Emerging talents get focus

(Clockwise from top-left): Artworks by Nazmul Haque Bappy, Abanti Chakma, Rajib Roy and Uttam Kumar Roy.

The Berger Young Painters' Art Competition is an annual event that showcases entries of the top 40 finalists. The competition, which was held for the first time in 1996, has entered into its 14th year and encourages talented young artists to explore their creativity. It has now become a prestigious award in the Bangladeshi art scenario. The exhibition is on at Zainul Gallery (Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka).
Young painters are now experimenting with new techniques and themes -- ranging from climate change, urbanisation, nature, poverty, patriotism, political and economic crises to varied global issues. Some painters' works at the exhibition are mainly technique-oriented while some feature geometric lines, architectural shapes and varied unusual forms. This group includes Durjoy Prasad Das' “Waiting For a Nice Time”, Taufiqur Rahman's “Living Dream”, Rajib Roy's “Vertical Line”, Ridwanoor Saifee's “Broken Image-14” are included in the group. Very few painters' themes are based on nature. The artists have employed semi-realistic and abstract styles. This group includes Abu Kalam Shamsuddin's “Nature-3”, Shamsur Nahar Shobnom's “Nature-2” and Sanjoy Bikash Das' “Expression”. A number of participating painters have demonstrated surrealistic and photo-realistic styles.
Bishwajit Goswami is one of the winners of the competition. Goswami's work highlight the inner journey of a Baul singer. The artist meticulously articulated the Baul's passion. Sweep brush is another facet of his works but his canvas needs space for denoting the figures and objects.
Nazmul Haque Bappy is another winning artist, who has done a bird's eye view of city life. The painting grasps the hustle and bustle of city life. Bappy has splendidly arranged the image in different combinations of light and shade. The canvas is dominated by subdued colours, of which azure and light green are prominent.
Shadia Shamim Monsur's “Brikkher Joto Kotha-2” shows a strange whitish flower drooping from an imaginary plant. It vibrates with an intensity of colour, whose existence is uncertain.
Another winner Abanti Chakma, from the Chittagong Hill Tracts, has presented indigenous girls as a symbol of beauty. Her canvas is a frank celebration of womanhood, as seen from a female viewpoint. The image is also engrossed with alphabets that denote her affection for her land, heritage and language. Space and the colours create a soothing language on the canvas.
Uttam Kumar Roy is one of the innovative painters at the competition. His “Eternal Desire-1” represents a symbolic and physical escape from the usual flat surface and traditional use of colour. In recent time, he has changed his working style. Thick colours are a dominant feature of his work.
A constant play between fantasy and reality marks M.M. Maizuddin's canvas. His “Organism-1”, reveals a nude figure's movement while the rest of the canvas features animal visages.
The exhibition ends on December 25.