By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
Bangladeshi art may not be quite familiar to the Korean audience. The Embassy of Bangladesh hopes to introduce the best of the country's modern art through an exhibition ``Contemporary Paintings of Bangladesh.''
The largest exhibition of Bangladesh paintings features 100 paintings by 11 leading artists at the Korea Foundation Cultural Center, downtown Seoul, Friday through May 16.
The embassy hopes the exhibition will familiarize the Korean audience with Bangladeshi art and culture.
Contemporary paintings from Bangladesh are described as ``vibrant, dynamic and reflect tradition and innovation, romantic aspiration and modernistic sensibilities.'' Although artists have adopted abstraction and other artistic trends from the West, folk themes remain a dominant characteristic of Bangladeshi paintings.
In an introduction to the exhibition, Dhaka University professor Syed Manjurul Islam said the artists chosen are those ``who are considered `mainstream,' who have done innovative work and marked out areas for other artists to follow or build on, and who, collectively, represent the most productive phase in the history of our modern art.''
Mohammad Kibria, who at 80 is the oldest participating artist in the exhibition, studied art in Calcutta and has received numerous awards in South Asia.
``Kibria, who is unquestionably one of the most renowned living artists of South Asia, is known for his abstract paintings, where texture and the geometry of form combine with a haunting color scheme to evoke moods of despair or contemplation or joy,'' Islam said.
Several artists have followed Kibria's artistic style. Mahmudul Haque, also a professor at Dhaka University, is ``closer to Kibria in his persistent use of color and texture to interpret the realities of life and perception of nature.''
On the other hand, Rafiqun Nabi makes bright, vibrant art works, mostly of figures and landscapes. ``The still lives in this exhibition reflect his ease with composition and color scheme. Kibria and Nabi tread different territories, but nature provides a common ground for them,'' Islam said.
Kanak Chanpa Chakma, born in 1963, is the youngest artist participating in the exhibition. She studied under Kibria at the Art Institute of Dhaka University. Her paintings present another side of Bangladesh, particularly the ethnic people living in the southeastern part of the country.
The exhibition shows the diversity of Bangladeshi art. Abdus Shakoor Shah has reworked folk motifs, such as old myths and ballads, in his paintings. Kalidas Karmakar, one of the country's earliest installation artists, ``explores myths and symbols for their aesthetic and mystical values'' in his works.
Other participating artists include Mansur Ul Karim, Shahabuddin Ahmed, Mohammad Eunus, Ranjit Das and Rokeya Sultana.
An opening reception will be held on at 5 p.m., May 8. The exhibition is open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, except Wednesday when it will remain open until 9:00 p.m. Admission is free.
For information, call the Embassy of Bangladesh at (02) 796-4056~7 or visit www.bangladeshembassyseoul.org. Visit www.kfcenter.or.kr/english, (02) 3789-5600.