Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Rafiqun Nabi touches a different reality

Rafiqun Nabi touches a different realityCelebrated artist Rafiqun Nabi with his ongoing solo exhibition has broken a recent trend. While most artists present sufferings of the struggling classes, the romantic artist defines and narrates merrymaking and joy.
That does not mean Nabi has created anything minus-reality but viewers can feel the essence of real-life amusement of people that they tend to overlook in their daily life. In fact, the seasoned artist took the challenge of enchanting the viewers with simple stories painted on huge canvases against the backdrop of the contemporary trend of the country’s artists depicting violence, injustice, oppression etc in various experimental ways.
In Touch with the Real, the 10th solo of Rafiqun Nabi at Dhaka Art Centre, features 27 recently created figurative paintings, 14 of which are done in acrylic and the rest in watercolour. Excepting four vertical watercolours, all the artworks on display are huge.
It is true that ‘size does not matter in chopping wood’. But, when the big canvases articulate a vibrant life, the feeling is excellent. In such cases, even the normal stories of life assume an epic quality.
Most of his paintings are reconstructed from his observations and memory of places and people. And the artist articulates the mental state, physical setting, and material environment of the subject with delicate lines and forms and different shades of vibrant colours like blue, violate, and green.
So, his style swings between observed realism and a removed generalised image, often with the directness of a rustic accent or a decorative bent.
Correctly, Indian critic Soumik Nandy Majumdar in an article on the show writes, ‘The new big canvases in particular reveal a grand quality reminiscent of the Mexican murals by Diego Rivera and others who celebrated unabashedly the power and glory of the sweating masses.’
In this show even his signature character Tokai [street urchin] is devoid of frustration. Nabi has created a new dimension of his caricature characters that usually satirise social anomalies. But, in the show, Nabi’s paintings, such as Street Boys and Tokai 2, depict the urchins having fun in life, too, despite living in the street and eating out of garbage bins.
The artist even manifests the joy latent in a number of ugly crows thronging near a garbage bin on a huge canvas titled The Gathering.
‘Every creature has some joyful moment and I want to rejoice in those for the delight of the viewers,’ Rafiqun Nabi told New Age.
Hardly ever have the art aficionados of Dhaka seen a canvas that portrays a father riding a bicycle on a busy road in Dhaka, with his son wearing sunglasses sitting on the rod in front and his happy daughter on the back seat.
A 173cm × 307cm acrylic on canvas titled Fishermen at Rest successfully portrays fishermen in leisure on a sampan [an indigenous boat of the south-east region] by the seashore after a hectic fishing trip out in the sea. Some of the characters are dozing, some playing cards, and some of them smoking hookahs while a loner is playing a flute as if to articulate the bliss and tranquillity of the moment.
Another big canvas sized 170cm × 243cm, At Noon in the Field, features peasants and bulls taking rest in the field. The delicate lines expressing the tranquillity of the souls resting against a background of green shades make the acrylic work unique.
When the media present sufferings of people forced to return home riding on the roof of a train, Nabi’s huge canvas, Rail Station, portrays the satisfaction at securing a place for making the journey home to celebrate a festival with friends and family emitted from the faces seen on the roof of a train standing at a station platform.
His Journey series of landscapes portrays some remote areas of the country, such as diverse places in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, the spectacular Sundarban, and the sublime Cox’s Bazar.
Eminent artist Qayyum Chowdhury inaugurated the exhibition on April 12 as the chief guest. The show ends on April 22.

-With New Age input

Related News

BSA to reopen National Theatre Hall on Friday

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy is scheduled to reopen the National Theatre Hall and its two rehearsal rooms on Friday, said a press release on Monday. The theatre troupe can stage one show in one shift, and they have to give the member lists of troupes involved with productions at the BSA office. ... Read more

Nazrul’s grandson Kazi Anirban passes away

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com Kazi Anirban, the grandson of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, passed away on Wednesday (October 3) in Switzerland due to a heart attack. He was the eldest son of Kazi Aniruddha, the rebel poet’s youngest child. Nazrul Sangeet artiste Khilkhil Kazi, daughter of Nazrul’s eldest son Kazi Sabyasachi, confirmed the news ... Read more

Nazrul’s 125th birth anniversary today

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com Today is the 125th birth anniversary of national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. The birth anniversary of Nazrul, widely known as the rebel poet, is observed in Bangladesh on Jyaishtha 11, according to the Bangla calendar. Nazrul, a poet, lyricist, composer, playwright, novelist, revolutionary and journalist, sang equally for freedom and love. ... Read more

Mrinal Sen’s birth anniversary today

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com Today is the 101st anniversary of the birth of the legendary Bengali filmmaker Mrinal Sen. Born on May 14, 1923 in Faridpur, Mrinal Sen moved to Kolkata to study and became involved in left-wing politics, cultural activities, and film production. One of the most politically active filmmakers, he, after having studied ... Read more

Zainul Abedin’s 109th birth anniv today

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com Today is the 109th anniversary of the birth of Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin. On the occasion, different organisations and admirers will pay tribute to Zainul Abedin placing floral wreaths on his grave on the Dhaka University premises in the morning. Zainul is best known for his sketches of the Bengal famine of ... Read more

Manik Bandopadhyay’s death anniversary today

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com Today is the 67th anniversary of the death of Bengali novelist and short story writer Manik Bandopadhyay. Born on May 19, 1908 to Harikar Bandopadhyay and Niroda Devi in Dumka, a small town in Santal Parganas district in the state of Bihar, British India, Manik Bandopadhyay was the fifth of the ... Read more

Qayyum Chowdhury ’s death anniversary today

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com Today is the ninth anniversary of the death of acclaimed artist Qayyum Chowdhury. Born on March 9, 1932 in Feni, Qayyum Chowdhury’s works delve deep into folk, rustic life and traditions. Fish, flowers, women, birds and greenery are recurring objects on his canvas. He graduated from the Government Institute of Arts ... Read more

Festival honoring cultural diversity called “Sadhu Mela.”

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com The Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy organize “Sadhu Mela” on November 28 in a colorful demonstration of cultural diversity carrying on the custom that dates back to 2019. Taking place on the day of Fakir Lalon Shai’s Disappearance Day on every full moon, the event has become a noteworthy regular event in the ... Read more

‘Quarantine’ exhibition by artist Mahbubur Rahman begins today

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com The opening ceremony of the exhibition comprising multi-dimensional artworks of artist Mahbubur Rahman will be held today at 5 pm. The exhibit titled, “Quarantine”, has been organised at the Kamrul Hasan Exhibition (level 1) of Bengal Shilpalay in Dhanmondi. Professor Bulbul Osman, women and human rights activist Khushi Kabir and artist ... Read more

SM Sultan’s 29th death anniversary today

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com Today is the 29th anniversary of the death of renowned artist SM Sultan. Different organisations, including Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, SM Sultan Foundation and Narail district administration will pay tribute to SM Sultan organising daylong programmes at different venues in Narail’s Sultan Smriti Sangrahasala, Shishu Swarga and Zila Shilpakala Academy. Born on ... Read more

‘Tasher Desh’ staged at Scholastica school

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com With immense zeal and fervour, Scholastica Senior Campus, Mirpur staged the splendid play ‘Tasher Desh’, a masterpiece by the revered poet Rabindranath Tagore. The school’s STM hall served as the majestic environment for this two-day annual drama festival, culminating on a Friday. The talented students, members of the esteemed drama, music, ... Read more

Poet Asad Chowdhury passes away

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com Noted poet Asad Chowdhury died of old-age complications while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Toronto, Canada on Thursday. He was 80. The poet ‘died at 3:03am Canada time’ and ‘at 1:03pm Bangladesh time’, the poet’s son-in-law Nadim Iqbal posted on facebook Thursday afternoon. The poet died at the Lakeridge Health ... Read more

Shilpakala inaugurates nationwide puppet festival

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com A twelve day long puppetry festival titled “Gonojagoron er Putul Natya Utshob” inaugurated on Friday. Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy has organised the nationwide festival . According to BSA, puppetry is one of the most effective means of folk education. Through its presentation and stylistic approach over the ages, puppetry has played a ... Read more

SD Burman’s birth anniversary today

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com Today is the 117th anniversary of the birth of legendary singer and music director Sachin Dev Burman. SD Burman, born in 1906 in Cumilla, composed playbacks for over 100 films. Leading singers of the Indian subcontinent like Lata Mangeskhar, Mohammad Rafi, Geeta Dutta, Manna Dey, Asha Bosle, Mukesh and Talat Mahmud ... Read more

Shilpakala Academy organizes exhibition of artist Ismail Chowdhury’s artwork

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy organized a solo painting exhibition of painter Ismail Chowdhury. Painter Ismail Chowdhury has participated in more than half a hundred solo and joint exhibitions in various countries including Bangladesh, Japan, USA, Italy, Nepal, and Bhutan, reads a press release. The elite and talented artists of the country have ... Read more

Feroza Begum’s 9th death anniv today

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com Today is the ninth anniversary of the death of the legendary Nazrul Sangeet singer Feroza Begum. Feroza Begum was born on July 28, 1926 to Khan Bahadur Mohammad Ismail and Begum Kawakabonnessa. Drawn to music at an early age, Feroza Begum started her formal music education under the tutelage of Chitta ... Read more

Bhupen Hazarika’s birth anniv today

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com Today is the 97th anniversary of the birth of eminent singer, lyricist and musician Bhupen Hazarika, who is still popular among music lovers in Bangladesh. He conquered the heart of thousands in Bangladesh rendering timeless songs, including Manush Manusher Janya, Ami Ek jajabar, Amra Korbo joy, Bistirna Duparer, Megh Thom Thom ... Read more

IUB organises musical evening to celebrate Rabindra-Nazrul Jayanti

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com A musical evening was organised at the Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) campus in Dhaka’s Bashundhara Residential Area on Thursday (27 July) to mark the birth anniversaries of Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam. Renowned singers Adity Mohsin and Bijon Chandra Mistry performed Rabindra Sangeet and Nazrul Geeti respectively. IUB’s Kazi Nazrul ... Read more

Dhaka Theater to celebrate golden jubilee this year

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com Marking the golden jubilee of one of the prolific theatre troupes of the country, Dhaka Theater will celebrate its 50 years on July 29. Established in 1973 by freedom fighter and noted cultural personality Nasir Uddin Yusuff, along with some brave freedom fighters, the troupe earned acclaim in both nationally and ... Read more

Sourav Chowdhury’s 5th solo exhibition underway at AFD

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com The 5th solo art exhibition of Sourav Chowdhury titled “Eternal Existence” has begun at Alliance Française de Dhaka. The inaugural ceremony of the exhibition was held on Friday, 21 July 2023 at 6 pm at La Galerie. Eminent artist Prof. Rafiqun Nabi, Chargé d’affaires of the Embassy of France in Bangladesh, ... Read more