The New Nation - Internet Edition

Sheikh Arif Bulbon

"To me, art is an expressive way of communication. It is a sophisticated and elegant language of human being. I believe it is mean for spontaneous statement of feeling. This sense of irresponsibility and lack of care of our people often tortures me with perpetual questioning. I get anxious looking of at the slack off people in my country. I think art, as a language, can speak with human perception of ethics and aesthetics. In a social context like ours 'art for art's sake' is nothing but an extravaganza. In our society, neither art nor artist has the sole freedom to be an individual asocial being. With such a fake patriotism and inventive limitation, how long will we survive? But I believe heartily it is not impossible at all to build our country as the most awaited paradise. We must mark out the true responsibilities to our motherland. Uphold an aesthetic standard, in my works, I have tried to observe those points of patriotism and tried to exchange my views with others," said promising artist Dravid Saikot at his solo exhibition tilted 'Bangladesh - Impassionate crowd of non-patriots,' which concluded at DRIK Gallery in the capital recently.

In one of his works Saikot had a huge angel in turquoise, seen burning in fire. The backdrop was black with a slab of pink. In another one showed a forest, done in red and black, through which a bright white light was coming through. Amidst the burnt trunks of trees one showed a middle-aged man tied to a trunk of a tree. Abstract lines and waves were seen on another canvas in which one detects the face of a horse. Another acrylic creation is a woman with a child. This is in shades of brown, black with flecks of red. A tortured upward looking face was done in beige, blue, black and red on another canvas. A bare chaste man was seen in yet another piece. The background was in sweeps of yellow and orange.

Saikot said, "I usually think that I have a huge responsibility for my country. I'm feeling that we, the young generation who want to perceive our loving motherland flourishing - have to come forward without any fear to recover the damage which has made for a long. So I'm trying to create some awareness in my conduct to awaken this generation with the similar idea. I have also arranged an open discussion titled 'Civil responsibilities and the committed youth,' where I expect from every individual that he will be honest, conscious, committed and must be confident in his own responsibilities.

The bleeding body of a soldier, wrapped in the flag of Bangladesh, was depicted fallen in the fields, with a forest in the background.

Another painting featured an eye, with the map of Bangladesh contained in the pupil.

The next entry had a figure of a man, done in black, showed against a black sky, started at some spirits walking away, above him.

Wrinkled bodies, burning fire, fleeing fighters, ammunitions and tanks were brought in a long canvas. A torn, burning flag of Bangladesh was seen at the side. This was in sweeps of flamingo pink, indigo, brown and black and depicted a scene from the Liberation War front.

In yet another canvas an angel was seen floating in the air, head down, and within his grasp was the map of Bangladesh done in shades of blue, green and beige. The angel's figure was surrounded by wispy smoke.

There was portrait of a dark woman, surrounded by birds. A landscape with geometrical spheres, forming the land and sky, contained figures of seated and standing people.

"Being backward in almost every part in life we have nothing to be delighted of, neither have a way to escape. Most of us have materialised to be self-centred and escapists. In this prime time of our life a least sense of legal responsibility, we don't need to be a phenomenal, being a simple strength of mind is sufficient. The authentic youths are they who don't stay behind for a saviour to appear and salvage them every individual is the sole saviour for our motherland," said Dravid Saikot.