Experimental and enigmatic
Uttam Kumar Roy won the Young Artists' Award 2004 with his Target: me and mine. In this was an electric blue figure comprising of spider nets and he was surrounded by enigmatic blue blobs of forms in a blue black background. The Best Award in Painting went to Ashraful Hasan for his Burn-8 which brought in twining root forms, which could also be taken for clasping hands. Layer upon layer of blue and burnt sienna clay strips clinging on to each other formed a totem pole shaped creation. Bicycle, by Sheikh Mohammad Rokonuzzaman in black and white, got the Best Award in Graphics. This brought in the image of three old rusted bicycles, leaning on each other.
One of the Honourable Mentions was won by Shahjahan Ahmed Bikash's Last Supper, which brought in the image of political leaders such as George Bush, Tony Blair and Fidel Castro, along with the well-known scene of Christ's last formal meeting with his disciples. This was obviously a clarion call for peace. Ahmed Sadrul Hasan Rafi's Cosmic life and its past dream brought in extra terrestrial figures in gray and blue bubbles, set on a background of green and yellow floating islands. This too won a similar award. Equally thought provoking and highly imaginative was the sixth prize winner, Sabira Shahinur with her Continuity from the primitive. This had cavorting and dancing figures in gray, green, ochre and burnt sienna, seen against a pale emerald background.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The jury committee included Monirul Islam, Mahmudul Haque, Abdus Shakoor, Alak Roy and Moinuddin Khaled.
The rest of the exhibition had a lot to offer for the eye and mind to feast on. Md. Nurul Islam's Composition-19, a woven wall-hanging piece, had an intriguing interwoven motif in it, with tassels hanging from three sides. Rajaul Islam Lovelu's carved piece Image-2 had twirling and gliding human and animal figures along with elements from nature such as tree barks and leaves. Najmun Nahar's Hunting-2 had exotic bird images with buoyant feathers, beaks, wings and tails. Poet's dream by Md. Refag Uddin was an idyllic creation with dots curls, lines and swirls. Yasmin Jahan Nupur's Valueless crown was a surrealistic piece that dealt with crowns, thrones and subjects. Broken image by Sarkar Nahid Niazi (Nipu) was a subtle presentation of windows and doors with a 3-D effect.
Shakuntala with friends by Malay Bala brought in abstract forms of women who appeared like old tree roots, suggesting humans caught in a stifling web. Md Anisuzzaman's Complexity-30 had a geometrical depiction of the mushrooming of high-rise buildings. A realistic change was seen in Subash Chandra Nath's Study-2 which brought in a pile of old bottles and cans. Similarly, Roosevelt Benjimin D'Rozario's Untitled-1 presented a steam boat, keeping to realism in his elegant and confident depiction of a riverside scene.
God's blessing by Debashis Pal had stylised presentation of deities in discs and rectangles, placed one on top of another. Night by Nasima Akter had a moving depiction of a cat, seen along with an apple and a flower. Flower by Pongkus Kumar Roy was a lyrical depiction of lily buds standing tall in a garden. Fahamida Akther's Nightmare-45 brought in the horror of crimes in modern city life.
The exhibition showcased many young talents with the play of ideas, forms and styles. The artists appeared more politically conscious than they had been about a decade back and no longer appeared to be self-satisfied romanticists. They were more exposed to the contemporary art scene, as seen in the various international exhibitions.