It would only gain independence thirteen years later in 1971.
Sultana was born in Chittagong in 1958 at a time when the country was still considered East Pakistan. They were so different and unique,” Abdullah told ThePrint.Īlso read: Liberal intellectuals lack popular political language against Hindutva. She continues to be an influential figure in Bangladesh’s art community. In the past, Sultana’s works have sold at auctions with prices ranging from approximately Rs 9,000 to Rs 80,000 ($122 – $1,162). It was there that she learnt the pressure print technique used in the ‘Fata Morgana’ series. Sultana has won several awards and scholarships, including a 2012 prestigious Fullbright grant for a 9-month artist’s residency at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She has exhibited her works across countries such as Denmark, Egypt, Turkey, Taiwan, Nepal, Korea, France, Iran, Jordan, and Pakistan at centres like Australia’s Blacktown Arts Centre and Bangladesh’s Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts. It involved several colourful multi-layer prints achieved through a tedious woodcut and pressure-point technique of printmaking. Unlike the ‘Madonna’ series, which had a clear cut story, this one played with the idea of distortions.
#Cricket revolution in bangladesh series#
The ‘Fata Morgana’ series - which comes from the word denoting a type of ocean mirage - featured 40 abstract and semi-abstract artworks. Magenta is on the verge of being an aggressive form of red, but it is softer, more playful and more positive,” explained Sultana. “Madonna’ is every girl and every woman”. “The colour, magenta, is a symbol of transforming negativity through the feminine psyche. She had once explained, in an interview to Daily Star, that the woman in her work is always in a magenta sari to show she’s traditional but rebellious underneath. In the ‘Madonna’ series, named after the American pop legend, Sultana depicts the everyday woman navigating the world. Her figural series ‘Madonna’ and ‘Relations’ are the most popular, as well as print series ‘Fata Morgana’. Sultana is best known for playing with themes of womanhood, sensuality and feminism. Many journalists, artists and activists have faced the brunt of the ICT Act, including renowned photographer Shahidul Alam, whose arrest in 2019 for comments on student protests, sparked global outrage.Īlso read: And, cut! - Modi govt’s new cinema bill a ‘super censor’. Artists have been under suppression due to laws like Section 57 of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act.” “I used to draw political cartoons for newspapers but I stopped after 2017, when broad media laws were introduced in Bangladesh. He explained that Bangladeshi artists have long faced restrictions within their own country. But sometimes, the consequences of political turmoil and foreign relations are outside an artist’s control,” he told ThePrint. “Rokeya, nicknamed ‘Lovely’ by some of us at the university, is a talented artist. Meanwhile, Shishir Bhattacharjee, Professor of Fine Art at Dhaka University, had a more pragmatic view. Why should they be blamed for others’ misdeeds?” No artists from any country should be restricted in showing their works or practicing freedom of expression. Speaking to ThePrint, Bangladeshi photographer Abir Abdullah, whose work has been published in publications like The New York Times, Der Spiegel and The Guardian, reacted by saying: “This is definitely shocking to hear.
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Though Sultana has exhibited in India before, the now-cancelled event was meant to show the full breadth of her work over forty-odd years. The cancellation of the exhibition has come as a shock to her peers in Dhaka University as well as other prominent figures in the country’s art community. In light of the Durga Puja communal violence in Bangladesh against the country’s Hindu minority, however, the Indian government decided to postpone her exhibition indefinitely, reported ThePrint earlier this week. The exhibition, planned as a joint collaboration between the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and Dhaka-based non-profit Bengal Foundation, was meant to display 120 to 130 pieces of the artist’s work.Ī printmaker and painter, Sultana also serves as Chairman of the Faculty of Fine Art at Dhaka University. New Delhi: Last week, 63-year-old international award-winning Bangladeshi artist Rokeya Sultana was gearing up for a solo art exhibition in India from 23 October to 11 December.