Art

Eye-catching images from India

FAYZA HAQ

Gorgeous girls in oriental costumes, reminiscent of the Moghul rule and colonial time in India, with embossed water-marks and paper or metal sayings or brands such as that of “Horlicks” or some millionaire Indian tea- estate owner go into the interesting and thought provoking images. Women in layers of pearl strings, jhumka and beautiful exotic garb. With a smoking aluminium kettle on the head, with yellow, vermilion and olive apparel on the blouse, these are the eye-catching creations of Kazi Anirban, Kazi Nazrul Islam’s son who lives in India.

The display at Dhaka Art Centre runs till December 29, which might be slightly extended, depending on the demand of art buffs. The display was inaugurated by the High Commissioner of India, Pankaj Saran on December 19.

The image of a man and wife, glossy and stylish, like movie stars, on a rickshaw with volumes of books and jars of coffee, sugar and many more food containers, is surely thought-provoking and mind-boggling.

This mesmerising mixture of actresses and stamps are to show uncanny images and uncanny faux-captions. The juxtaposition shows rough stitches. The artist does not wish anything “smooth” about his work. The images might make one laugh, but they are unusual and have a latent violence in the way they are displayed. Women are the chief attraction as they are found in the places where the artificiality and struggles exist, believes the artist. The images appear funny but these strange images carry the weight of disenchantment.

The images include a tiger and a lion with paper garland for the hero with moon-shaped bifocals perched on his ears. The tail twirling tiger, with a vicious look on his snarling face, and stripes tell you, that he is a big wild creature, with an array of images of nearly bald men in the backdrop. The lady with a cigarette in the corner of the painted lips, curls on her forehead, and her collar of pearls make her appear like a “painted woman”, if anything does. The woman in the backdrop, with the scarlet scarf, watches on.

The Moghul prince with his bejewelled turban flower made of precious coloured stones like emerald and ruby for the centre piece wears layers of pearls and a pendant as is expected of him. His paisley patterned “kurta” is also buoyant.

 

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