Forms and flourishes with surpassing rhythm

(L) Boishakhee by Nasreen Begum, (R) To Nazrul by Nazrul Islam Aghrani and (B) an untitled work by Jamal Ahmed

Jamal Ahmed has combined acrylic with pastel in his delineation of pigeons. The colours have captured the movement of the feathers. " I am fascinated when I come across birds and see their various delicate movements, as they fly about," says Jamal. "My earlier works had the pigeon like some individual study, but here the group has been taken as a whole," he adds.

Rashid Amin has used etching in his work and it includes a collection of dark lines. The light colours next to them set them off. Nisar Hossain has brought in different effects in the visual medium that he has presented. He has used the cheap plastic printed cloth that is often seen in the villages and in rickshaws. They contain Islamic motifs as Nisar depicts the fundamentalists and calls his work Killer in the Garden. He has used primary colours in acrylic and so there is a change in his technique.

Mohammed Eunus has brought in images of old walls in his work, calling it Reality. "The old wall is a symbol of society, where there is no security or certainty. There is the desire to improve the situation but there is no real move towards it," Eunus says. The painting is in acrylic and brings to mind the rusted and mottled hues on neglected walls. Muniruzzaman says, "I've tried to bring in the depiction of mud walls in my Image of time. The medium is water colour and I've tried to depict the element of dissatisfaction and insecurity in our society. Kanak Chanpa Chakma has used brought in mixed media in her painting, where she has pasted handmade paper on her background and worked over it. "Thus I have a new medium and I enjoy doing something fresh. I've depicted tribal life but with a nouveau approach," she says. The effect was lyrical indeed. By using a lot of symbols, Atia Islam Anne has once again hit out against fundamentalism in her Society. Atia's surrealistic work hits out boldly against evil and wrongdoing.

Murshida Arju Alpana, who lives and works in Berlin, says, "I longed to see the Bangladeshi storm after more than a decade in Germany. Boishakhi storm has lines and colours to depict the force of the lashing storm. This is a part of a series that say 'Before the storm' and 'After the storm'. To bring in the element of heat just before the storm, Arju has brought in free and forceful streaks of red and yellow along with salmon pink. The tossing, turning and swinging of tree branches have also been included.

A Rahman, who spends many months in Italy, has his Lethal chamber in which he depicts mankind's turmoil and travails. It depicts a man carrying an elephant on his back with overwhelming signals flashing in the backdrop. Bruno Ruhf from France has also joined the display with his mind-whirling Clown.

The exhibition ends on May 15.