Laila Sharmeen relives the past in upcoming show ‘Golden Bengal’
Freelance artist Laila Sharmeen grew up in a tranquil Gendaria in the 1960s. Ponds, grass and feeding ducks are among her fondest childhood memories. These memories, besides other everyday objects like Dhundul, Zingey phool, Jonaki, etc, often transport her to the 'Sonar Bangla' of her childhood. In everything she does, be it painting, singing or writing soliloquies, the echoes of Sonar Bangla return.
Based on these memories, Laila Sharmeen's 12th solo art exhibition titled 'Golden Bengal' is going to be held in La Galerie, Alliance Française de Dhaka, from 20 May to 29 May. The artist herself currently resides in Toronto, Canada and came back to Bangladesh almost half a decade later.
All her paintings are semi-abstract in nature. The simplest of objects, a banana tree, a thatched-roof hut, a rainbow, or those white ducks with orange beaks, adorn her paintings. Her paintings are outward expressions of who she was and still is on the inside.
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"I am a believer of pantheism and hermeticism," she added. "We, humans, know only so much. Whatever lies beyond our knowledge and imagination is divinity. The Divine is omnipresent – is everywhere and we are all one with the Divine," she said.
"An artist survives through their artwork. This bodily form will go away. But long after my passing, I will be here through my artworks, through the wellness I leave behind," Sharmeen reflected.
Her upcoming exhibition is also going to feature installation art. In it, seeds of various vegetables will be placed inside jute bags for the audience to take away.
"I want to be the person who does the society good," she said about the concept behind this installation.
