Affordable Autumn: Presenting fine arts to the masses

The significance of arts is often questioned in society. When growing up in Dhaka, one primarily associates with visual arts, poetry, literature, photography, theatre, etc, in school and university. However, a schism is born as most begin their professional lives.

"Unless someone is truly passionate about the arts, they will eventually stop associating with it as they grow up," said Goutam Chakraborty, artist and Director of Galleri Kaya.

Throughout human existence, art has always played significant roles. It transcends the boundaries of aesthetics; art is a measure of a culture's sophistication – it can convey social and political statements, and has the power to potentially shape our everyday lives. Archaeologists learn about the accomplishments of ancient civilisations from left behind cultural artefacts. But, more often than not, younger generations often fail to recognise its value in Bangladesh, and are moving farther away from it as time passes.

In an effort to familiarise fine arts to a mainstream audience, Galleri Kaya has inaugurated its latest group exhibition 'Affordable Autumn' on Friday, 7 October. The show features a total of 130 artworks by 64 modern and contemporary artists from Bangladesh and India.

"Perhaps one's fondness for art persists in later parts of their lives, lying dormant in their hearts. You see, there is a limitation with [visual] arts. You can enjoy them at shows, but people often want to collect them," explained Goutam. "However, art is also perceived as something very expensive. It is true for renowned and established artists, but not all art is expensive. Because of this preconceived notion, it stops people from starting their own collection, and in the process they forget its value. The primary idea behind this exhibition is to make art mainstream."

Affordable Autumn includes drawings, paintings, prints and sculptures. The show includes artworks by renowned artists such as Murtaja Baseer, Rafiqun Nabi, Shishir Bhattacharjee, Ranjit Das, Mohammad Iqbal, Jamal Ahmed, Kazi Rakib, Badri Narayan, Ramendra Nath Kastha, Krishen Khanna, Chandra Bhattacharjee, Lalu Prosad Shaw, Sanat Kar, and others.

The exhibition also includes works by up-and-coming artists such as Abdullah Al Bashir, Nagarbasi Barman, Ashraful Hasan, Shahanoor Mamun, to name a few.

The strength of the show, however, was in the diversity of the featured artists. Stepping into the gallery, one is able to compare the works of the renowned artists to the artworks of a newer generation. Even though the themes varied, the evolution of Bangladeshi art is on display at the show.

Some of the featured artworks were from the artist themselves, and others were from the collection of the gallery – they were either purchased by Galleri Kaya from artists and other institutions, or were collected from art camps and workshops organised by the gallery. All the exhibits are priced between Tk7,000 to Tk90,000.

Art needs patronage to survive, and collectors are some of its biggest patrons. 'Affordable Autumn' wants to encourage new collectors, and the artworks were priced as reasonably as possible in order to appeal to a younger audience.

"We want to nourish one's desire to collect art. A young banker will become a senior banker someday, a young lecturer will become a professor someday. Their buying capacity will be more than what it is now. And if they continue collecting, they will continue supporting art," explained Goutam.

"As you can see, we have included a lot of prints in this show. Prints are usually more affordable than let's say a painting or a drawing. A linocut of Shishir Bhattacharjee or Rafiqun Nabi will cost you an affordable amount of money, but a drawing or a painting will cost you over a lakh," he added. 

'Affordable Autumn' is Galleri Kaya's third edition of the show. The first was held in 2018, and the second edition was organised in 2020 during the pandemic. The third edition is open to all, every day, from 11:30 AM to 8 PM, until 22 October.

"A boy or a girl needs to travel miles in order to go see an artwork, but one only has to take a few steps to walk into a religious institution. We need more initiatives like these in the city," said advertising executive, actor and photographer Iresh Zaker, who attended the inaugural ceremony as a special guest. 

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

Untitled by Abdullah Al Bashir. Watercolour on paper. 2021

Photo: Courtesy

I made this painting during an art camp organised by Galleri Kaya held at the bank of the Buriganga River. We travelled on a boat all day. Thebird you see in the painting is capable of eating very large fish, larger than what one would normally expect of it. It appears very greedy when it is eating. I wanted to depict the greed that exists in society with this painting.

Home on the hills by Aloptogin Tushar. Watercolour on paper. 2018

Photo: Courtesy

Drawing and watercolour are some of my most favourite media to use. This is a landscape painting. I painted it on the spot during a trip I took to Neora Valley. This is a realistic work, and I painted exactly what I saw. I tried to capture the beauty of nature in this artwork.

White elephant-1 by Goutam Chakraborty. Etching. 2013

Photo: Courtesy

This was a result of my experimentation when I first acquired my etching machine. I was etching on a small zinc plate. I first took a black and white print first. But later I decided this will be a white elephant, so I decided to use white on white. To me, an elephant signifies strength.