Discovering the Metanoia: An abstract quest for the meaning of life
In ‘Discovering the Metanoia’ - the self-taught artist Nabila Rahman’s debut art exhibition - she tried to transform her subconscious thoughts to meaningful art
Nabila Rahman's first art exhibition 'Discovering the Metanoia,' took place at Drik Gallery from 21 January 2022 to 25 January 2022.
The artist, who is also an entrepreneur with investments in a few Gulshan eateries, including 'Laughing Buddha', exhibited forty exquisite paintings from her collection.
All of the artworks at the exhibition were abstract and metaphoric in nature, expressing the inner dimension of metahuman metamorphosis.
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'Discovering the Metanoia' is not about anyone's personal journey, but it connects with the whole world and the universe. It could transform one's inner self into a conscious human being, to sense the world around him/her and what their subconscious darkness is.
"I transformed my subconscious darkness into purposeful art. You know, anyone can be a Metahuman in this era. And that is what I expressed through my art," said the artist.
Nabila Rahman is a self-taught artist. She started her journey as an artist by doing several commissioned works. After her father's demise in 2018, she encountered existential crisis and saw a few unusual surreal dreams.
That experience made her comprehend her father and herself differently. Embarking on that journey, she started researching consciousness, environment and metahumanity.
Another tragic experience for Nabila was the circumstances created by Covid-19. The deaths, lockdowns, and overall Covid-19 tension pushed her to go deep, finding the abstract reasoning of metanoia.
"After recovering from Covid-19, I felt that after many deaths, I was born again. I started my 'Purity' series then. This series comprises portraits of colours and souls", Nabila Rahman expressed.
Since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak, she has painted more than fifty paintings.
Furthermore, Nabila is looking forward to publishing her book next year.
TBS picks
Among the displayed works, TBS has picked a few that stood out.
Fairytale of Nowhere
This abstract painting is done with acrylic on paper and is a part of the dream series. This painting portrays a dream place in the seventh sky called 'Nowhere'. The artist states, "Deep inside, you can see the moon angel during a full moon night, shining with her light and spreading it unconditionally. One angel is playing with the falling stars at the star tree. Another angel is sleeping on a different reality of zero space-time of calmness. Few other angels are dancing and praying for a better world."
Golden Aura of Compassion
Painted on a 44x46 inch canvas, this textured acrylic abstract is part of the love series.
The painting expresses that the highest form of love is compassion. Compassion is the hidden power of the universe.
"I tried to portray this with the colours of love - orange and red. Gold is the colour of compassion. There are some guardian angels. Here, I tried to synchronise my pieces of imagination," said Nabila.
Healing Ragas
This textured acrylic abstract was painted on a 9x5 ft long canvas. It belongs to the dream series in the exhibition. "I was looking for a healing solution to the entrance of my paternal home. I was thinking day and night. Suddenly, one day I saw a dream of beautiful spiral gemstone ammonites. The stone is believed to have healing powers, in many areas across the globe. Thus I found my purpose to paint it, to spread healing energy," said the artist.
The Paradise – Our Planet Earth
According to Nabila Rahman, this painting holds the essence of the 'Discovering the Metanoia' exhibition. It belongs to the environment category. This painting symbolises how uniquely colourful and diverse our home planet is. If we somehow stand on the surface of the moon, we can see half of the globe accommodating all life forms in the universe. "This is home, and if we feel deeply, it is paradise. We should rather protect our home planet first before stepping into other planets," stated Nabila.
