Select 12: What inspires the modern artist?

Whenever a group art exhibition is organised, it is normally designed around a theme or a concept, figurative or non-figurative subjects, or even perhaps the artworks are related to each other by media. Galleri Kaya's latest exhibition, titled 'Select 12', inaugurated on Friday (24 February), however, took quite a unique approach. It boldly asked the question: what inspires the modern artist? 

The show is composed of the works of 12 contemporary artists: Anisuzzaman (1972), Aloptogin Tushar (1968), Ashraful Hasan (1977), Azmeer Hossain (1976), Kamaluddin (1977), Kamruzzaman Sagar (1977), Karu Titas (1965), Mahmudur Rahman Dipon (1970), Nagarbasi Barman (1973), Shahanoor Mamun (1968), Shohag Parvez (1981), and Trivedi Gopal Chandra (1969). 

"If we look at the age of the artists, the most senior person here was born in 1965, and the youngest was born in 1981. These artists represent a very contemporary generation. We have never organised a show like this before," said Goutam Chakraborty, Director of Galleri Kaya. 

"The purpose of the show was to see what inspires the modern artist and the types of works they are producing. I won't say this is a full representation of the contemporary art scene of Bangladesh, a lot more could have been included, which we couldn't do because of our limitations. But we can still get a glimpse of how the modern artist thinks; we can get an idea if they are pursuing divergent ideas from one another, or are they thinking coherently."

The show features 60 artworks done in a variety of media; which includes watercolour, prints, charcoal, soft pastel, acrylic and mixed media. From the very beginning it was evident that every artist thinks quite differently, and their subjects and styles also vary. 

Whether you looked at Anisuzzaman's still life floral paintings, Tushar's sketches of bulls and female figures, or Ashraful Hasan's haunting humanoid trees, they all had one thing in common, they all connected with each other through nature.

"I was always inspired by the power of drawings by artists like Zainul Abedin, Mustafa Monwar, and Rafiqun Nabi. I believe drawing is a basic foundation of art, and whoever excels in it can work with any media they choose," said Aloptogin Tushar. 

"I am compelled to work with figurative subjects, especially because I have spent a lifetime practising and perfecting my drawing. During my time as a student, I have even spent 18 hours in a day practising. The bulls in my sketches and paintings represent force, truth, and pride. As for the female figures, in order to truly capture its beauty, one has to get a lot of things right, such as the tonal dimension, softness, force, dark and light, etc. It is very difficult to get it right, and I took it up as a challenge."     

Ashraful Hasan, a graduate of Faculty of Fine Art, University of Chittagong, depicted haunting acrylic paintings of humanoid trees. "People and trees are a part of nature, we share a symbiotic relationship. But in present times, it seems that we have forgotten this fact, and we are destroying the planet. I have explored this concept in my series, I call it Fire of Greed," he explained.

Shohag Parvez, who primarily works with watercolour, depicts the struggles of the marginalised classes. As he explained,  "I tend to travel a lot, and my subject matters almost always about Bangladesh. I depict the lives and struggles of the farmer, bede, fishermen and people who constantly have to battle with nature in order to survive. They have lived this way for over centuries, and I try to depict their struggles in my art." 

Most of the featured artworks are from the collection of the artists themselves. The works were not curated by the gallery either, rather the artists were asked to share their works for the show. And the results were nothing short of amazing. "Because our space is limited and we are featuring many artists, we asked them to send moderate sized artworks. I believe they have all shared some of their greatest artworks," said Chakraborty. 

Select 12 is open for all to see, every day, from 11:30 AM to 7:30 PM, until Tuesday, 7 March. 

TBS Picks: A selection of artworks from the show with a description from the artists

Bull-1. Aloptogin Tushar. Acrylic on canvas. 2022

I have composed this painting using my imagination and reference images. The bull here is a symbol for rebellion and strength. I have applied forceful brush strokes, and through the painting's technique, dimension and volume, I tried to bring its essence to life.    

Meditation. Ashraful Hasan. Acrylic and charcoal on canvas. 2022

This painting was inspired by the sculptures of Buddah from the Pāla Empire. The style of art from this era is one of our artistic roots, and I incorporated my idea with their style to compose this work.   

Fishing-1. Shohag Parvez. Charcoal on paper. 2023 

I often try to capture the time of old into my works, and present a part of Bangladesh's culture which has already been lost. Today, we don't have boats with sails. But it is up to us artists, writers, etc, to keep its memory alive. And through our works the future generations will learn about the time before engines and heavy machineries became the norm.