The artworks featuring the fauna and flora of the Saint Martin Island are on display in an ongoing group exhibition at
the Zainul Gallery 1 in Dhaka University.
A total of 42 artworks showcased at the group art exhibition titled Memory of Saint Martin reflect on the recent tour of the students to the island, where the students recreated their feelings of the tour in their artworks.
Moreover, the exhibition also conveys the message to save the coral island of Saint Martin. The exhibition includes artworks in different mediums such as paintings, sculptures, photographs, installations and crafts done by the 16 students of the 14th batch of Faculty of Fine Arts of Dhaka University.
As a whole the show gives the impression of various elements that are abound in and around the sea. There are also slightly abstract paintings depicting the sea tinged with the artists’ imagination.
Manik Bonik’s realistic painting Roar of Ocean, in acrylic, captures the roaring sea-waves crashing on stones, while sea-birds are seen flying above.
Farzana Rahman’s painting Bird Life is a captivating piece done in acrylic. Farzana’s bluish canvas shows a self portrait where the artist is seen with her stretched her hands like the wings of birds, while birds are painted on the background to strengthen the similarity.
Abu Ula’s photograph titled Save the Saint Martin catches the view of the island from a distance. The photograph shares the message to save the idyllic beauty of the island from the eyes of the greedy people.
Nazma Akter’s watercolour calligraphy is another piece to enjoy at the show. Nazma has created a snail with words from Mousumi Bhowmik’s popular song Ami shunechhi sedin tumi.
Another eye-catching work is Sabia Ferdousi Panna’s ceramic sculpture titled Family, where Sabia has produced a number of large and small snails. The snails are arranged in a way that they suggest a snail-family.
Humaira Aktery’s watercolour painting Sunset is another piece worth noticing. The yellowish colour of a setting sun on the horizon with the silhouettes of dinghis (fishing boats) is depicted in this piece.
‘The works showcased here are excellent. I liked watching all the works,’ said Nafisa Sultana, a visitor and a student of fine arts.
‘The paintings have attracted me more than works of other genres,’ said Amirul Islam, another visitor and a student of fine arts.
Inaugurated on November 01 by Syed Abul Barq Alvi, dean of FFA, the exhibition will end today.
-With New Age input
