The language of joy

A selection of paintings by children

The exhibition was organised at the Royal Orchid restaurant initially from January 25-27 by the Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts in collaboration with the reputed human rights and legal aid organisation, Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK). The display has been extended by two days.

This was a display of children's art with a difference. For one, the budding artists were all underprivileged working children such as shop assistants, domestic helps, signboard artists and garbage collectors. All the 74 water colour, pastel, pencil and crayon works movingly captured rural and urban landscapes along with figures -- all through the eyes of the young artists.

Among the works that attracted attention were signboard writer Moazzem Hossain's rural scenes replete with figures of girls and boys, huts and a river. Using hues of blue, red, green and brown, the 15-year-old artist used crayons to conjure up a rural setting. The thatched huts were offset with colourful flags.

Next, one's eyes came to rest on a crayon work by Fatema Akhter (13 years), a domestic helper, who depicted a school and boys and girls with a placard. In the background were construction workers. Talking to another artist, Mahbub Alam (a student of class 10) one came face to face with the aspirations and dreams of a working child. A signboard and banner artist, Alam's watercolour works recreate village life, complete with trees, flowers, and rivers. Alam's other talent is penciled portraits of people, an art that was evident when he did a quick sketch of this correspondent. Explaining his rural landscapes, Alam says that the scenes are mostly drawn from his own imagination and his occasional visits to his village Shariatpur. "The frenzied pace of life in Dhaka sometimes gets to me," says the artist, adding that. "Sometimes I go to a village for some peace and quiet." A self taught artist, Alam has been painting for the last six years or so. His ambition is to hold a solo exhibition -- a dream fostered by the current display.

Mahbub has drawn up other achievements. In 2004 he received an award in an exhibition themed 'Always Blue, Always Green', organised by a Polish environmental group, His brother Ashraf, a banner writer, seems equally talented. In an art exhibition in Tokyo in 2005, he won a special mention besides bagging two medals from the Shishu Academy in 2003.

Though some of the children live in dire poverty, sometimes brutalised and exploited, the works on display are joyous and vibrant. "The paintings truly speak the language of joy", says Luva Nahid Chowdhury, director of Bengal Foundation. "They reflect little of the travails of the children's current existence but focus more on their hopes and dreams", she adds.

Others have contributed their time to make the exhibition a success. In their ranks is well-known artist, Rokeya Sultana, who teaches art to underprivileged children from ASK's drop in centre. As a trainer and one of the painting selectors, she realised that each of the children had a story to tell. In her words, "Though the children live in urban areas, they keenly remember their villages and roots."

The public response has been favourable and diplomats of several countries have visited the exhibition. Explaining ASK's stake in the exhibition, Sultana Kamal, executive director of the organisation, asserts, "Exhibitions like this will popularise the message that working children are equally talented as their more privileged counterparts. Given the appropriate environment, these children can become creative members of society."