KATHMANDU
Diverse cultures, traditions, and heritages of Bangladesh are on display at 'Spirit of Friendship', a group art exhibition featuring 12 artists from Bangladesh. The exhibition, organised to celebrate the 50 years of Nepal-Bangladesh diplomatic relations, kicked off at Siddhartha Art Gallery, Babermahal Revisited on September 2.
The 28 artworks, spread over the ground and first floors of the gallery, reflect various rituals, lifestyles, and nature of Bangladesh among others.
The acrylic on canvas painting Water from the Moon by the curator of the exhibition Kanak Chanpa Chakma depicts the struggle of girls in the hills - here a girl is seen carrying water bottles in a basket during the dusk. The girl is wearing the traditional attire of Bangladesh and is carrying a bottle in her hand as well. The hill has been painted in black while the orange shade around the hill reflects the dusk.
"It is very tough to collect water in the hill areas of Bangladesh. The drinking water there is very precious, that is why it is often called 'water from the moon," Chakma shared the context of his artwork.
Eternal Existence-53, created using the etching aquatint technique, demonstrates the historical Mughal Empire. Artist Sourav Chowdhury's artwork has a Mughal king and a queen sitting on a peacock boat. An owl is watching them on the boat.
One can see fish and lotus flowers on the sepia-toned artwork's border. The use of sepia makes you feel like you are in history and witnessing glimpses of the Mughal Empire.
"I have this desire for time travelling. But I don't have a time machine to do so, and thus I travel through my artworks," Chowdhury said.
Mong Mong Sho's watercolour painting Songs of Fishermen demonstrates the lifestyle of the fishing community in Bangladesh.
The artist has done so by painting a fisherman on a boat nearby the sea. The sky in this painting is cloudy and it's evening. It gives the impression of the fisherman getting ready for fishing.
"I was born in a place where fishermen make up 90 per cent of the population.
The life of fishermen is not easy because they must deal with strong waves, and heavy rocks, and risk their lives to capture fish in the sea. This artwork is a homage to the fishermen and their boats," Sho said.
Azmeer Hossain's Monsoon meanwhile takes you to the plains of Bangladesh.
This is a painting of a field covered with green grasses, buffalo and vultures with the pine-grey sky - making it feel like heavy rainfall is about to begin.
More such diverse facets of Bangladesh are on display at the exhibition, painted by artists including Bishwajit Goswami, Lumbiny Dewan, Jayatu Chakma, Aongthowai Marma, Sudhip Chakma, Nomosta Rema, Munna Bawm, and Pingcu Tripura.
Curator Chakma said, "Bangladesh, which is a home to different indigenous communities, has an old and rich culture. There is a special kind of beauty in the simple lifestyle of the people of these communities.
And this exhibition aims to present those beauties to the wonderful Nepali people."
Sharing about the exhibition's objective, Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury, Ambassador of Bangladesh said, "This exhibition aims to link the artistic communities of these two nations. Bangladesh and Nepal have strong relationships thanks to our sociocultural ties and a wide range of other things that we have in common. We, therefore, have organised the exhibition so that Nepali art enthusiasts can feel a connection to Bangladeshi arts."
The exhibition is on till September 12.
A version of this article appears in the print on September 4, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
