A group exhibition titled, Jolokabbo 2 - Musings in Watercolour, opened on Wednesday at Edge Gallery in Dhaka. 26 artists are participating in the event, which features watercolour paintings. Upcoming young artists, as well as revered painters in the field, like Jamal Ahmed and Monirul Islam, are exhibiting their works at the show.

With watercolour as the central theme of the exhibition, the different paintings explore relationships, both natural and man-made. The use of watercolour has not only been a popular choice among artists, but it has historically established itself as the technique chosen by people to express their feelings. In this exhibition, the organisers aim to display works which depict the memories of the people of the country, through its different seasons.

Among the subjects explored on canvases and inside frames, the common views of Old Dhaka city streets, landscapes from the countryside, as well as the rivers of Bangladesh, are seen. Many artists veered out of the ordinary to incorporate contemporary practices, to put together a cohesive new perspective. One painting that stands out is A Glory Day by Buriganga by Akhir Sarker. The focus of the painting is a boat on the river Buriganga, surrounded by other boats and ships. The entire painting is done in yellow-green hues, which amplifies the feel of the wreckage we have caused on our rivers. The painting incorporates figurative and abstract styles to create a truly a immersive atmosphere for the viewers. Splatters of paint accurately imitate the splutters created by the engine of the boat and washes of yellows and greens portray the fumes and toxicity of the environment in a way that reminds us of the Industrial Revolution in Europe.

Paintings at the exhibition

Other paintings seen at the exhibition included titles such as Winter Morning,Winter Evening, Shoroter Bandorban and Forest Lights. Renowned artist Jamal Ahmed presented a painting called, In Search of Food, which shows a seagull flying across against a backdrop of water and sky, meshing into each other in strokes of blue and white. The viewer would be struck by the simplicity of the artwork, and its ability to remind us of the crisis of climate change.

Jolokabbo 2 - Musings in Watercolour is well curated and brings together many perspectives harmoniously. It provides a great opportunity for art enthusiasts of Bangladesh to appreciate the talents of the nation, by exposing themselves to thought-provoking artworks. The exhibition will run till October 16.