9+ One: A vivid journey through 'dimensions'

Heaven! How it looks like we don't know. But based on scriptures of various religions we can imagine it and draw a picture of heaven. Artist Rasel Rana also drew such a picture of heaven before he painted it on a canvas with acrylic. There is a stair, there are different kinds of flowers of different colours, leaves and a chair. 

"I tried to put my imaginary heaven on the canvas," said Rasel Rana, a student of Fine Arts at the University of Dhaka. Two of his paintings are exhibited at '9+ONE: Inter-Dimensional Journeys' at the capital's Edge Gallery. 

The inaugural event, held on 16 June in the evening, witnessed a gallery brimming with enthusiastic patrons, while outside, there was a torrential downpour accompanied by gusty winds. These elements seemed to embrace and celebrate the young artists' endeavours. The exhibition was curated by Rezwan Rahman.

The exhibition is a collage of works by a handful of young local artists who are passionate about the understanding of the human condition. The unifying thread is their deep insight combined with a keen sense of observation and their unorthodox styles of expression. Some of the arts might seem playful, but underneath they carry a heavy message.

Photo: Saqlain Rizve

The reason behind naming the exhibition '9+One' is interesting too. The exhibition houses 46 paintings and 15 sculptures by 18 artists' under nine categories (which the curator also explains as dimensions). These categories are intertwined eternity, unrestricted love, cosmic dreams, unending obscurity, infinite branches, the realm of depth, the abyss of perception, diverging realities and the symphony of colours. And finally, the curator adds one more to the fray, time. 

All these make up 10 dimensions of the human body and mind, hence the name of the event.

Essentially, this exhibition is an attempt to meld fiction with our reality to help shed some light on the uncharted realms. 9 + 1 is that stage where a handful of promising individuals ask normatively uncomfortable questions and seek clarity. One might not end up on a voyage through these unexpected dimensions, but these artists' works surely engage all our senses in a way that perhaps offers a sneak peek into the inter-dimensional journey.

Speaking to the curator, it was revealed that selecting 18 artists for the exhibition and curating their work was quite challenging.

"We have so many talented and creative artists in our country. Selecting only 18 was really challenging. With this exhibition in mind, I visited various exhibitions and saw artists' works. Then I selected those 18 who work a little differently and go outside the norm. We will organise more such exhibitions in the future as well where there will be different sets of artists," said Rezwan Rahman.

The show is open for all till 8 July 2023 at the Edge Gallery in Gulshan 2. 

TBS Picks:

TBS picked a few works of art from the show accompanied by the respective artist's description:

Gift from the Midas to The Poor by Nargis Poly

We all probably know the story of the greedy King Midas. One who once invoked such a power that whatever he touches turns to gold. It happens that even after meals he cannot eat any food. Today our capitalist society does the same as they throw a golden apple to the people to show off and say eat it. But how will people eat a gold apple? The mockery that our capitalist society is doing with people that I have tried to portray in my painting. And by the ants that are seen here, I mean common people of our society.

Medium: Acrylic on canvas

Urban Dreams 14 by Sharad Das

At first glance, the human figure would come to mind suffering from the noise pollution of the city, but the message of this artwork is much deeper. Our human body is an organic thing. But society puts us under a kind of suppression with rules and false expectations. And these rules and stories of hope come from our policymakers which we become tired of at some point.

Medium: Acrylic on wooden board

Waiting for by Rasel Rana

In this heaven, there are no clashes among human beings. There are many flowers and many leaves but they are not clashing with each other. I wish for the world to become a heaven as I have imagined. 

Medium: Acrylic on canvas

Mundane Olive by Azizee Fawmi Khan 

When I stumbled upon our family photo album, a wave of nostalgia washed over me. As I gazed at the old pictures of my mother, father, and other family members, a peculiar sensation enveloped me. It was as if I was getting to know them all over again. Inspired by this feeling, I decided to paint a portrait, but instead of capturing my mother or my aunt, I aimed to convey the essence of our ancestral predecessors. Hoping to evoke a fresh perspective on the lives of those who came before us, I sought to infuse the artwork with a touch of distinct sentiment.

Medium: Acrylic on canvas