South Asian paintings at Dhaka Art Centre

Ankan Banerjee (centre) and Qayyum Chowdhury (right) at the inauguration.

Under the title, “Cultural Confluence -- United Colours”, Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC) in Dhaka, in association with the State Bank of India in Bangladesh and Dhaka Art Centre, has organised a group art exhibition featuring the works of young painters of South Asian countries. The exhibition is now on at Dhaka Art Centre, Dhanmondi, in the capital.
Noted painter Qayyum Chowdhury inaugurated the exhibition as chief guest on February 10. Artist Nisar Hossain and IGCC director Ankan Banerjee were present at the inauguration as special guests. Art critics Shamsul Wares and Moinuddin Khaled were also present at the programme.
About 35 paintings are on display at the exhibition, including works of three Bangladeshi painters. A number of artists from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, Afghanistan and Bhutan have taken part at the exhibition. Main aspects of the exposition are experimentations on colours, forms and compositions by the participating artists. Most of the paintings depict individual emotions and their articulations.
At the exhibition, South Asian cultures, history and lifestyles have been focused on in myriad ways. Painters have depicted the beauty of nature and life in the countries. Participation of artists who emerged in the mid and late '90s is quite noticeable at the exhibition. The aim is to assemble artists belonging to different age groups, working in same medium but focusing on diverse themes.
The exhibition is an output of a workshop organised by Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) in New Delhi in May 2012. Young painters from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Maldives had participated in the camp. From Bangladesh, three young artists participated in the art camp under full sponsorship of ICCR.
The exhibition will continue till February 18.