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18 Souls

Sheikh Arif Bulbon Mina Hayder is an expatriate Bangladeshi painter. Recently she took an initiative to arrange a group art exhibition in Dhaka. She along with her 10 friends exhibited together with a view to reunifying bondage of friendship after a long time gap. Her gesture got overwhelmed spirit and this time she has accommodated 18 artists of different ages under a common platform to showcase their artworks. She has managed it after from the selection of a workshop. Mina Hayder in support with Dhaka Art Centre arranged a group art exhibition titled ‘18 Souls’ at the gallery of Dhaka Art Centre in the city's Dhanmondi area. The exhibition featured the works of 18 contemporary Bangladeshi painters. The exhibition was a part of the celebration of ‘Pahela Baishakh,’ Bengali New Year. A total of 44 works artworks by Samarjit Roy Chowdhury, Hamiduzzaman Khan, Abdus Shakoor Shah, Shahid Kabir, Mohammad Eunus, Jamal Ahmed, Mostafizul Haque, Nasreen Begum, Mina Hayder, Ivy Zaman, Syed Hasan Mahmud, Mohammad Iqbal, Sheikh Afzal Hossain, Nisar Hossain, Shishir Bhattacharjee, Atia Islam Anne, Ahmed Shamsuddoha and Maksuda Iqbal Nipa were on display in the show. “Basically it was a follow-up to a two-day art camp that was held from April 29 to 30. The camp was held at the Dhaka Art Centre. The exhibition was an outcome of the camp. Mina apa coordinated it. I felt happy as I got the opportunity to see the country's leading and prominent artists’ paintings from closely. It was a great experience for me,” said artist Maksuda Iqbal Nipa while sharing her feelings about the exhibition. The exhibition was inaugurated by eminent painter Prof Rafiqun Nabi as chief guest on April 6, while art enthusiast and Managing Director of Bay Development Ltd Iftekhar A Khan was also present as special guest on the occasion. Artist Prof Samarjit Roy Chowdhury was in his unique style. His acrylic on canvas work titled ‘Night Beauty’ was also an aesthetically rich composition that followed the style of the traditional ‘Nakshi kantha’ (quilt). His composition in black and indigo with segments of red, the work represented the folk motifs with human and bird elements. Artist Nisar Hossain’s painting titled ‘Composition’ done in acrylic was very impressive. In his works, intense shades with thick lines and boundaries showed the fears and tensions of the present society. The Fisher Women, another painting on display by Jamal Ahmed, highlighted different shades of grey in acrylic. The char areas and life style of the char people have appeared colourfully in the works of him. Distant skies of the artist Mohammad Iqbal reminisces eventful about pasted of the youth and early life. Comprised of abstract forms and figures, bright shades of orange, blue and white provided rich coloration to the subjects. ‘Bold and Beautiful’ by Mina Hayder, done in acrylic, is eye-caching for its exceptional combination of colours. Blend of red and yellow with grey and black made the composition unique. Popular artist Shahid Kabir’s ‘Green Grapes’, with the green dominating, gave a soothing feeling in the viewers’ minds. He presented simple elemental forms of nature in his art works. Deep shades and bold outlines were evident in his works. Veteran painting celebrity, artist Prof Abdus Shakoor Shah has also put some works on display. Folk motifs dominated the settings of his works composed in soothing shades of pink, yellow and white colours with contrasts of midnight blue, black and deep green. Artists Nasreen Begum and Sheikh Afzal Hossain represented some unorthodox post-modernist generations of the human world. ‘Queen of Cactus’ by Nasreen and Future Generation by Sheikh Afzal suggested the protest and rebellion. However, form-based abstract works by artists Prof Hamiduzzaman Khan, Mohammad Eunus and Ivy Zaman reflected ideologies. Their works were seemingly more compact and vivid with dense accumulation of rich shades. Shishir Bhattacharjee's composition ‘Untitled’ featured different elements of the surroundings that were unique for the artist's inimitable use of lines and forms. The composition titled ‘Waiting’, done in acrylic, by artist Ahmed Shamsuddoha portrayed the most ancient emotions hidden in every human with great zeal. Artist Maksuda Iqbal Nipa’s composition titled ‘Adam and Eve’ portrayed the relationship between a man and a woman in yellow and red. She also followed the abstract style and her works displayed even more vibrancy with distinct lines and folded to illustrate wistful figurative forms stuffed with gleeful and passionate intonation. The works of artist Mostafizul Haque provide ample opportunity to relish the true flavours of semi-realism within dull compositional settings of white and grey. Artist Syed Hasan Mahmud is another nature enthusiast whose experimental fluid forms of expressionism reveal intricate wonders of nature.