DOTS Gallery, A Contemporary Art Gallery

We are now passing through a wonderful time as now our artists have won for themselves a distinguished place in the International Art arena. Bangladeshi artists are now receiving international exposure and participating in various competitions. Nowadays, the scope for pursuing fine arts is much wider than ever before. Once the artists were very neglected and ignored in our society and generally had a poor living in the way of a worldly life. At that time, art galleries were in the city were few and the sale of paintings was very poor. But that atmosphere has changed completely. More galleries are now opening as art works are selling now as a regular feature in our urban areas. A great number of people now rely on this profession. At present, artists are holding a respectable position in our society. People show a great eagerness to collect the art pieces. This trend is especially being noticed since the beginning of the 80s.

The history of art galleries in our country is not a long one. Kolkata was the focal point in the art history of this sub-continent. Though our art history is not very old, we are rich in our art and literature. Some talented and avant-garde artists have flourished in this sub-continent. They used to create art work representing our own culture, heritage and native atmosphere. For this reason, we could find individuality in our art. But the other parts of the world could not see such individuality. This is our pride which makes a distinguished nation in the world. However, the first art gallery of the sub-continent was established in 1876. But only the prominent artists got the chance for exhibition. Only some members of the elite used to visit the gallery. It was inaccessible to commoners. After the establishment of Art College in Dhaka in 1948, a new epoch began. Our artists got a new home for practicing their creativity. East Pakistan Arts Council (now the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Art Gallery) was established in 1963. After launching the gallery, our artists got a great opportunity to display their works in their own land. During that time, Shilpakala was intensely involved with our contemporary art movement. After that, some painters and cultural activists set up a number of art galleries in Dhaka. Art Ensemble and Desh Gallery were two of them. At present, there are many art galleries in Dhaka. Some well-known galleries were set up in the private sector in the 1990s. This year another spacious gallery has opened in one of our posh areas, Tejgaon-Gulshan Link Road, Tejgaon. But DOTS is not just another spacious gallery, it is much more than that. In fact, it is the complete modern gallery, where the facilities offered include not only decorated space but also what is most vital, the kind of lighting that serves to spotlight the painting. In addition, it is not just the paintings that are hung up to allow us to focus on their splendour but the works of sculpture too are placed on appropriate pedestals in all their aesthetic resplendence. The whole system is very praiseworthy. When I first visited this gallery one evening last winter with Syed Abdullah Khalid, I was very much impressed to see the place and the mind-boggling decoration. For a long time, Zaman Jewel, Nasimul Khabir, Abdus Salam, Junaid Eusuf and some promising cultural activists had a dream to establish a gallery where artists could interact with each other, sell their paintings and the art enthusiasts could see the paintings and newcomers could grow a deep adoration for art works.

Artists, ambassadors, bureaucrats, poets, intellectuals, writers, professors, critics and learned persons always visit the gallery on various occasions and take part in inauguration programme of the gallery. DOTS providing a permanent aesthetic centre to connoisseurs of art and promoting promising artists --- these are the key points in establishing the gallery.

Recently, this gallery has organised its inaugural exhibition titled "Forms and Elements, Unity and Diversity" focusing mainly on the sculpture of Bangladesh from 1955 to 2005. In this exposition participants are Abdur Razzaque, Syed Abdullah Khalid, Hamiduzzaman Khan, Alak Ray, Ivy Zaman, Ferdousi Priyabhashini, Rasha, Enamul Huq Enam, Toufiqur Rahman, Mukul Muksuddin, Shyamal Chowdhury, Mahbub Jamal, Lala Rukh Salim, Sheikh Sadi Bhuiyan, Mostafa Sharif Anowar, Maynul Islam Paul, Nasima Haque Mitu and Sudipta Mallick Sweden. This exhibition is dedicated to the memory of artist Abdur Razzaque. Last year, we have lost this great master. He was the first person to take up sculpture in the independent country from the centre point of Joydevpur. A versatile individual in arts, he was not only busy with sculpture medium, but print making and painting also were among his favourite media of _expression. Even on the day prior to his death, he was silently involved in his work. He died in Jessore district where he had gone to organise a drawing workshop. The participants of the workshop came from art institutions of different districts. Abdur Razzaque was a very good human being and well behaved. He was a towering figure at any cultural programme and social gathering. He is a very significant person for having established the department of sculpture. He was making the sculpture Freedom Fighter at Joydevpur. After finishing the work, Razzaque Sir was encouraged to do many sculptures in different areas of the country. Razzaque's drawing skilled and thought-provoking themes are really praiseworthy. Some watercolours and oil paintings are highly impressive for their colour, tone and texture. These works are simultaneously of technical excellence and intellectually very mature.

The sculptural works by Razzaque at Joybevpur and other cantonments are essentially figure-based. He liked to work with figures. Side by side he has made many semi-abstract and purely abstract pieces inspired by his free artistic urge. These vary in media, materials and size. As medium he has used cement, stone, steel, iron, bronze and wood. In metals he has used both welding technique and casting. Lots of his works adorn interiors and exteriors of our country. Wood was one of his favourite mediums, have been carved and shaped to give a distinct dimension because of the touch of his skilled hand. In his figure-based works, Razzaque adds outstanding force and animated look. In this exhibition, we can see his bronze, metal and drawing works.

Another participant is Syed Abdullah Khalid, fervent and passionate, this artist shies away from the atmosphere of humans occupied with fame, money, wealth and domination. A recognised name in our art scenario after the Liberation War, his "Aparajaya Bangla" is one of the monumental sculptures of liberation in Bangladesh. The year 1971 is a remarkable landmark for our homeland, this was the year when we first set out to establish our identity and ensure its ultimate survival. This sculpture is a proud symbol of Bangladesh in the hearts and minds of all Bangladeshis. A number of his figurative and non-figurative works are scattered in some significant places in our country. In this exhibition, a terracotta work titled "Wounded Bashundhara" gave us a momentary view of a cute woman.

Over the years this artist has produced lots of paintings where he mainly depicted various types of flower and aspect of ecological change. Khalid also did many miniature works where many distorted figures, misty silhouettes, alien stuff and landscapes appeared on the canvases. In many of his works, we find a great interchange between abstract and realistic forms. He tries to express his feelings through imaginative compositions in forms and colours.

Another participant is Hamiduzzaman Khan who is recognised for first introduced modern sculpture in our country. He is a charismatic and always wants to create something novel and phenomenal. By inventing new forms and exploring novel themes, he has acquired a distinguished position in our art milieu. When we closely observe his works, we can easily recognise his depth fondness of various unfamiliar and familiar forms. He likes to play with form and the forms get a distinguished meaning by his creation. Some forms are nature and human being oriented. The door of modern sculpture is opened by this maestro and his mind-boggling works are displayed on various open places in the city, remote districts and abroad. Hamiduzzaman is a versatile and dedicated artist. He has also tried his hands in painting. His watercolours are thought provoking and reflect a mature mind. Style, technique and imagery are the ingredients that beautiful watercolour works are made of. A thought-provoking and imaginative painter, Hamiduzzaman is always searching in his voyages through the vast diverse ocean of nature for the mysterious chapter of creation. The delicacy of his line and mind-boggling colours are derived from the natural world and has evolved from a more traditional style to semi-abstractions. He has been able to create a new language, working with colours, lines and some sculptural and architectural images. Some of his prime works concern form, which remind us of his sculptural backdrop.

Ferdousi Priyobashini is famous for wielding a hammer and chisel. Again, it is not stone that she chips away but natural objects like tree-roots, branches, trunks, grass, reeds, wood pieces, coconut fiber and shells. With her touch of artistry these objects come to life in varied manifestations of glee, hilarity, cheerfulness, adoration, anguish, liveliness, conscience and courage. The images outstanding in her works are freedom fighters, birds, animals and human figures.

Ivy Zaman is well known for her thematic motif sculptures. On careful examination of her works, one will see that Ivy endeavours to mix archetypal images with local materials found in her surroundings. The sensuous forms she creates, melding into the backdrop of Nature, are as realistic as they are exquisitely elegant. Her casts in bronze and other metals take a different turn from the artistry of her strong and confident hands.

Ivy's prime concern is form and theme. She is continuously exploring the boundaries of _expression with the varieties of birds, animals, folk themes and different botanical motifs like seeds, roots, trees, foliages as well as numerous indigenous forms from our surrounding environs. She is fascinated by Nature and its mysterious phases, firstly because she is a Nature lover, and secondly, because her thirsty mind is always looking for something novel and refreshing.