Flowers, Birds and Butterflies of Bangladesh

Images of birds and butterflies by M.A. Taher; flowers by Quazi Rownaq Hossain.

A weeklong photography exhibition, titled “Flowers, Birds and Butterflies”, featuring the works of M.A. Taher and Quazi Rownaq Hossain, is now on at Zainul Gallery, Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka. The exhibition was jointly inaugurated by veteran educationist Professor Zillur Rahman Siddiqui; noted painter Quayyum Chowdhury; founder of Bishwa Shahitya Kendra, Abdullah Abu Sayeed and cultural personality Mahbub Jamil on May 1.
Professor Siddiqui said, “Both photographers are naturists; their works demonstrate their love for nature. They have presented through their images familiar visions -- adorned with artistic grandeur.”
Quayyum Chowdhury said, “Flowers, birds and butterflies have been snapped by these photographers from different angles. Light and shade, colours, tones as well as compositions have given these photographs a different dimension. The aesthetic values of these photographs cannot be ignored.”
Both photographers have similarities in their approaches, themes and presentations. Both of them have chosen nature as their subject and varied species of local flowers, birds and butterflies are the focal points in their works. The exhibition also focuses on the relationship among nature, birds and butterflies.
Taher's photos shed light on birdlife of Bangladesh. The photographer has framed images of familiar and unfamiliar species of local birds -- from woodpecker, moina, cuckoo, pigeon and sparrow to the national bird, doel.
The photographer has been working on a range of subjects since the 1980s. He has a number of photo albums on noted personalities like National Professor Kabir Chowdhury, the late poet Shamsur Rahman and late singer Kalim Sharafi. Other albums include 'Flowers of Bangladesh', 'Birds of Bangladesh', and 'Buddhist Life'.
Quazi Rownaq Hossain has toured many parts of Bangladesh and has captured images of local flowers. Vibrant hues of flowers and their natural allure in all their glory have been revealed eloquently in Rownaq's photos. A self-taught photographer, Rownaq started professional photography in 1976. He completed M.S.S in Mass Communication and Journalism from Dhaka University. He is now a teacher of Photojournalism, Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, Dhaka University.
The exhibition ends on May 7, and is sponsored by NCC Bank Ltd and NMCI group.