The New Nation - Internet Edition

Farizaa Sabreen

From March 29 to April 10, 2008 The Gallery Chitrak, mount an exhibition of Shahid Kabir. The exhibition features every phase of artist's career and demonstrates the artist's mastery of diverse genres. It is the most comprehensive presentation of the artist's work in our country.

Eminent artist Mustofa Monowar inaugurated the exhibition, while Motiur Rahman, editor of The Daily Prothom Alo was the special guest. The inauguration ceremony was presided by architect Shamsul Wares.

He works with various media, like, egg tempara on board, water colour, mixed media, charcoal, etc. Since 1980, Shahid has been living and working as a freelance artist in Madrid, Spain.

The works with egg tempara are very striking. Bridge Kalijeera, a path of my childhood, Nargis(street queen), street boy, circus, couple, love, studio corner, river kalijeera, empty upon empty, sidr victim, dry flowers, brick field are excellent source on Tempara medium.

Deduction and addition of colours and seduction by emotions are spreaded in the domain of his paintings. He gives lives to inanimate objects, where the parade of beauties is carefully choreographed spectacle.

Controlled spontaneity, detail, and especially the role of backgrounds, are all integral to the show's erotic paintings couple and eternal love. Needless to say, they are fascinating.

His delicate patterns draw attention to the threshold between interior and exterior. The paintings of retired man, my brushes, lonely some, a path of my childhood, a weekold grapes and wartime are visual feasts that delight the eye and whet the appetite. Shahid revels in capturing the effects of the different textures of objects through his varied handling of paint. He also includes objects infused with symbolic implications, indicating that the viewer should reflect upon materialistic truths.

It's quite an impressive exhibition. Given that so many of these works have never been shown since acquisition, they look as vivid and fresh as if painted only yesterday.