Page 267 - Art and Crafts of Bangladesh

264 ART AND CRAFTS

photomontage, collage, etc. to question the normality of life and art flowing parallel to the
perpetual violence of these times. Through the alternative study of utility products,
materials and traditional art forms, he presented his chosen subjects in different
arrangements. By turning a beautiful abstract canvas of the senior artist Mohammad
Kibria, he placed a spectral portrait on it - and presented this rearranged canvas as the
image of a killer. Symbolic use of photomontage of red plastic chair, featherless body and
head of a slaughtered chicken etc. was a feature of this exhibition.
The photomontages were created by placing the alternative arrangement of the
abstract painting of Kibria as the murderer’s image, or the red plastic chair, in various
political, social and natural settings like the parliament building, monuments built on
the site where the intellectuals were executed during the Liberation War, butchers’
shop, or lovely paddy field, flower shop, riverbank etc. Nisar inspired the viewer of
his art into self-examination. He presented the killer’s image also with photographs of
his self-portrait a coating of white showing various ferocious facial expressions with
paint on the face. He positioned a looking glass at the center of the portraits where the
viewers’ images were reflected. He attached to the looking glass a paper cutting where
the news of a father murdering his son for the sake of religion had been published.
This presentation by Nisar Hossain was discussed in the contemporary media as a
notable artistic attempt in the new trend. It was observed, in the context of the local
practice, ‘…Nisar [has] done more than the cosmetic work in his postmodern
exposition. He has suggested an alternate textual reading of our present day living in
this country. His vision is not anarchic; it merely meets our everyday perception of
fear, insecurity, greed, thirst for blood and the crisis of our identity.’ 6
Organized Efforts towards New Trends
The endeavours of the 90s were isolated and sporadic, and to an extent rather casual
and romantic. They were spontaneous practice locally adopted from mostly western
and some Asian countries. Though the scenario has not changed much, from around the
year 2000 a conscious creative effort can be observed in the artworks of the new trend.
Expression of societal issues is a special feature of such Conceptual artworks created
until now in the country. It is also observed that these installation and performance
works have been inspired, as far as their subjects are concerned, by the societal issues
raised by the western media and the heated issues of local development activities
undertaken by the donor agencies. Simultaneously, various issues emphasized by the
local media such as liberation, nationality, etc and internationally debated issues such
as fundamentalism, environmental pollution, etc. have easily become the topics of such
projects. With the influence of media, the new Conceptual artworks have also
attempted to touch upon ideas like postmodernism, feminism, etc. In the recent works
of Mustafa Zaman and Ronni Ahmmed, postmodern approaches can be noticed.
Installation works by Tayeba Begum Lipi and Dilara Begum Jolly are frequently
inspired by feminism. Abdul Halim Chanchal, Abdus Salam and others have evidently
mocked market-oriented art and expressed irony about the hard realities of society in