Colours of a restless city: Biplob and Akhir’s ‘Metropolitan’
Artists M M Maksud Biplob and Al Akhir Sarker came together in ‘Metropolitan: Beauty in Chaos’, combining their contrasting art styles to capture the many colours and moods of the chaotic Dhaka city
Dhaka is a bittersweet city. Under a skyline of tangled powerlines, clusters of cars scatter across the roads in crooked lines. The only thing reliable is the unwavering sound of horns and bells that find their way into the crevices of your brain. The mayhem almost drives you mad.
Yet, in the midst of chaos, we find reasons to call this place home—the people in the neighbourhood that treat you like family, the conversations that only come out at tea stalls, and beautiful orange sunsets that you can't resist but preserve in a picture.
This is the very beauty of Dhaka city that the exhibition, 'Metropolitan: Beauty in Chaos' captured.
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Artists M M Maksud Biplob and Al Akhir Sarker came together, combining their contrasting art styles to capture the many colours and moods of the chaotic Dhaka city.
Organised by Shilpangan and located in Bhumi Gallery, the exhibition kicked off on 29 August and will remain open for all until 9 September.
"Dhaka city is quite chaotic and loud, but it is also vibrant, so this place has a special place in our hearts. Within this chaos, we try to find pockets of beauty. That was the intention behind this exhibition," shared Saifur Rahman Lenin, Founder of Bhumi Gallery.
While Biplob's realist style transports you to corners of Dhaka, Akhir's semi-abstract and impressionist approach evokes the very emotions the city has always stirred. Through different styles, they come together seamlessly with the vibrant colours on their canvases.
In Akhir's 'Metropolitan Colour 2', a bright wash of seafoam green colour takes over the canvas, with strokes of pink, yellow, and dark blue creating a skyline of buildings, all over a blue backdrop.
On the other hand, Biplob's 'Conversation' captures a candid moment at a train station. However, the deep red colour of the clothes the people are wearing contrasts with the muted browns, adding vibrancy to the canvas.
"You will notice that Dhaka is a vibrant city of many colours–you do not see that anywhere else," shared Lenin.
Biplob's use of colour as a focal point is a practice he adapted from his days as an architecture student.
"As architects, we were taught to maintain a sense of hierarchy in our compositions, ensuring that emphasis is placed somewhere within the design," commented Biplob. "The same principle applies to art. Compositions often feature a focal point—like a krishnachura flower (Royal poinciana) or an umbrella—that naturally draws the viewer's eye."
Akhir's use of colour is, above all, an expression of his feelings toward Dhaka city. As the artist grew up in a rural area, he recalls how the move to Dhaka had a toll on him.
"When I first moved to Dhaka, I had a hard time adjusting. I would get sick and return home. But after staying here for a long time, after seeing and experiencing this city from up close for so long, it found its way into my heart," shared Akhir.
He continues, "In a city, the horizontal line becomes smaller and the vertical line grows. I framed my linework and strokes around this concept. Due to rapid development, there is a sense of suffocation, but even then, we look for the beauty in small things–in the light and colours."
Before even looking at the titles, you will be able to recognise the locations in some of the paintings, such as Biplob's 'Delightful Dhaka University' and Akhir's 'Mohakhali', ultimately making you feel a little more attached to each piece you see.
The exhibition is a reminder that despite Dhaka's relentless pace and noise, there is a heart and unmistakable beauty—a city captured through the eyes of artists who see both its chaos and its charm.
TBS Picks
City Rain by Al Akhir Sarker
The impressionist piece paints a picture of Dhaka in the midst of rain. Akhir uses vertical lines to not only create the reflections of light on the wet roads, but also to represent the nature of Dhaka's rising skyline. The use of bright red colours to highlight the lights from cars and signs adds vibrancy to the canvas.
Concrete Shadows by M M Maksud Biplob
Maksud captures the conditions of Dhaka's traffic with his paintbrush. Light streams in over the cars and under the metro rail. The painting captures Dhaka at its most chaotic–the sound of the horns, the dust in the air, and the hanging powerlines are before you in this canvas. However, in the chaos, the familiarity instils a sense of nostalgia.
Magic City by Al Akhir Sarker
The backdrop of the painting is a vibrant, almost neon yellow. The colour is an interesting choice as it represents happiness, yet it can also instil a sense of anxiety–perfectly describing the feelings Dhaka's chaos and beauty will leave you with.
Blooming through the noise by M M Maksud Biplob
This painting captures the bustling streets of Dhaka. Rickshaws fill the roads, some moving against the traffic–an all too familiar sight in the city. Even amid the chaos of the streets, moments of beauty stand out—the vibrant colours of the rickshaws, the intricate patterns on their hoods, and the fiery bloom of a krishnachura tree.
