A two-week solo art exhibition by Iqbal Bahar Chowdhury titled ‘Grits and Grains’ is going to begin from today at the La Galerie of Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) in Dhanmondi of the capital.
The inaugural ceremony of the exhibition will be held at 5:30pm, where eminent artist Shahid Kabir will be present as the chief guest. Architect Salauddin Ahmed will also attend the opening ceremony as the special guest.
Iqbal Bahar Chowdhury creates his prints imbuing them with a unique vision. His wood intaglio expresses a rather other-worldly landscape which he thinks stems from a juxtaposition of external as well as internalized experiences and thoughts.
Through an elaborate process, he creates a saturated depiction of the environment and then continues scribbling using certain starting points of his thought, finally rendering a blend of reality and fantasy into subtle shapes of symbolism and expression.
He seeks to develop a matrix of his surfaces by way of the nuances of his understanding of nature and art. His medium, printmaking itself is a remarkable process where instinctual dexterity and visual effects govern the process and lead him to the end.
About 60 artworks will be put on display in the exhibition.
Born in 1986 in Cox’s Bazar, Iqbal Bahar Chowdhury earned his BFA and MFA from University of Development Alternative (UODA). He has received several accolades including ‘Kibria Young Printmaker Award 2018’ and the Golden Award in ‘Freedom of Thoughts: Bangladesh-Japan Contemporary Art Festival 2013’ organised by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
Chowdhury has also participated in a number of group exhibitions at home and abroad, including Beijing International Art Biennale in 2015 and 2017, Taiwan Print Biennale in 2018, and Asian Art Biennale in 2014 and 2018.
The exhibition will remain open to all until June 29.
