Khalid often takes themes from this opulent source and plays with colours on the canvas. He likes to experiment with different forms and enjoys breaking and constructing them in many ways. Throughout the '80s and '90s Khalid made his realistic inspirations more visible. He likes to use a big canvas for portraying untamed nature, landscapes and still life. Blossoming flowers and dense forest are recurring features in his paintings.
In many of Khalid's works, one finds a great interchange between abstract and realistic forms. The works of Vincent van Gogh, Rembrandt, Michael Angelo and Bangladeshi painters Mustafa Monwar, Rashid Choudhury, Quamrul Hassan and Zainul Abedin inspire him.
Khalid is well known for his sculpture on the Liberation War, “Aparajeyo Bangla” on Dhaka University campus. His other noteworthy sculptures are “Abahoman Bangla”, “Ankur”, “Eternal Bengal”, “Angikar”, “Dolphin” and “Mother and Child”.