Page 67 - Art and Crafts of Bangladesh

64 ART AND CRAFTS

Ruhul Amin Kajol, another artist living abroad, is continuing to express himself in
various media. One of the key substances of Kajol’s artworks is intense condemnation
of various inconsistencies of society, deceit, oppression, self-seeking crooked politics
in the name of religion etc. Just as the flow of events of his homeland moves him
despite his living in far away Denmark, the ruthless nature of international politics that
he observes up close also becomes a subject of his art. However, Kajol’s key
uniqueness is his very distinctive style of composition which is completely different
from the mainstream trend in Bangladesh (pl. 1.31). Kajol is a pioneering artist of
Bangladesh in the field of creating artworks through collective effort. Creating Traffic
Art over large spaces both at home and abroad by bringing together young artists and
huge installations made solely of bamboo are his notable artistic endeavors.
G.S. Kabir drew attention through technical finesse and proficiency of representation
at a very young age. At first he created the pictorial surface with a layer of smoothly
and gradually dissolving colors, and subsequently he incorporated geometric
divisions, upon which were composed realistic forms. Sometimes they are realistic to
the level of photorealism, sometimes they are a bit stylized; completely abstract forms
and textures were also used occasionally. Later, Kabir transformed totally. Completely
abstract forms, lines, colors and the pleasing arrangement of texture has become the
preoccupation of his painting. Through his technical proficiency, Kabir displays his
skill in making his statement captivating by removing the taste of the media (pl. 1.34).
Dhali Al Mamoon is politically and socially aware, interested in using painting as a
weapon to communicate his responsibility and message. Creating visual beauty on the
fig. 1.36 Nasreen canvas is not his objective; he wants to draw attention, to shock. Thus, from the onset
Begum, After Ceremony, Mamoon’s distinction drew interest. The human being is the subject of his
watercolor, 1992
consideration; he reveals the true nature of opportunistic disguised people with a
combination of ridicule and humor. He overcame the early attraction towards Bacon
and other western artists in the same category and gradually
searched within indigenous folk tradition for the inspiration of
style. For a period, the Behula tales captivated him (pl. 1.36). In
recent times, Mamoon has come out of the world of folk art and
he wishes to create stronger representations in various forms of
art. For that, apart from painting he has represented his
conceptual projects through drawing, photography, sculpture,
video with sound and lighting.
Nasreen Begum chose watercolor as her key medium. Though at
first she created paintings in watercolor in the conventional so-
called oriental style, in later periods her works began to display
her distinctive style. Through an open door in the middle of the
canvas the world on the opposite side is seen– using this form,
she represents the post-marriage tragedy of ruined dreams against
the pre-marriage hopes and desires of a woman’s life (fig. 1.36).