From personal space to larger spectrum

Promising artist Promiti Hossain's maiden solo art exhibition titled “Inside Out” is now on at Kala Kendra, Iqbal Road, Dhaka.

The exhibition delineates Promiti's personal life experiences together with the vulnerable state of women in our society. The artworks displayed at the show represent shades and shapes of gloom, frustration, tormented facets and sinister aspects of humanity.

Women are insecure and vulnerable in our society. They frequently fall victim to rape, assault and injustice. The artist symbolically presented dead insects like flies, mosquitoes, cockroach, grasshoppers, butterflies, bumblebees, ants and crickets coupled with the fragmented forms of human limbs to signify the dominated and assaulted state of the womenfolk. The artist closely observes the dominated minorities living in Bangladesh and in India while she was studying at Kala Bhabana, Visva-Bharati, India.     

Coming of a duel religious background, the artist often feel like an individual with a neutral religious identity. She regards herself as a humanist and feels disquiet about the injustice over the minorities. In her words, “From both the experiences, I learnt that the oppression over the weak is a common practice by the powerful in the world. In such manner I have always commiserated with the women, subjected to male chauvinism which has been a burning issue of our society.”

This personal state of mind always haunts her and she renders her feelings into canvas. Promiti uses both organic and inorganic objects within her compositions. The material she has used for making the artworks include coffee, ink, earth colour, acrylic gouache, watercolour. She often uses the accidental effect that takes place naturally. She deliberately keeps these effects to represent the chaotic and confused state of her mind.           

The exhibition, jointly curated by Wakilur Rahman and Kehkasha Sabah, was inaugurated on October 22 and is open from 5pm-8pm daily till November 10.