Father-son team
Mathures Paul
A famous name in Bangladesh, it was Kolkata that taught Mohammad Kibria the basics of painting. An exhibition of his paintings was organised by Indian Council for Cultural Relations, in association with Society for Promotion of Bangladesh Art and Birla Academy of Art and Culture.
"I was in town 10 years back to attend an exhibition and workshop. But I know the city inside out, for it was at the Calcutta Government College of Arts and Crafts that I received my training," says Kibria, who was accompanied by his son Juneer Kibria, also a painter.On display were 10 oil paintings, 10 etchings and four collages, of which four of them were new. "I don’t have a particular theme for my exhibitions and avoid putting names to my work. It restricts ones creativity. But mostly, my paintings talk about peace, nature… subjects that put an individual at ease."
Though all praises for contemporary Indian artists, Kibria rolls off names of his teachers when asked about his inspiration. "Ramen Chakrabarty, Zainul Abedin, Atul Bose, Bashanta Ganguly… it’s an endless list. They were very talented. The present generation of artists are also great but we don’t get to see their paintings or read about them in Bangladesh," says the 77-year-old artist.
To this his son adds, "There are at least six to seven exhibitions every week in Dhaka. Painting is a paying profession. Media has made art a subject of much discussion. The only spanner in the work is lack of news on cross-border artists. Unlike before, painters need to socialise and understand the market, knowing where to draw the line. All party and no painting doesn’t make an artist. An artist should not divert from his task, that of depicting society and the times." Juneer received his training from Wittenberg University, Ohio and recently had an exhibition, Fragile, in Dhaka. In future he wants to have an exhibition in Kolkata, for people understand and appreciate the subject here. "Unlike father, I have themes for my exhibitions. My last exhibition was called ‘fragile’ and the theme is evident in the very word. It’s not about selling paintings but about how art is perceived and preserved." Juneer is shuttling between Dhaka and the US constantly, for his wife is an American and an expressionist painter. Her works mostly depict the theme of social status.
Of the master painter’s abstract works, in the catalogue printed for exhibition, Pranabranjan Ray writes: "Kirbira’s creations do not refer to anything beyond what can be seen on the surface, as configurations of lines, strokes, mass, shapes, colours, tones, textures on divided pictorial surfaces. They never inform, describe or narrate..." They are sensations.
A famous name in Bangladesh, it was Kolkata that taught Mohammad Kibria the basics of painting. An exhibition of his paintings was organised by Indian Council for Cultural Relations, in association with Society for Promotion of Bangladesh Art and Birla Academy of Art and Culture.
"I was in town 10 years back to attend an exhibition and workshop. But I know the city inside out, for it was at the Calcutta Government College of Arts and Crafts that I received my training," says Kibria, who was accompanied by his son Juneer Kibria, also a painter.On display were 10 oil paintings, 10 etchings and four collages, of which four of them were new. "I don’t have a particular theme for my exhibitions and avoid putting names to my work. It restricts ones creativity. But mostly, my paintings talk about peace, nature… subjects that put an individual at ease."
Though all praises for contemporary Indian artists, Kibria rolls off names of his teachers when asked about his inspiration. "Ramen Chakrabarty, Zainul Abedin, Atul Bose, Bashanta Ganguly… it’s an endless list. They were very talented. The present generation of artists are also great but we don’t get to see their paintings or read about them in Bangladesh," says the 77-year-old artist.
To this his son adds, "There are at least six to seven exhibitions every week in Dhaka. Painting is a paying profession. Media has made art a subject of much discussion. The only spanner in the work is lack of news on cross-border artists. Unlike before, painters need to socialise and understand the market, knowing where to draw the line. All party and no painting doesn’t make an artist. An artist should not divert from his task, that of depicting society and the times." Juneer received his training from Wittenberg University, Ohio and recently had an exhibition, Fragile, in Dhaka. In future he wants to have an exhibition in Kolkata, for people understand and appreciate the subject here. "Unlike father, I have themes for my exhibitions. My last exhibition was called ‘fragile’ and the theme is evident in the very word. It’s not about selling paintings but about how art is perceived and preserved." Juneer is shuttling between Dhaka and the US constantly, for his wife is an American and an expressionist painter. Her works mostly depict the theme of social status.
Of the master painter’s abstract works, in the catalogue printed for exhibition, Pranabranjan Ray writes: "Kirbira’s creations do not refer to anything beyond what can be seen on the surface, as configurations of lines, strokes, mass, shapes, colours, tones, textures on divided pictorial surfaces. They never inform, describe or narrate..." They are sensations.
Comments