Shako celebrates womanhood in Bangladesh

Art works on display

Stepping into the gallery, one's attention goes to Nasreen Begum's oriental artwork. In the watercolour painting, titled Sakhina, Nasreen depicts an exquisite belle with huge flowers in her hair and a prominent bindi. The painting is in various tones of brown. Then there is Kuhu's Drawing 2 in charcoal, a realistic work which depicts an attractive young woman with jewellery. One also stops to see Rebeka Sultana Moly's Untouchable Beauty in acrylic. Here is a woman, bedecked with flowers, who has a questioning look.

All this is not to say that the exhibition is just about pretty faces. One would rather call it a celebration of womanhood in all its rich diversity--from the Hill Tracts woman in Kanak Chanpa Chakma's acrylic painting, called In Karnaphuli to Farida Zaman's acrylic on canvas, titled Fisherwoman and Naima Haque's untitled work which depicts a tribal woman.

There is also a serious side to the exhibition. For instance, in Fareha Zeba's acrylic on ply board is a nervous woman with a man's menacing figure behind, trying to control her. In a similar vein, in her acrylic painting, Amar Shomoy, Shulekha Chaudhury depicts a woman who seems to be attempting suicide. In shades of red, black and yellow, there are many blades in the background and she is up to her knees in water. Her body language expresses her desire to be left alone.

In her turn, Farzana Islam Milky's metallic sculpture pieces are also on display.

As an exhibition by women on women, this is a first for Art & Soul Gallery. More such displays in the city will help women artists--and their subjects-- find their place under the sun.