Rafiqun Nabi: The brushstrokes of an artistic legend

When artist and cartoonist Rafiqun Nabi talks about his granddaughter, he turns slightly towards

the audience. He shares how his granddaughter, who despite being a KG-1 student, loves doing art, particularly based on 'Tokai', inspired by Nabi's famous series. 

He also shares how she signs each piece with her signature.

Just as Nabi was inspired by his father to pursue art, the strings of inspiration stretched from him to his granddaughter — it seems as though his story had come full circle.

Rafiqun Nabi, also known as Ranabi, shared insight into his career and life — the small yet pivotal moments that inspired him to pursue art, his feelings on his biggest pieces, and his journey exploring different mediums — at an hour-long discussion at 'The Story of Art' exhibition's Art Talk at Aloki on 11 February. 

The exhibition displays two of Nabi's pieces, 'Tokai' (2024) and 'Resting Fishermen' (2024). The piece, 'Tokai,' is based on one of Nabi's most famous creations, his cartoon character Tokai. This is a conversation starter for all the right reasons. 

In 1978, 'Tokai' first appeared in 'Saptahik Bichitra' and later became a regular addition to the literary magazine. The cartoon continues to be praised for its powerful political commentary and compelling representation of society's most marginalised groups.

Photo: Mehedi Hasan

"The piece is indeed extremely well-loved, now it is even bigger than me," shares Nabi.

Despite creating such a huge piece, the Ekushey Padak-winning artist remains humble, explaining how he doesn't quite consider himself a prodigy. Rather, he credits the people around him and the surrounding scenery as his biggest muse.

"I've seen different landscapes and met different people. Unknowingly these things inspired me throughout my life because I still haven't moved beyond these things," shared Nabi.

His main inspiration, however, comes from his childhood. He shares how his father was one of his biggest inspirations. When his father began teaching Nabi how to read and write, he would pair the letters with drawings. Nabi reminisces about how he would try to imitate the drawings his father made.

His father had always nourished Nabi's passion for art, even taking him to a painting exhibition in the 1950s. "Now when I reflect on my past, I think of how pivotal these moments were for me, no matter how small they must seem," shared Nabi.

The artist also reflects on how a wall magazine, where all the writings and drawings were done by hand, at his school played a part in his passion for art.

Nabi would later go on to study art, completing his Bachelor's and Master's from the then-East Pakistan College of Arts and Crafts. He studied under the guidance of legendary artists such as Zainul Abedin and Quamrul Hassan.

Nabi recalls his time under their guidance with much appreciation and gratitude, expressing how lucky he feels that his teachers were some of the best artists of the nation and the subcontinent.

Nabi is also known for his multifaceted skills. He is not only applauded for his work in painting and cartoons, he is also known for printmaking. The artist had studied printmaking at the Athens School of Fine Arts with a postgraduate scholarship from the Greek government in the 1970s.

Back then, he witnessed a politically turbulent period in Greece. Nabi shares how he drew similarities between the predicaments faced by Bangladeshis and Greeks during the period, making it a pivotal teaching moment for him. "The people might look different, but our pains and struggles are all the same," Nabi said. 

Being an expert in different genres of art, Nabi only shows regret for having spread himself thin. "I've divided myself into so many parts, I shouldn't have done that. As a result, I feel like I couldn't rise in any particular part," shared the artist.

Despite the artist's humble response, the crowd could not quite look past the impact of his 'Tokai' in the art scene, and Nabi acknowledges this too. He continues to share how 'Tokai' gaining popularity was a positive experience for him, as it is with any of his successful cartoons.

The whole room erupted in laughter as Nabi joked, "The day a cartoon is released, I would wait for phone calls to come in and think, "Why isn't the phone ringing?" But then he continued to explain how there were some days the phone would not stop ringing.

With a repertoire of timeless pieces that resonate with people to this day, it seems like the phone still has not stopped ringing for Rafiqun Nabi.