‘Poetrimage’ of birds, women, and poems

"As drops of rain touch the earth,

He is still high on the wings of romance.

His feet in motion,

His feathers spread for his mate,

Quivering, glimmering a love dance."

— The peacock dances and the peacock cries, Reza Asad Al Huda Anupam

At Alliance Francaise de Dhaka (AFD), a gallery brims with the seamless integration of poetry and paintings, each element complementing the other in a harmonious blend. One can easily get lost in the artistic world that Reza Asad Al Huda Anupam has created for his second solo exhibition "Poetrimage", the opening of which took place at AFD yesterday. 

The event was graced by the presence of veteran artists Prof Hashem Khan as the chief guest, and Prof Mostafizul Haque as the special guest. Hashem Khan in his speech mentioned the importance of the common mass appreciating art. He also asked the artist to go stronger on his path. The chief guest thus declared the opening of the exhibition.

"Poetrimage" or "Kabyachitra" is an exhibition comprising the artist's two years' worth of work. He had made wonderful use of colours on his canvases. The vibrant hues, the chaotically charming brushstrokes, the forms, lines, and all other elements come together and create their little world from which a spectator can take a sip of creativity. The most dominant trait of his works is definitely the meticulously placed careless patches of colours he has on giant canvases.

Several of Anupam's paintings feature beautiful pairs of birds. Amongst these, the peacocks were the most eye-catching. They were surrealistically solemn. He has painted day labourers and they were as realistic as they could be. There were bigger paintings with women in sarees and other traditional attires. 'Green Saree' was the most prominent one, with more than half of the canvas painted green. 

Anupam did not take an entirely realistic approach to art. His paintings, characterised by a semi-abstract style, skillfully bring together shapes, lines, and forms to convey the significance of his subject matter, forming a distinctive and unique world. Anupam's poems feature the dialect of his region. 

The painting 'Pink Saree' is that of a bride who according to his poem died an untimely death. And this is one of many examples of how Anupam has touched everyone with his stories, through poems and paintings. 

AFD will run this open-for-all exhibition till November 28, 2023.