Snippets of the Displaced City
A solo art exhibition titled “Displaced in Dhaka” by young artist Kuntal Barai is going on at La Galerie, Alliance Française de Dhaka. Noted artist-critic Mustafa Zaman has curated the exhibit. Professor Nazrul Islam, academic, urbanist and art writer, graced the inaugural ceremony as chief guest. Giusepee Semenza, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Italy-Dhaka; Shahjahan Ahmed Bikash, Associate Professor and Chairperson, Faculty of Fine Arts, UODA; art critic Mustafa Zaman and eminent artist Monirul Islam attended the opening ceremony as special guests.
According to studies, Dhaka has reached the peak of criticality with its unplanned growth -- overpopulation, traffic congestion, so called development sprees and insanitary conditions, having reached an all-time high. Except for a select few, who can bear the brunt of a megalopolis gone haywire, many Dhakaites do not find the city to be a safe haven anymore.
The art project is a survey of all the elements mentioned above. As an artist, Kuntal Barai's work takes into account the chaos, as well as the sense of loss we have developed over the years. Still, the artist believes that there is an organic form of life in this chaos through which a new vision may someday burst into view.
Kuntal's work has been depicted through mixed media -- print and acrylic. The display is open from Monday to Thursday -- 3 pm to 9 pm. The exhibit is also open on weekends -- Friday and Saturday -- 9 am to12 noon and 5pm to 8pm, respectively. It goes on till May 19.
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