Mirror of a Mass Culture

Maroon Bells 1, woodcut print, 2012.

Rokeya Sultana’s latest endeavour, after the nine months of her Fullbright scholarship, presents “Fata Morgana”, which is a collection of distorted mirages that sailors often saw at sea. It includes coastlines, boats and islands. Morgan is a term taken from Latin, derived from Arthurian legend Morgan Le Fay, a sorceress. Castles and witchcraft formed her world–all these were used to lure one to one's end.

At Nebraska, Rokeya witnessed Venus over the Moon. This symbolic happening left a great impact in the mind of the artist. Her prints, when displayed on the wall, rocket along to orbits of their own. Her Fulbright scholarship at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln opened up her horizon in prints and their technicality. Her vision is different, as her colours and patchwork designing have a different outlook. The creations are more abstract, complex, yet they are synchronised, despite being multi-faceted.

The Living Ocean 1, unique pressure print, 2012.

Solaris 2, unique pressure print, 2012.

Each piece, at a time, has importance for the artists. What really expresses the artist's feelings and hopes is the creation itself. If the work clicks, it is considered good. She uses geometrical motifs to create details and to complete her work. They are almost like Japanese prints, done on delicate paper. This is the comment of her Nebraska- Lincoln teachers like Professor Karen Kunc. The compositions remain abstract in their final analyses.

A painter and printmaker, Rokeya has been to various parts of the world with scholarships and has exhibited her work in Poland, Denmark, Pakistan, the US, India and Japan. Her work is about the impermanence of life. She was influenced by her formative years in 1971, when Bangladesh got its freedom after a cultural struggle which created her country's identity with its own language, apparel and food habits. Her creations involve womanhood and a woman's struggle as a mother, wife and career person. Her research in the US helped her develop a symbolic vocabulary of her own. She displays the impact of multiple cultures on the human psyche.

Venus Crossing the Moon 6, unique pressure print, 2012.

Speaking about her own work “Fata Morgana”, Rokeya says, "With the technical revolution of information technology in the 21st century, the use of imagination and contemplation is no longer necessary for creation. The work of technicians can help us progress with our thought, the ala mode ides no longer need to be self invented. Through my research, I have made my prints non-toxic and low-tech materials. They comprise of pre-made recycled items."

She says that previously she used materials from domestic settings. Through nostalgia, she has brought in the idea of Morgan Le Fay and incorporated it in her work. She believes that the layers of colours in her work can be understood by the viewer—and does not require elaborate explanations. Her aim is the common man, she insists.

Her “Maroon Bells-1”, a woodcut, has layers of paints in variations of blue and brown apart from yellow with stitches and marks in between. It is as if she had painted on some trunk of a tree. One finds a male and a female form around the semi oval shapes in yellow and light beige.

"The Living Ocean-1"– a pressure print—with not a second one of its kind—has filligree work in white and brings in a rose pattern. Behind are circles and oblong shapes of black, jade and lemon. They appear in perfect harmony, on the grey backdrop.

Rokeya Sultana has been exhibiting for decades and is getting accolades. She deserves every bit of this recognition. She combines teaching and painting with home-making. She fascinates you into her world scintillating backdrop. She uses warm colours like cobalt blue, vermilion and turquoise. Memories of Tagore, Nazrul and Jibanananda Das have inspired her more than contemporary poets. She is involved in a feminist movement without angst. She is qualified both in print- making and painting, especially with tempera and acrylic. She is moved by Romanticism – especially Pantheism. She remains lyrical and forceful.

Rokeya Sultana’s solo exhibition is being held at Bengal Art Lounge and ends June 11.