Fire Dekha’s fascinating insight into our past and present
‘Fire Dekha’ displays the work of 14 senior artists at the beginning of their artistic journey during 1975–1995, and their attempt at bringing awareness to socio-political issues
Upon entering the exhibition, I was greeted with grand canvases with a unique blending of colours, textures and brushes. But, only when you pause briefly to truly unearth what they are trying to depict, does it feel like you are seeing the lives of people from a time in life you may not recognise, but can relate to nonetheless.
'Fire Dekha' takes you on a journey to a time when the artistic scene was in constant efforts to reinvent itself. Featuring the works of 14 artists between 1975 and 1995, the exhibition brings together paintings, sculptures, prints, and mixed-media works that capture the artistic tendencies and concerns.
Hosted at Kala Kendra in Lalmatia Block-D, it features prominent artists like Shishir Bhattacharjee, Dipa Haq, Ratan Mojumder and others. This collection of art offers a layered and revealing overview of the creative landscape of that time. But instead of trying to make you reminisce about a distant past, it aims to inspire a new generation of artists.
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All of the artworks were made by the then-young artists shortly after our country finally became free from the shackles of Pakistan and the British. The birth of a new country demanded the rebirth of art that captured the spirit of Bangladeshis, and also made sure that when you look at the art, no resemblance remains of our oppressors.
"There was particular emphasis on the development of individual artistic language. We noticed that during the 74–75 period, surrealism was being adopted by a lot of artists for its almost dreamy aesthetic. But, we do not know why it was the case and these are the sort of questions that give looking at art a new layer of curiosity," explained artist Wakilur Rahman to TBS.
Interestingly, the artists were also reinventing themselves as the experimentation with the visual language of their work became apparent from the stark differences in the styles and media of the 14 different artists.
"But this exhibition is significant culturally because there is no way for the younger generations to look back at the work of us, senior artists. And when you look at these works, you are also reliving history because their work is a product of them and their surroundings at that time," said Wakilur.
He concluded, saying, "Archiving and preservation of our history has failed to receive the attention it deserves in our nation. We ran into this head-on when we were curating for this exhibition. So, we want this to be a way for everyone to visit and appreciate our shared artistic history."
These young artists used their paintings as a vehicle for social and political commentary to challenge the discourse at such a sensitive time in our nation's history. Since that era, their work and our country have evolved a lot from what it was during that time period. However, this exhibition still asks a very important question: how much have things actually changed?
TBS Picks
Untitled by Deepa Haq (1986)
Medium: Oil Pastel on Paper
Made in 1986, Deepa Haq used her art to depict the silent yet open oppression of women in that era, which is unfortunately very prevalent even today.
The female characters have bright makeup on them, but when you look closer, behind their colourful appearance, their eyes are blood red and lifeless. They look hauntingly numb as their existence gets torn apart with sheer violence by a dark figure in a box society put them in. And yet, they still have to maintain an uplifting appearance to survive.
Khush Amdeed by Nisar Hossain (1982)
Medium: Enamel on Plastic Sheet
'Khush Amdeed' means 'welcome' in Urdu and has positive connotations in other Arabic languages, but this creatively named title immediately juxtaposes the painting. The work functions as a political commentary on the corrupted practices of the Islamic political party, which used religion and violence to enforce its radicalised ideologies.
The theme is cleverly presented in the use of a darker colour palette and snakes as a metaphor for them.
Untitled by Wakilur Rahman (1989)
Watercolour on Paper
This painting diverges aesthetically from the previous paintings as Wakilur Rahman adopted a more surreal art style that used both realistic and abstract elements to encourage the viewers to be more thoughtful.
Made in a time when there was no social media to bring awareness to major issues, Wakilur depicts the issue of censorship in that time when mainstream journalism silenced the voices and problems of people, essentially trapping them in a violent cycle of oppression. This is expressed with a human head rotting and bleeding out in a see-through box.
