The New Nation - Internet Edition

Teachers’ exposition at Zainul Gallery

Vitality, wood, Mukul Kumar Barai

Sheikh Arif Bulbon

The role of the Faculty of Fine Arts in the history of fine arts in Bangladesh is great. This institution has created a heritage both in the struggle for democracy as well as the ceaseless effort to create good taste in the society. The Faculty stands for a symbol of the thirst for artistic accomplishment in urban life as well as the source of help and support to the marginalised population suffering from different calamities such as floods and droughts. The Faculty of Fine Arts is alive with the timeless traditional festivities and celebration of Bangladesh and is a pride of the University of Dhaka.

Recently a group exhibition of 16 teachers of different departments of the faculty of Fine Arts of Dhaka University titled "Teachers' Exposition 2008" was held at Zainul Gallery at the Institute of Fine Arts of Dhaka University.

The exposition was a result of the long tradition of the fine arts history in the institution. Tough the traditional master to follower teaching method may be obsolete elsewhere, it is never outdated in fine art education institutions. In the past, the teachers and students would organise joint exhibitions. Thus everyone could see the gradual development of the others. Students would see the works of teachers. There was a practice of sharing and exchange of items.

Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University Prof SMA Faiz inaugurated the exhibition, as chief guest, while Prof AFM Yusuf Haider, Pro Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University, among others, were also present on the occasion.

Prof SMA Faiz in his speech said, "Though the faculty of Fine Arts is new as a faculty, the institution is now 60 years old. This institution founded by Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin continues to nourish the world of art education in Bangladesh to this day. The students of this institution upon completion of their education have spread out to different parts of the country. Through this exhibition the established artists will present their current preoccupations to us and at the same time realise the long-cherished hopes of their students. As the students observe the media, materials and method of their respected teachers, they shall also find opportunities to translate the experience to use in their own works."

A total of 32 artworks of 16 teachers were on displayed at the show. The participant teachers were - Abu Abadin Md Kaoser Hassan Togor, Atiqul Islam and Mukul Kumar Barai of Department of Sculpture, Anisuzzaman Anis, Sheikh Mohammad Rokonuzzaman and Joya Shahrin Huq of Department of Printmaking, Debashis Pal and Azharul Islam Sheikh (Chanchal) of Department of Ceramics, Israfil Pk Ratan, Maksudur Rahman and Reza Asad Huda Anupam of Department of Graphic Design, Malay Bala and Mizanur Rahman Fakir of Department of Oriental Art, Manir Uddin Shake Juel, Masuda Khatun Jui and Sabrina Shahnaz (Mita) of Department of History of Art of the Institute of Fine Arts of Dhaka University.

Mokhlesur Rahman’s solo exhibition in Delhi

Artist along with other at his exhibition at the
Dhoomimal's City Gallery in Delhi

Art & Culture Desk

The fifth solo art exhibition of Bangladeshi artist Mokhlesur Rahman is being held at the Dhoomimal's City Gallery in Delhi in India. It was the show of recent works of the artist.

The exhibition was inaugurated on December 23. The exhibition inaugurated by very renowned artist Prof Niren Sen Gupta, former principal of Delhi Government Art College. More other renowned artists like Harish Srivastava, Prem Singh, Principal of Chandigarh Art College, Puja Sharma, Indian art critic, Ananda Banarjee, Apurba Choudhury were also present there. Ruhul Alam, Minister of Bangladesh High Commission and Shah Asif Rahman from Bangladesh High Commission were also present on the occasion. All of them appreciated the artworks of Mokhlesur Rahman.

Artist Mokhlesur Rahman is one of the most creative printmakers in Bangladesh. After a break, the artist is having the solo exhibition in New Delhi. Luminosity and simplicity are the characteristics of his prints. His mysteriously booming prints are cerebral and profound. His images are pensive and implore the viewer to ponder.

Country's noted artists like Shafiuddin Ahmed, Mohammad Kibria and Rafiquan Nabi are prime figures in the woodcut medium in Bangladesh. Mokhlesur Rahman is one of the capable followers of these eminent artists. The exhibition will end on December 29.

Movie Review: Namesake

Based on the 2003 novel by US author Jhumpa Lahiri, Namesake is the sixteenth film from director Mira Nair and it is one of her best.

There is considerable tension in the film, which is first about a young Indian couple (Ashoke and Ashima Ganguli, played by Indian actors Irfan Khan and Tabu) who have an arranged marriage and then move to the New York to begin a new life. Secondly, it's mainly about their first child, their son Gogol and his struggles to live his life both to please his parents and to please himself.

Symbolic of the cultural confusions the son faces is the fact that his name, Gogol, was hastily chosen for his birth certificate, rather than wait for this grandparent's arrival from India to help select it, months later. While away at school, he begins a relationship with a beautiful white woman and is practically accepted as a member of her family. Meanwhile, his mother laments the fact that her son prefers to spend holiday time with a family other than his own.

The film has its sweet, cute moments, but the overall tone is one of struggle without idealistic endings. We see birth, loneliness, and death, and it's all wrapped up in the struggle to adhere to one's traditions while seeking acceptance in society at large. This is most poignantly shown when the girlfriend seeks to comfort Gogol by sticking with him but he rejects her overtures that would seem perfectly normal to most people raised in western cultures.

Before our hero Gogol (played by Kal Penn, best known for the stoner film Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle) heads off to college, he meets a family who have recently arrived from England, including their daughter (Zuleikha Robinson, perhaps best known for guest starring in the X-Files spin off The Lone Gunmen), who is same age as him but who looks very much like 'Ugly Betty' and has a snooty personality to match her looks. Of course, she shows up later as an incredible hottie who gets involved in Gogol's life in a big way. The themes of cultural confusion, struggle, and the triumph over adversity could have been better demonstrated. I haven't read the book so I don't know how true the film is to it. Without a doubt, there are tens of thousands of people whose lives have paralleled that of the Ganguli family, by arriving in the "west" and doing the best that they can to give their children a better life than they had in the 'old country.' The price to pay for such prosperity, however, is having your children slip away from the traditional roots that you have laid down for them. It's not so bad for them that they find their own way when they head off for college and university, but growing up different from the other kids can have devastating consequences in some cases.

The acting of the main players in the film is solid and believable. The only flaw in the film is the script. The soundtrack by Nitin Sawhney is also sublime and sedate. It's interesting to note that the film's star, Kal Penn, changed his name from Kalpen Modi, to make himself more marketable, much like the character he plays in the film. From watching the previews, however, I was under the impression that the name he wanted to change was the family's last name and not his first name.