The New Nation - Internet Edition

Myth, memory & motherland : Selected works of Tarun Ghosh

Study-5, Mixed media on paper, 2005 and Mermaid,
Mono print, 1978

Sheikh Arif Bulbon

Tarun Ghosh is one of the outstanding artists of his generation who despite winning top awards in such prestigious events at the Asian Art Biennale and National Art Exhibition, prefers to remain in the shadows, doing painting, what he does best. The present exhibition is his first solo in nearly 35 years of his career. The solo art exhibition of Tarun Ghosh titled 'Myth, Memory and Motherland' was held at the Galleri Kaya at Uttara in the city recently. The exhibition showcased 102 artworks. Of those works, five sculptures made of stone, wood and metal, 10 large paintings and 87 other paintings. Tarun completed these works between 1973 and 2008, using oil, acrylic, ink, gouache, watercolour and mixed media.

Ambassador of Denmark Einar H Jensen inaugurated the two-week long exhibition as chief guest, while artist Monirul Islam was also present on the occasion.

Tarun first exhibited his work, outside the academic events, in Dhaka Painters' fisrt exhibition in 1974 at the Art College gallery. The group also held an exhibition in Kushtia in the next year, which was organised from a belief that art should be dispersed throughout the country. There was no oil or watercolour in the market, so Tarun had to make his own colour by mixing glycerine, bubble gum, dyes and oxides. His passion was the war of liberation, so he began painting (about 15 in all) the war and his personal response to the war as subject. In most of these paintings, the viewpoint is that of an onlooker, who sees the war as a momentous event happening with great speed and energy.

Tarun said, "From the beginning of my career till 1989, I have painted a series on the Liberation War on 6 ft x 8 ft canvases. I made some 60 to 70 paintings. Then I worked on another 100 or so paintings as part of a series on the mythical character 'Behula," he recalled.

Then Tarun turned to painting birds, portraits, various aspects of nature and his personal feelings.

"Many of these works have been sold out and taken to places I don't know and therefore these works could not be included in the exhibit. Some series are no longer integral," he said.

The exhibition also displayed a number of metallic sculptures made out of discarded horns and trumpets. Tarun has always been interested in sculpture, but didn't have time or preparation to pursue his interest. In remarking these trumpets and horns into objects of art, he has been interested in foregrounding an earlier preoccupation - exploring the dual regions of sound and silence. The trumpets in his sculpture are muted, but their very appearance suggests sound. It is the sound behind silence that is Tarun's objective.

The exhibition also had put together a number of painted stones, which dot the floor of the gallery. Each piece of smooth, rounded stone, according to Tarun, has a thousand year old narrative that began in same craggy hill or rock face. The stone evoke the memory of an earlier life, in which the river, water, which has smoothed the edge of these stones and given them a rounded shape and earth play important roles. Each stone is like a letter or rune in nature's complicated alphabet.

Although this was first solo exhibition of Tarun Ghosh, but it certainly shown an artist in all his maturity and brilliance and in all his humility and humanity.

Jhaal Muri

One of the works of a participant artist

Art & Culture Report

Jhal Muri is available on any street corner in the city. This hot spicy mixture will satisfy any snack attack. Five visual artists - one photographer and four painters - took this urge for the street culture in a new direction. The mixture became art - reinterpreting still photos of Bangladesh street life into brush strokes on canvas. The everyday has been captured and transformed, life that is all around us caught in an instant, frozen in time and brought back to life.

The moving photographs of Anil Advani became the inspiration for Ujwala Prabhu, Kuhu Plamondon, Rokeya Sultana and Smita Srivastava. As a result, Radius Centre organized an art and photography exhibition on Bangladesh street culture titled 'Jhaal Muri' at Bay Galleria in Gulshan in the city.

Indian High Commissioner Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty inaugurated the exhibition as chief guest. The 16-day long exhibition was wrapped up on November 23.

Anil said, "A casual meeting of friends, and the idea for this photography or art amalgamation project just happened. The idea of different interpretations of a common photo reference led us on a three-month journey. Armed with a camera and mostly just a single lens, I explored a side of Dhaka that most notice only peripherally. Trigger happy, clicking away at people, scenes and episodes, we combed the streets, the markets and hutments. They, the artists, wanted quick photo references to paint from - I wanted the perfect picture each time! The journey was great fun and as rewarding as the final product."

Choosing street culture as the central theme, the artists wished to promote the positive side of Bangladesh. Searching Dhaka for photo opportunities, from Katabon to Sadarghat, Taanti Bazaar to Ashulia, the pictures were a joint effort. Very appropriately named after the quintessential Bengali street food, 'Jhaal Muri,' a mixture of unlikely ingredients, with a deliciously explosive taste, the artists hoped to achieve a 'mix that would taste nice.' Certainly, they seemed to have reached that goal. Artist Kuhu said, "Using a camera cuts the world short, putting it on a plate and restricting the imagination." While using the photos as a tool, Kuhu re-composed her pictures to capture movements and motion. "I tend to look at subjects as objects of art, as compositions and colour layouts," she said. Kuhu was pleased at having been able to 'use colourful rickshaw art to maintain the gaudiness of street art.

BRSS’s Shrotar Asor held

Artistes of Bangladesh Rabindra Sangeet Shilpi
Sangstha perform at Shrotar Asor at Bangladesh Shilpakala
Academy in the city recently

Art & Culture Report

Artistes of Bangladesh Rabindra Sangeet Shilpi Sangstha (BRSS) enthralled an evening audience singing Tagore songs at Music and Dance Centre Auditorium of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in the city recently.

The BRSS organised the evening as part of its monthly programme. To create platform for the young, talented and promising Tagore singers was the main aim of the musical session. Ten artistes performed in the show.

At the beginning of the show, promising artiste Sheikh Rezwana Rumjhum rendered a song titled 'Ganer bhitor diye jani.' Then artiste Abdul Wadud presented three songs - 'Tomari jhornatolar nirjone,' 'Mor pothiker bujhi enechho' and 'Amar bela je jai.' Artiste Sayeeda Hossain Papri rendered three songs titled 'Je chhilo amar swapnocharini,' 'Tumi to sei jabey chole,' and 'Dibosho rojoni ami jeno kar.' Later Mir Mohiuddin Sohan presented two songs - 'Tomar ashime pranomono' and 'Pran hridoyte.'

Artistes Ainun Nahar, Ranjit Roy, Ridoy Ranjan, Suraiya Mozammel, SM Khaled Pial and Ryan Khalid also performed in the programme.

They rendered a number of songs included 'Ami hridoyete path ketechhi,' 'Ekoda tumi priya,' 'Mondire momo ke,' 'Kobe tumi asbe boley,' 'Tomai gaan shunabo,' 'Dirgho jibon poth koto duksho tap' and 'Jani tomar ajana nahigo.' The BRSS started its activities in May 1988 with a view to generate wider interest in Rabindra Sangeet and creating platform for the promising artistes as well. It organises such musical programme every month where two noted singers along with eight young singers usually perform.

Nulltarif performs in city

Members of band Nulltarif perform at the concert at
Goethe Institute in Dhaka: Photo : Khademul Insan

Art & Culture Report

German youth rock band 'Nulltarif' performed at the Goethe Institut in Dhanmondi in Dhaka on November 24. The concert was a joint event of the Goethe-Institut, PASCH (Partners for the Future, a new school initiative programme from Germany) and Black, local alternative band.

Nulltarif means 'for free.' It is also the name of a young rock band from the Stuttgart area, the four musicians, Jules, Danny, Denis and Tobi, regularly give away their hearts- wherever they are given free electricity! Their energy, passion and a style they call 'PussyProck may sound lurid and catchy and may mislead you to expect very explicit, juicy lyrics. The performance of Nulltarif enthralled the audience. Most of the audience was rock lovers and youths. Band members of Nulltarif questioned to the music lovers "How to make a gift to your special someone, how to bridge the emotional gap between two people, how to live life your way?" Then they replied that anybody could find the music that alternates between philosophy, melancholy, humour and self-irony. No wonder therefore, that everyone who has seen them live in concert is amazed by the flow of passion in their music and lyrics.

Besides Nulltarif, local alternative rock band Black also performed in the show. The show began at 6:30pm and gate was opened from 6:00pm. Ticket price of the show was Tk 99.