Symphony in driftwood

Another sculpture by Ferdousi Priyobhashini

Her present work speaks of considerable maturity and this is because she has been pursuing the goal with a purpose for a long time. There is variation in her work too and more volume in her work. There is definitely a lot of sincerity in the exhibition.

' Abdus Shakoor comments, 'It is indeed remarkable how this self-taught artist acquired all the materials and has consistently progressed with her thinking process. Her way of thinking certainly speaks of a serious artistic frame of mind and that is why she has been able to bring so much of variation in her work.' Ivy Zaman says, 'Coming to Shilpangan to see this work gives me the effect when I go to the Sunderbans. Keeping nature in mind, she has given the sculptured effect to her work. She has combined the beauty of nature, found in roots, barks and stems, with her thoughts to bring in figures and shapes to form her sculpture.'

Talking about the new elements in her work, Priyobhashini says, 'While I try to bring in new angles and facets, my basic work remains the same. I have brought in new items like old rusted tin and worn out barks of trees. The only two works that have been repeated are Gonohotya and Chhaya Kaya [shade and body]. My love for sculpture began from my love of interior decoration. I used to make furniture out of bamboo and tried my hand in ikebana. In 1987, I met artist SM Sultan, who, having seen my efforts with roots and other bits of driftwood, encouraged me to go into sculpture in a big way. In fact, he organised an exhibition of mine in 1990 at Charupit, Jessore. My family and friends have also encouraged me. I do the small bits of work by night and the large manual work during the day with the help of a young man as that requires a lot of physical labour to work the big saws. I gather my driftwood in my everyday outings such as going to the market, visiting friends or going to the doctor.

I process the work now boiling the driftwood in big drums with mulberry for six hours. I also expose them to the sun and rain to season the wood naturally.'

In the collage My school, pieces of wood are seen to make windows, doors and roof. Here she tries to bring close the ties between Hindus and Muslims by showing a romantic attachment between a young woman and a man, Bulu and Ramzaan, who belong to different origins and are studying in a co-educational school. Tea leaves and straw are also used to lend texture. The growth of fungus in floral shapes has been used in the next piece to give the effect of a trailing frilled dress and an wreath covers the head of a woman. Tea leaves and burnt copper colours lend depth and richness to the creation. Aj jotsna raate shobai gechhey boney is another romantic piece which use ivy leaves, broken fences and bits of wood, ground wood and tea leaves to give the silhouette of a woman bent forward to join her friends in a forest under a full moon. Spring brought in another wondrous figure and form of a woman. Even her limbs are carefully brought in.

Nirephera presents returning birds created from caste off dried money plant stems and roots, old, dried, barks of trees along with the insides of the barks of 'taal'. Legs and beaks are carefully added. Sawdust and dust of broken red tiles complete the effect. Birohini Priya introduces a lonely woman hiding behind a window with ivy leaves. A broken piece of wood has been used to get the main image. Copper shine and burning of the wood add variation to the hue of the original wood piece. Blue colour has been added to one side.

Another collage brings in the broken topsy-turvy shops that one sees around the riverside where travellers stop for tea and snacks. The three dimensional structure is made by nailing together of tree barks. Banyan roots bring together two mating birds and here the artist has left the drift wood as she finds it with a few addition and subtraction to the once-rejected bamboo roots. The serious subject of women being defiled in concentration camps has also been brought in contrast. Here the body and limbs of the women are from a single root.

It is wonderful to see the variation of work made simply from drift wood, with a few additions and alterations.