A poet, an artist, a photographer, a musician and a craftsman, Asad Iqbal Sumon leads a full, interesting life. Always one to deviate from the norm, Sumon could never abide by the rules and regulations of a formal education in art. “I joined the art department of YODA, right after I got my Bachelor's degree at a university in Sylhet,” says the talented young artist, “But their rules were not for me, so I dropped out soon after and pursued my own style of art.”
Sumon's paintings are themed around different aspects of himself. They are self portraits of sorts, reflecting not only his outer self, but facets of himself from within. “I have a black side and a white side and a whole lot of grey, and I try to show this through my paintings, not in an abstract, but in a realistic style,” he relates. The artist loves to experiment with colours and he is currently working with red and blue, which he finds have a startling effect when used together.
While his paintings are unique and eye catching, his list of talents doesn't end there. In the past seven years, Sumon has discovered and developed an interest in making hand crafted jewellery. “My designs are unisex so anyone can wear my creations,” explains the artist. “What makes my work unique is that I make my jewellery with scraps-- things I pick up on the roads during my meanderings around the city, such as the bright pink strings used to tie boxes of sweets, locks, knuts and bolts, broken pieces of a plate and such,” he elaborates. The artist then makes jewellery, mostly necklaces and bracelets and sells them via exhibitions (he has had four group exhibitions so far), facebook and street stalls where his work is extremely popular with the current generation.
Sumon is also an occasional photographer and violinist, but poetry remains one of his constant passions. “I published a book called Jatra Birotir Por, in 2011 and continue to write poetry whenever I find inspiration,” he says. Aside from his artistic ventures, he is also interested in social and political issues and has founded a group known as Sworong, comprising of 18 artists, who express their views on the current political turmoil in the country through murals and other artwork. This group is also a humanitarian one, which organises projects through which they aid the underprivileged.