Amity Of Six

A painting by Mohammad Iqbal

A group exhibition creates a platform that encourages the exchange of perspectives between participating painters. Often these exhibitions feature artists who share a common background, whether as seniors/juniors or members of a certain group. The works may be at variance, based on themes, techniques and personal experiences but personal interaction plays a vital role. One such group exposition titled “Peace” is on at Gallery Cosmos-2, New DOHS, Mohakhali.
The ongoing exhibition is praiseworthy for its selection of works. The participating artists are Afrozaa Jamil Konka, Mohammad Iqbal, Maksuda Iqbal Nipa, Bipasha Hayat, Pijush Kanti and Rebeka Sultana. Through the exhibits of a number of earnest contemporary painters, one can easily comprehend current trends in Bangladeshi art. The painters have used varied styles and approaches, though they seem to have a great fascination for realism, pure-realism, symbolism, abstraction and abstract-expressionism.
Mohammad Iqbal is one of the significant participants of the show. In the mid 90s, the painter appeared on the art scene with his strong philosophical themes and experimental works. His protagonists on canvas were usually downtrodden people, and spirituality also came into focus. The vast differences in the economic structures of different communities propels him into demonstrating their lifestyles. The painter's current preferred theme is children, whom he considers ignored and mistreated. The painter said, “Over the last few years, I have been thinking about civilisation and the destruction of the planet. The thought process is apparent on my canvas. Throughout the course of civilisation, major acts of violence and cruelty have taken place in different parts of the world.”
Maksuda Iqbal Nipa's main goal is to capture the beauty of nature with the approach of symbolism. Her quest for nature's splendour and contemplation on nature has influenced her to mirror a lively picture of nature in her paintings. She says, “Art seems to me to be above all a state of soul. All my work carries spiritual symbolism in the use of my colours, tones and textures.” At the exhibition, her canvases are profuse in abstract images of colour and tiny scribble lines. Her images flourish in her use of deep droplets and various sprinkled forms.
At the exhibition, Rebeka Sultana Moly presents lithe young women in printed attire. She is a figurative painter and her canvas is full of doodles and forms. In her work, flora and foliage are noticeable objects. She is inclined to use crimson, green and black in her works.
Bipasha Hayat is now quite active on Dhaka art scene. She has recently participated in a number of group exhibitions and art camps. At the exhibition, as a non-figurative painter, her works are considered to be pure abstract-expressionism. She seems aware of space and forms, and has used geometric and amorphous shapes, rectangular, vertical, half-curved and full curved forms. The painter leads the viewers to a world of sublime beauty. Her paintings could be regarded as a combination of simple examples of romanticism and exquisiteness.
Afrozaa Jamil Konka made a shift from Oriental to Realistic art in her early days. Though she changed her field of study, she tries to maintain a correlation between her present working style and Oriental art. Recently, the painter's themes mirror various social, political and environmental issues. Beside the issues, birds, flora and fauna have been placed in the limelight by the artist in a number of her recent exhibitions.
The exhibition ends on June 10.