Boichoitri : A scintillating display of local skills and art

The cane gateway to the British Council exhibit by Ra Kajol

"Only the gate has been done last year. The other bamboo work is new, including the swirls and the mermaid. The other shapes are reminiscent of the Bangladeshi fishing baskets, seen through new forms. The reds, yellow and blues of the night light give you the feel of the different materials."

Dwelling on why there was a thin audience at the opening, June said, "The crowd is what we expected as there are an awful lot of programmes going on simultaneously elsewhere. People can come at a time that suits them and not just at the opening. People will stream in later, for the next couple of weeks, as they did last year. Because the exhibits are natural products, we have put them in a natural environment. This is a temporary exhibition: it's an opportunity for people to see a mix of media. If you are in search for beauty it's here. I think this is on par with comparative display of art works overseas. There's a lot of thought that has gone behind this exhibition."

Comparing the last parallel exhibit with the present one at the British Council, the brain behind the project, Ra Kajol, said, "This time, my work is different. The work of the mermaid done with thin, woven bamboo strips, for instance, is realistic and something not attempted before, I believe. I have six works, which all have new forms, such as those of insects, done in a modern way. Tayabuzzaman Topu's works in ceramics and Ferdousy Priyobhashni's sculpture in driftwood has fascinated viewers on other occasions. Kajol added that he hoped to continue with such exhibits next year. He said that he comes to Dhaka every year from Denmark, and such exhibitions should, hopefully not be a problem."

SM Faiz, Vice Chancellor, Dhaka University, speaking on the opening said that the exhibition reflected the minds and talents of the sophisticated artists and the artisans taken from various districts of Bangladesh. He added that the artists should be praised for trying to reach out to their cultural roots. He praised the inclusion of the bamboo stick dancers and the Baul singers, with their dhols, khonjonas, flutes, dotaras and castanet-like musical instruments, and their flamboyant robes of saffron, green and white.

Mahmudul Haque, Director General, National Museum, summed up the programme with his pithy comment that the works of Ra Kajol and the other two participants were a bold venture.