Avant- garde Art
The sculpture exhibition of workshops had been done at Jagatpur Ashram, Chittagong and the Dhaka city on 19th March 2004 at la Galerie, Alliance Francaise, Dhaka at 6pm. Twenty-five artists and students from Dhaka and Chittagong have been doing sculpture, installation, performance during this month long project, which was planned and organised by artist Awenna Cozannet, Pousses, Rouges, France and artist Mahbubur Rahman, Britto Arts Trust, Dhaka.
Awenna Cozannet, the visiting artist, talking about display, said, 'This new concept of sculpture combines a show of the artist in front of the public for a very limited period of time. Asked to explain the difference between the drama, dance, photographs etc. (which had constituted what one saw at the gallery) is something which is meant to be seen only once. The importance was the effect of the impression that it left on the mind. Awenna added that the performance is one that takes place in context of the place, the people and the story of art. Asked to give the difference between a drama and a musical show that had been included in the Surrealistic music show is that the common ones are normally repeated whereas these ones are not. These were meant to be presented once only in one context.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Requested to give some details about the exhibition, Awenna said that in the 'living sculpture' the artist not only creates form with any medium in order to bring the sculpture alive with his/her own body with the context of the exhibit. 'After the performance there will be a sculpture in the classical sense of the term. The result will be an object that will remain for an exhibition for visitors; but first of all the sculpture has to be live i.e. moving and so on.' Awenna said that what one saw at the gallery, was the outcome of two workshops of contemporary art.
Awenna added, 'It is a research that is going on that was initiated when she first came and now in the second project, on which research is going on, because the artists are more independent in their way of working.' She had come with the idea, and every artist shared the concept of her research. "I've chosen an issue, and in this art display, in each art piece I trace and try to find something. I follow the way of my Bangladeshi counterparts as they've been working here in Bangladesh for a long time.'
Pondering upon her last experience of the exhibition held at Alliance Francaise last year, called 'Towards Moving Sculpture' she said that last time people had been interested to work in this direction with creative energy felt for the first time. She hoped to find and use them for those workshops.
Asked to give the subject matter in detail, Mahbubur Rahman said that there had been workshops at Chittagong and Dhaka. 'The young artists had arranged at a Jagatpur Ashram. They called their attempt 'Movement will become sculpture' this is a presentation of conceptual art. This could be regarded as an installation.' He said that there had been incredible freedom: the artists had thought deep over their work, and then worked according to their fancy and imagination.
'For instance,' Mahbub said, 'one has tried to capture a trembling leaf: this is not easy, I admit, but we've used a camera to hold the action and later transformed it into this 'Movement that will become sculpture'. In this the work was installed with the use of a camera, photographs and other installations. The artists wanted interaction between that which had been perceived in the countryside and combined it with that which could be found in the city.' The city workshop had been combined with that held at Dhaka, which one knows is centred around galleries and art centres. The conception of the artists in the countryside were naturally different. The expressions of the viewers too had been combined.
Shishir Bhattacharjee, an eminent artist and cartoonist, commenting on the display said, 'This is a positive reflection of the endeavour by young Bangladeshi arts, led by Awenna. I will not be critical. The fact that this exhibition has been organised and held is a remarkable feat indeed.'