The New Nation - Internet Edition

2nd Friendship Art Exhibition: Chobir Hat’s 6 in X 6 in canvas show

City of Dhaka, Mohammad Zakir Hossain (Pulak), Oil
on Canvas

Sheikh Arif Bulbon

It is well known to everyone that art refers to a diverse range of human activities, creations, and expressions that are appealing to the senses or emotions of a human individual. Art is created by people and sometimes neglected by people. Art can change the life.

Chobir Hat, an online art club, which works to develop and improve the relationship between people and art. It wants to make a platform for the Bangladeshi artists and also want to spread our fine artwork through this group.

As a part of continuation of the activities, Chobir Hat has organised a group painting show titled '2nd Friendship Art Exhibition' at the Shilpangan Gallery in Dhanmondi in the city.

The week-long group art show was inaugurated on November 10. Eminent artist Jamal Ahmed, Professor of the Faculty of Fine Arts of Dhaka University, inaugurated the show as chief guest, while Srabanti Datta, Head of Marketing of ABC Real Estate Ltd, was present as guest of honour on the occasion.

Mohammad Zakir Hossain Pulak, Coordinator of the exhibition, said, "Facebook 'Chobir Hat' is now well known among artists and art lovers, who use Internet in our country. This exhibition is the second step to get these artists and art lovers together. From the very first arrangement we had crossed the boundary of this country. This time, several artists from USA, UK, Denmark, Switzerland and India have taken part in the exhibition. The many from inside and outside our country have wanted to know why we are arranging only painting exhibition? Actually, we were very anxious whether we would be able to arrange a bigger exhibition."

A total of 108 paintings of 43 artists are on display in the exhibition. Of the participating artists, seven are from abroad - two artists from USA, two from the UK, and one artist each from Denmark, Switzerland and India.

Speciality of the exhibition is that sizes of all paintings are in common format (6 inches X 6 inches) that makes a new dimension in the show.

Fatema Abedin Nazla, one of the administrators of Chobir Hat, said, "I hope all our group members will stay with us in this never-ending journey through colour. We just want to create a relation between artists, their works and art lovers. And Chobir Hat is our first step to make this relationship."

The participating artists are - Md Mejanur Rahman (Dewan Mizan), Sunil Kumar, Olivier Peltier (Denmark), Rob & Rahman Dewan Syed, ASM Rashedul Alam (Manik), Md Jahangir Hossain, Aminul Islam Akon, Mohammad Zakir Hossain (Pulak), Farzana Ahmed Urmi, MM Maizuddin, Md Sadrul Amin (Litu), Sharmin Zaman (Snigdha), Anu Annam (USA), Jonathan Sanchez (Switzerland), Rekha Sameer (UK), Gail Grass (USA), SM Shohel Rana, Mazharul Islam, Palash Datta, Mehedi Hasan, Naymun Nahar, Pijush Talukdar, Masuma Islam Kochy, Md Farhad Ali Khan Rubel, Shabnam Siddique (Shuva), Sumana Biswas Tanu, Sutama Saha, Nuruzzaman Babu, Morshedul Quayyum Maraz, Bipul, M Tasdik Hasan Dip, Pradeep Ahirwar (India), Nahid Rokhsana (Ananna), Taufiqur Rahman, Mehedi Anjuman, Md Maidul Islam Khan, Mahfujul Islam Rubel, Md Ashraful Arefin, Rajkumar Paul, Sharmin Gias Sarna, Rajib Sarkar, Nusaiba Naim and Sidratul Montaha.

The exhibition remains open from 10:00am to 1:00pm and 5:00pm to 8:00pm till November 16.

Our Home After SIDR screens: Oxfam launches new documentary

Invited guests at the launching ceremony of the new
documentary 'Our Home After SIDR'NN Photo

Art & Culture Report

Almost one year ago (November 15, 2007) cyclone SIDR ravaged southern part of Bangladesh killing more than 3,000 people and leaving millions homeless. Now more than one million survivors are struggling without proper shelter and are at greater risk of disease than before, international aid agencies have warned. To memories the devastation of the cyclone a new documentary titled 'Our Home After SIDR' made by Oxfam International was launched at a function at the Hotel Sheraton in the city yesterday. The documentary highlighted the serious problems still facing many families affected by the SIDR. Despite funding pledges from foreign governments, international donors and non-governmental organisations to help build new homes for around 78,000 families, only about one-quarter of these planned homes, designed to be more resilient in future storms, have been built. Another 276,000 families have received no reconstruction help and are living in unsafe shelters, built from polythene sheets and salvaged materials. Additionally, landless families living on government-owned land, or Khas areas, are excluded from receiving any government shelter support because they have no official land titles.

KH Masud Siddiqui, Director General of the Disaster Management Bureau of the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management, was present as chief guest, while Aly Zaker, actor and media personality, was present as special guest on the occasion.

Heather Blackwell, Oxfam GB Country Director, BMM Mozharul Huq, Chair of the Shelter Working Group and Adviser of the UNDP Humanitarian Response Adviser and Peter Pichler, Swiss Red Cross Country Director, two representatives from the cyclone-affected district Barguna also spoke at the function.

Heather Blackwell in her speech said, "Communities still need urgent help - both to recover from the impact of Sidr, and to be able to prepare for future possible storms, floods or cyclones."

Queens of the camera

A scene from Deepa Mehta's Water

V Radhika

Deepa Mehta, Mira Nair, Jane Campion and Lynne Ramsay have shown that women make great films, the kind that cut across cultural boundaries and create box-office records. And, going by the number of women filmmakers who presented their works at the recent Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), it seems that many more are now staking their claim behind the camera. Seventeen years ago, with the film, 'Sam and Me,' Deepa Mehta launched her career from TIIF's grand platform. Her latest offering, 'Heaven on Earth,' starring Bollywood star Preity Zinta, opened to a good response this year. In an interview she went on record to say that TIFF 'nurtures' emerging filmmakers, and is the perfect place to launch a film because all the distributors are present here. Obviously, there are many who agree with Mehta's point of view. Out of the total tally of 249 full-length features that screened between September 4 to 13, 45 had women calling the shots and five of them opened to gala screenings. Australian Meagan Doneman presented her engaging documentary, 'Yes Madam, Sir,' on India's first woman IPS officer, Kiran Bedi. After spending close to eight years on the project - saving enough money from her day jobs to undertake trips to India for race and shooting - the docu-feature opened to full crowds at the festival.

Doneman says her fascination with Bedi began as a 13-year-old when she first read about the police officer's endeavours in prison reform at Tihar jail, Delhi. She acquired a degree in Business Communication, with a specialisation in film, and then worked as an editor for both big and small budget films. In 1999, she finally got to meet Bedi, after several attempts at contacting the busy officer. When she floated the idea of a documentary to Bedi, to Doneman's surprise and delight, she agreed. And 'Yes Madam, Sir' was the result.

Bedi said her decision (to go with Doneman) was instinctive and also fuelled by the belief that the filmmaker was honest. The documentary is engaging and, to the filmmaker's credit, it is not an exercise in sycophancy. Although it highlights Bedi's professional achievements, there's space for some criticism as well. It is also perhaps for the first time that Bedi's daughter, Saina, has appeared before the camera, as the film captures the complex mother-daughter relationship. Apart from the hardships she endured as a western woman filming in India, Doneman says she struggled a great deal to raise finances for the movie. But as the film made it to TIFF, there is a sense of deja vu. "I sensed a great story and felt that should be told," she said.

In terms of percentages of films by women, Festival's Co-director Cameron Bailey revealed, "It is about 30 per cent of the overall selection." And this year, Canada contributed a big share of the numbers. Apart from high-profile directors like Mehta, whose gritty portrayal of an immigrant bride in 'Heaven on Earth', screened as a special presentation, there was Kari Skogland's thriller, 'Fifty Dead Men Walking'. Ingrid Veninger's coming-of-age 'Only' and Marie-Helene Cousineau and Madeline Piujuq Ivalu's 'Inuit tale Before Tomorrow', were the other features that generated a buzz.

Courtesy: NewsNetwork||WFS

Climate change in artists’ brush

Art & Culture Report

Nagorik Sanghati organised a painting show titled "Climate change on artists' brush" at the Gate of Suhrawardi Udyan (Chobir Hat), in the city yesterday.

A huge number of artists and teachers of the Institute of Fine Arts of Dhaka University participated in the show.

These paintings will be presented at the 'International Conference on Climate Change' that will be held in Poland in December.