The ugliness of urban existence

There was no eye witness-1, mixed media.

Asked if he believed that his semi abstract criticism of contemporary society would be easily comprehended by the average viewers, Mostafa said that in order to coordinate with the present viewer's acceptance level, he had added some titles to his pictures, which would give the clues to the works. "Three gentlemen with their thoughts", for instance, had no heads on the walking figures and had collages of actual neckties. It had thick paints smeared on the clothes but the hint was enough to make the viewer's imagination work. Again, the two paintings in purple had the insertion of the photographs placed with transparents covers, like some collages, Mostafa said, there was the use of oil and digital print to present the idea "There was no eye witness". When some ugly incidence takes place, the artist said, onlookers try to ignore it in Bangladesh. Thus few try to prevent many of the crimes that take place in the streets everyday; people try not to be entangled with untoward incidences so they flourish rampant, Mostafa insisted. "See no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil" is the motto of most.

Similarly, two black paintings contained the title "Fresh air" while masks had been included to protest against the environmental pollution, which is an integral part of our everyday existence in Bangladesh today. One was not habituated to seeing the ugly masks so they were bound to attract attention to the abnormal situation. The black drew attention to the prevailing negative attitudes. The included photographs were further clues that would not have had the same impact if simply painted on. Sarcasm and wit laced the paintings and sketches. Six more paintings contained the title "Try the luck" and these repeatedly contained the symbol of the dice that stood for uncertainty of one's luck in life.

Speaking about his aim in painting Mostafa said that he wanted to express his thoughts, feelings and aspirations -- which would be recognized and understood by the viewers. "There is nothing complicated in my work. I just want to convey just some food for thoughts", said Mostafa.

One found oil, mixed media and charcoal works which Mostafa had not done before, but about which he was most enthusiastic, as the medium was new to him and because they brought in more simplification and in which he had been best able to express his thoughts even though they were bereft of colours. In the other works at the exhibit, Mostafa had red, turquoise blue, bright yellow ochre merged with burnt sienna. Black and chutney green had contrasted with the more lively hues. There were human portraits in the oil work that were clearly recognizable, whereas the charcoal work had been filled with symbols that were not quite obvious, such as the display of feet, people standing and other human faces placed at the side in an enigmatic row in a single work.

In another work, Mostafa had two heads that had been blindfolded. There were the limbs and a portion of the head of yet another individual. Goggles, part of a face, limbs, and jeans in another sketch gave the effect of collage all throughout. Here the artist had pasted on strips of paper and then ripped them off so that the paper wore the effect of a broken looking glass. In yet another work there were heads, limbs, torso, a figure in the shape of a bottle; in the background was a quaint scene with the moon. In most cases the female figures stood for women of questionable repute, while the men too belonged to a floating population of individuals with little purpose in life--heading nowhere, creating havoc where they passed through or who were simply idle standers by.

Mostafa dealt with the restlessness, fever and fret of modern life with its harsh reality. He has had two solo exhibitions before and has taken part in nearly 20 joint displays. He won the "Shanawaz" memorial award in 1996, a 1st prize in landscape painting, and another 1st prize for miniature work in 1998.