Female strength and beauty

At artwork by Habiba Akhter Papia

About Habiba Akhter Papia, who recently had her sculpture exhibition at the Zainul Gallery, noted artist Hamiduzzman Khan said, “This young woman who got a first class first in her department has done metal casing and wood and iron work side by side.”
The young artist is best in casting and most of her work is in this medium. Her drawings are also remarkable even though they are academic and are basically to help her do her sculpture work. Some of the sculptures also deal with wood-carving. Most of her works come in human forms which are lyrical and even spiritual.”
German artist and critic Peter Kustermann says, “For European eyes it is important to see how Papia's sculptures represent female strength and beauty. The unexpected gestures in her works invite the eye to rest and repose. I find an underlying human power in all of them far beyond ethnic, religious or national boundaries. Her sketches too are full of subtlety and compassion.”
Papia said that when she joined the Fine Arts Department at DU, some European sculptures had, at that time, come to the department and this inspired her to go into the art form in 1996. Papia said that she believed that if a man could do the work she too could excel in this field. She only regretted that the oven for firing in the department was not quite up to the mark, and the students had to spend on their own in order to make it work.
In her Rejuvenation of women the artist dwells on the women as she feels that they have still to come to the forefront and get recognition. Papia got encouragement from her father to go into fine arts, although he was not a professional artist.
In one of her sculptures one finds a nude done with a modern vision. The limbs are thin to represent the constant pressures under which women are. “When I work late in the department, even that comes under censor. A man, on the other hand, would never be questioned or criticised. In another composition one finds the hands missing and this has been done on purpose, to depict the women as vulnerable.
The 19 bronze pieces again bring in women's beauty, activities and their thoughts. Women -- waiting and bathing -- are among these bronze creations. The three goddesses of beauty, intelligence and strength are also portrayed. The strength that one gets in coming and working together is also reflected in this piece.
There are wood and metal mixed creations as well. “Here I want to show that people hide their ugly sides and present their best fronts,” Papia says.
The sketches are in pastel and wash and contain female figures. “I've tried to depict not only the exterior of the woman but her feelings and thoughts too.”