Wings of Art: A gateway to Bangladesh’s first digital canvas

What good is an artwork if it is rotting away in some cold, dank corner, collecting dust? Besides the painting itself, it is also the painter's vision fading away with it. Only a select few pieces of artwork – paintings in this case – ever make it to an exhibition; the rest slip into the unknown.

This is what long-time art curator Saifur Rahman Lenin is trying to change through 'Wings of Wind' (WOW). For years, Lenin has been on a mission to seek out the best art and artists for an organisation, from any corner in the country they might be hiding in. 

However, he needed someone's assistance in doing so. So he went to Rumi Noman, proprietor of Shilpangan Art Gallery. Shilpangan, founded in 1992 on Dhanmondi Road 4, is the first private art gallery in Dhaka and is now situated in Lalmatia.

"There is no proper place to draw in, no place to exhibit them in, no place to sell art, and on top of all that, no one really knows how to appraise art well," Rumi said, citing his various artist friends who had such concerns. "Shilpangan was made to address such grievances," Rumi added.

Fast forward to 2019, Lenin approached Rumi about a collaboration between Shilpangan and WOW, owing to Shilpangan's reputation as an organisation that exists to facilitate art. But the timing was off; the Covid-19 thwarted the two art lovers' efforts.

But they eventually were able to pull it off. From 3 March to 12 March, Lenin, with Rumi's assistance, was able to hold an exhibition at La Galerie, Alliance Française de Dhaka. Alliance Française is reputed in the world of art as a hub for the best artists in the country; and for music and culture as well.  

In the monsoon of 2022 – a season that brings out an artist's innate desire to draw – WOW held its first art camp with 24 artists of renown, both young and old. The camp was held at the Rangamati Waterfront Resort in Gazipur, far away from the city's cacophony. The camp was titled, 'Wings of Art', closely resembling Lenin's WOW. 

Photo Courtesy: Noor-A-Alam

The art camp was three days long, in which the artists produced 82 artworks. It truly was an artist's idea of paradise: being surrounded by fellow artists, close to nature, doing nothing but paint.

Samarjit Roy Chowdhury, Abul Barq Alvi, Birem Shome, Alokesh Ghosh, Tarun Ghosh, Mohammad Eunus, Jamal Ahmed, Karu Titas, Bipul Shah, A H Dhali Tomal, Monjur Rashid were a few artists among the long list of 24 artists who partook in the camp. The artists were given no specific theme. They drew from their hearts, running wild with imagination.

"The rain outside really enabled us to get into a cozy mood. We bonded; we hung out late into the night and had the most hearty conversations. One day as it was raining, we all made origami boats from coloured papers and sailed them away in the resort's swimming pool. That was beautiful," said Biren Shome.

Twenty-six carefully curated paintings from the camp were later exhibited in 'Wings of Art'. The paintings, at first glance, prove they were creations of masterful artists. Some paintings were abstract, some of nature with animals and children. There were paintings of a paper bird escaping a cage, only to be encumbered in a grayscale cityscape. There were panoramic rural scenes in the rain, of fishermen and their boats, of flowers and gardens, of wreckage and chaos; practically anything the artists set their minds on.

But the story of Wings of Wind only begins here.

"To face tomorrow's challenge, Wings of Wind reached out its hands," Rumi said. "Shilpangan and Wings of Wind are going to create a digital art portal. That platform is called Wings of Wind," he added.

"Essentially a website, www.wingsofart.com will be a digital art portal through which we aim to take our artwork to the world's doorstep. Once documented on the platform, each artist from across the country will be able to showcase their work to the whole world. Each artist's biography, along with at least two of their pieces of artwork will be present on the website," said Lenin, beaming with hope.

The art portal will act as an archive for all the artwork documented. Lenin and Rumi are both of the opinions that, in doing so, no artwork will ever again go out of sight forever. Through this portal, artists will also get an opportunity to sell their artwork. Also, all of this will be done pro bono, in the name of art.

The exhibition was born out of an art camp involving 24 different artists. Photo Courtesy: Noor-A-Alam

TBS Picks

Biren Shome | Acrylic on canvas

I took inspiration for this painting from nature. This painting is mostly green because nature is green. But I did not paint green leaves or plants. I first looked at what I saw and tried to understand them in my way. Then I painted from my vision. This is why this composition is mostly green, with a stroke of red in it. It is mainly an abstract expression of what I saw.

Karu Titas | Acrylic on canvas

I tried to present the scenic beauty of the subject of my painting. I totally let go of my own style and went with what I saw. This painting is of a tea stall in a rural setting. I really love sipping at tea stalls. Against a green backdrop, the tea stall and the villagers who visited there created a strong impression on me and I painted that.

Bipul Shah | Acrylic on canvas

I have a series called 'Journey with Wreckage'. All I see around me are concrete and tall buildings. But my works are about wreckages in these structures. There is light on the surface of these structures, but it's dark inside them. The red highlight in this painting represents the rebellion of the darkness from within.