LOUD AND VIBRANT

It is an unique genre in the art world, a distinctive niche of its own. Meanwhile, it may be deemed as "the common man's art", if you will. And it is reflective of our country, depicting a myriad range of things that interest and influence us - from folklore to film stars.

Rickshaw art is a fascinating field indeed. The paintings at the rear of the rickshaw commands rapt attention when looked through a pair of keen eyes. And rapt attention does the works of the current rickshaw art exhibition demand. 

Titled 'Summer in Colour', it is the third solo exhibition of veteran rickshaw painting artist Nobo Kumar Bhadra. Being held at Alliance Francaise de Dhaka, the exhibition was inaugurated on 29 April, 2016. From 'Dhallywood' film banners to anthropomorphic animals, Bhadra, backed by decades of experience in this field, shows his skills and passion for rickshaw art through his exhibits. 

Rickshaw art is marked by bold use of colours, and you would see plenty of that in the exhibition. "The face of this actor is green, and the lips of this man here is bright red, much like as it be if he applied lipstick," Bhadra said, discussing one of the movie banners. "This unusual and eccentric use of colours gives me a lot of pleasure as an artist, and it is this radiance of bright colours that attract art lovers too."     

The movie posters depict the Dhallywood scene in and around 1980s. The glamour. The intensity. The valour of the hero. The luscious beauty of the heroine. 

Of course, film banners are not the only subject of this exhibition and rickshaw art at large. Anthropomorphic animals (creatures having human characteristics) make an appearance too. Be it tiger ('bagh mama') or fox ('sheyal pandit'), the paintings have about them a strong feel of Bengali folklores, fables and mythos.  

And add to that the imagination of the artist. "The fox is fleeing away on a boat with the chickens he stole", Bhadra described a work he calls 'Sheyal Panditke Dhora'. "But their mother has come aboard, standing with a dagger in her hand, ready to rescue her children."   

This particular work is a sketch. The artist has tried out different mediums and ways of representing rickshaw art. Sketch is one of them. Painting rickshaw art motifs and designs on clay pots and mirror frames show that an artist finds a canvas in things we see or use every day. But of course, there're also tin plates in the exhibition, which is a traditional canvas of this genre of art. 

Other than the few sketches, the rest of the exhibits are a burst of colours. 

With enamel paint, the liberal and generous application of very bright colours and the fact that the artworks reflect many pastoral, cinematic and cultural elements of our country, rickshaw art is indeed an important and a fascinating genre. And this exhibition indeed allows you to see and appreciate the various subjects and types of rickshaw painting. 

This ongoing exhibition at Galerie Zoom, Alliance Francaise de Dhaka is going to run till 17 May, 2016 (after which it may or may not be extended). Visiting hours are between 3pm and 9pm from Monday to Thursday; 9am to 12pm and 5pm to 8pm on Friday and Saturday.