Fourth Kibria Print Fair, the biggest of its kind, kicked off on Thursday at Dhaka Art Centre with hundreds of prints on display, attracting a multitude of eager visitors. The fair was inaugurated by cultural affairs minister Asaduzzaman Noor in presence of cultural personality Ramendu Majumder, artist Rafiqun Nabi, artist Abul Barq Alvi, artist Nisar Hossain. The ongoing Kibria fair is larger in scope and participation than the previous years. Fourteen institutes and studios from across the country are displaying more than two thousand prints at the fair.
Visitors were seen enthusiastic about collecting and buying prints, which are usually cheaper than paintings and drawings. Beginning with Tk 500 to a few thousands, the prints were quite affordable to visitors.
‘I hope to buy a few prints as I find them aesthetically appealing and cheap too’, said Rashid Hasan, a visitor.
‘There are many prints that I would love to collect. However, I will surely buy some prints’, said another visitor M Nasim Akhter.
The participating organisations at the fair are printmaking departments of Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna and Kazi Nazrul Islam universities; printmaking studio of UODA, Shafiuddin Bengal Printmaking Studio, Kibria Printmaking Studio, Shunno Art Space, Atelier 71, Cosmos Atelier, Bornika Print Studio, Bangladesh Printmakers Association and Karkhana Art Space.
Besides works by numerous students and young artists, the fair also showcases prints by some prominent artists at the fair.
The works on display, indeed, can take visitors to different realms of aesthetic experience. Done in diverse techniques like woodcut, etching, lithography, drypoint, aquatint,
monotype and others, the prints vary in themes, thoughts, colours and
sizes.
‘As prints are cheaper than paintings and drawings but aesthetically as appealing as works of other genres of fine arts, visitors are more keen to buy them’, said Abul Barq Alvi, convener of the fair committee.
The fair will be open from 3pm-8pm till January 5.
-With New Age input
