A blend of colours: ‘Silk Painting’ by child artists

Paintings by children at the exhibition.

Drik Gallery recently played host to the 'Silk Painting' exhibition. Of the participating artistes, aged from seven to eleven years, some were autistic. The exhibition gave all the children a unique platform to unleash their potential. The vibrant colours and flow of energy had the glow of innocence, but the creativity and innovation seemed to belong to a mature and experienced group of artists.
"There are hardly such programmes for kids," said the woman behind it all, Nilufar Momen.
Retired in 2006, Nilufar was in mainstream primary education for 23 years. She is a former art teacher and Art and Display coordinator as well as facilitator of Thomas Buxton Junior School, London, UK.
Added Nilufar, "Although I have been involved with different forms of media such as dance, drama, music, art and sports; teaching art to children is a completely different experience. Teaching kids at the primary level requires a lot of patience, understanding and skills. Being with kids is also a pretty wonderful experience.
“There were a total of 55 paintings at the exhibition. Before Dhaka, there was another exhibition of these children's works in London.
“Although silk painting is quite expensive and is done only for occasions such as an exhibition, it is great fun. There are no complications of sketching, lining, drawing. The best thing about it is the freedom of expression it provides. How the colours just end up blending together is brilliant. There are mainly three kinds of effects -- the dripping effect, salt effect and the 'gutta' effect (that resists the colours). Silk painting is quite an old concept, which originated in China. The vibrancy of colours, combined with the shimmering lustre of silk, is special and unique. Once a painting is finished, each one is individually wrapped in cotton, steamed, rinsed and ironed.”
Rachel Lichtenstein has featured Nilufar Momen's life and works in the book “On Brick Lane”: “She is passionate about her role as a teacher and does everything she can to help expand the curriculum and show her Bengali pupils about other cultures and other opportunities.”
M.A. Momen, Nilufar's husband said, "She started with differently-abled students. The remarkable response encouraged her to extend her works. There were also various exhibitions and works outside school that drew her attention like snowballs -- that is accumulatively.
“She wanted to transfer her knowledge and thus the silk painting exhibitions sprang up.
“Paintings are a blend of colours. These particular works were conceived by the tender minds of children. The way a viewer sees a particular painting may differ completely from the way a child who created it perceived it.”