Sculpture as a lifeline
“I want more time to continue my work. I don't work for monetary gains or awards, but only because I am dedicated to my art,” says 75-year-old Puspa Ranjon Acharya, a sculptor of Netrakona.
The artist has been ailing from bronchitis for over a year. Though he cannot afford medical treatment, his illness has not deterred him from pursuing his art.
Despite his talent, Acharya has never received the exposure he deserves. His sculptures reflect Bangladesh, the masses, the Liberation War and the local culture in general.
The artist has repeatedly declined to sell the 50 sculptures he has completed so far, in the hope that one day these will be displayed at national exhibitions.
It is no distant dream. After learning about Acharya's works, the authority of National Museum in Dhaka contacted him, and acquired one of his sculptures, to be displayed at the museum.
Acharya has a small studio of sorts at his home and believes that some day his works will attain nationwide recognition. His workstation is at a rented shop, half a kilometer away from his village home in Sahilpur.
Acharya was born in 1936 to an impoverished family in Sahilpur, four kilometers away from Netrakona district town. The artist could not afford to continue his education.
He uses gum, zinc and red-oxide when working on sculptures. He says the use of gum gives the sculptures a longer life.
Pursuing his passion for the arts, the sculptor continues to struggle with penury, hoping that some day his art will receive the patronage it desperately needs.
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