The Joie de Vivre of Print Making
Ahmed Nazir, Journey of a Great Master - a1, C-print, 2013.
"Awakening” is an exhibition by the print-makers nonpareil—Rokeya Sultana, Ahmed Nazir, Rafi Haq, Rashid Amin, and Mustafa Zaman who are pioneers of print making in Bangladesh. They began their group in 1993 at Alliance Française, when the group wished to share their knowledge and ideas of print making. The 80s and 90s certainly saw development of art in Bangladesh. Despite political upheavals and socially quixotic times, when our rulers fell like a house of cards in South East Asia, fine art flourished under the guidance of Mohammed Kibria and Safiuddin Ahmed. Much later the getting together of the young maestros of print making took place in the Bengal Gallery with the encouragement of Shibir Chowdhury.
Rashid Amin, In Search of Infinity - 10, etching aquatint, 2011.
With new outlook and inventions in the country the group displayed its prowess in Hong Kong in March 1995. Today, apart from inspiration, we have the return of the eager print-makers showing new interest and eagerness. Rokeya, the senior-most of the five, is back from her Fulbright scholarship, having won acclaim many decades ago at Santiniketan and France. A full professor, she has helped many artists further their education—being patient with her students eager to learn and excel at home and overseas.
Ahmed Nazir has been experimenting with prints for decades. He has carried on research on the computer and sent his creations to win prizes in far flung places like Poland. One has known his early work to be idyllic and positive. Of late, he has dealt with bullet marks and x-ray plates. He says, “We must turn inwards for progress. In our globe, most people don't want terrorism, yet many people suffer because of it.”
Similarly, it was Rafi Haq who recalled on that Friday that the group had become united once before-- on the death anniversary of the maestro Mohammed Kibria. His work displays a keen interest in this art on paper; it tells of suffering and contentment. Print-making is something that Monir of Spain had brought back with him to teach enthusiasts at home.
Rafi Haque, Journey of Empty Word - 3, wood intaglio with collage, 2013.
Rashid Amin, a professor is an acknowledged teacher of art with a keen eye for modernism learnt from China. The artist who has influenced him is Mohammed Kibria—he is also fond of the works of Monirul Islam and Shahid Kabir. He also admires Kandinsky, Mark Rothko and "Cy" Twombly. He can be dreamy and suggestive.
Mustafa Zaman, who is known for experimenting with words and forms of animals and humans is a part of this group too. He is also into writing plays with the images of animals and humans, bringing in tigers, lions, dogs and humans in swirls and squiggles. These he places on empty, opalesque backgrounds. Mustafa Zaman is the Editor of Depart, an English Language art quarterly.
Rafi Haq has been to the US (Nebraska University), Japan (Fukoko), Australia (under Prof. David Wilson) and has also studied sculpture under the American teacher Sussan Breton. He has studied print making under the American Professor Andrew Safttel At present he is the General Secretary of The Society of Promotion of Bangladeshi Art.
Mustafa Zaman, Parallel Lives Fading into Oblivion - 3, C-print, 2013.
Studying his prints on display at the Bengal Gallery we see orange, yellow and grey scraps of paper seemingly put together. There is a music sheet in mauve, gathering of lacy cut outs in grey and vermilion geometrical slabs. There are many circular objects to be seen in vermilion, white and ultramarine. There are moreover, sketches in duck-egg yellow and stark of pink and orange. This piece is called “Journal of Empty Word (2013). In his next “Journal of Empty Word" (oil on paper, like the last one), we find floral patterns in sage green and ash, squiggles of yellow and mauve, geometrical bars of vermilion, and musical notes in mauve.
Rashid Amin, back from China with his PhD in 2011has exhibited in Hong Kong, France and Beijing apart from places in Dhaka such as Café Mango and Chitrak Gallery. At present he is an Associate Professor at University of Development Art (EUDA).
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