The Right to Health
Cartoons and a photograph of ingenuity on display.
An IV bag hangs from top, seeming connected to a vague white shape; a glossy apple and en empty glass on the other end...the artwork by Mohammad Zakir Hossain is titled “Immortal Apple.” The ongoing exhibition titled “The Right to Health” at Drik Gallery features interesting and ingenious paintings and cartoons. Each artist has applied his/her distinct approach to the theme. The exhibition also includes photographs.
GTZ, SIDA and Government of Bangladesh have jointly organised the exhibition inaugurated on October 30. Drik is the implementation partner of the event.
AMM Nasir Uddin, secretary to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, inaugurated the exhibition. Ola Hallgren, chargé d'affaires, Embassy of Sweden and Peter Palesch, country director, GTZ were special guests at the programme. Jean-Olivier Schmidt, programme coordinator, HNPSP, GTZ and Britta Nordstrom, first secretary, Health and Education, Embassy of Sweden also attended the event.
The origin: The Swedish Embassy had material from the “Reality Check” study, and was looking for ways to generate the information gained through the research. HNPSP, GTZ wanted to hold an art competition on human rights and health to initiate a dialogue between the government of Bangladesh and civil society on the topic, and searched for ways to link this to the Bangladeshi reality.
The organisations realised that the inclusion of artists and their views on right to health, and stories and experiences from people all over Bangladesh would have real added value.
Queenie's grand prize-winning painting titled “Images of Blood Cells” immediately draws attention. Four sections in a frame -- in shimmering saffron, vibrant green, calming blue and raging red -- feature blood cell patterns. It's a remarkable work of art, even if one overlooks the theme.
Abu Sayeed Khandoker's “Light and Shadow 2” stands out as well. It's a depiction of a slum tainted with unhealthy yellows and brows. An outline of a boy sitting on a deck seems to be the focal point in the work.
The cartoons are no less impressive. The grand prize-winning work by Mehedi Haque shows a bureaucrat going up stack of money bundles -- made to look like stairs -- to a public health centre while a ragtag man looks on.
Abir Shome's cartoon compares two men -- one is emaciated, wearing tattered clothes and the other, plump and overdressed -- and asks, "who do you think is healthy?"
Syed Rashid Imam Tonmoy's cartoon shows an elderly man with bandages in a wheelchair getting admitted to a private clinic; the receptionist pointing to a sign that says, "wealth is health."
Photographs at the exhibit highlight rural health centres, impact of healthcare in the lives of the underprivileged and more.
The exhibition is intended to be a tool for bringing people, visions and experiences together. The organisers hope that this exhibition would create a platform and initiate a debate on health, involving new groups, raising questions and providing suggestions for solutions and ways forward.
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