Musings in watercolour

Edge Gallery at the capital's Gulshan 2 is currently hosting the third season of Jolokabbo, a group watercolour exhibition, which intends to take the audience down a unique artistic voyage through the medium.  

The event was arranged with necessary Covid-19 precautions, including face masks and hand sanitiser for all. The exhibition can also be viewed virtually through Edge Gallery's website.

Md Abu Soyeb, manager of the gallery, said, "Our online gallery will allow us to control the crowd amidst the pandemic. It will virtually connect artists and audience, even if they do not come to the physical exhibition…We must fight Covid-19 but also keep our economy moving."

A total of 34 artists are exhibiting 120 artworks at the event from November 15 to December 15. They are Alakesh Ghosh, Al-Akhir Sharkar, Anisur Rahman, Anisuzzaman, Ariful Islam, Azmeer Hossain, Biplob Chakroborty, Biren Shome, Hamiduzzaman Khan, Hasura Akter Rumky, Jamal Ahmed, Kamruzzoha, Kauser Hossain, Mintu Dey, Mohammad Eunus, Mohammad Iqbal, Mong Mong Sho, Monirul Islam, Monjur Rashid, Nabaraj Roy, Nazmul Haque Bappy, Palash Datta, Ranjit Das, Samarjit Roy Chowdhury, Shahid Kabir, Shakirunnahar Kanon, Sharmin Akter Lina, Shohag Parvez, Soikat Hossain, Sultan Ishtiaque, Swapan Chowdhury, Tamanna Tasneem Supti, Warior Rahman Sami and Zahangir Alom.

The theme of the exhibition was inspired by the country's heritage and natural beauty. The subjects of the artworks range from historical locations like Panam Nagar and Ahsan Manzil to flowers, pigeons, rivers, and boats.

Artist Zahangir Alom said, "I firmly believe in the ultimate power, mystery and splendour of nature, ranging from the vast universe to the tiny flowers on earth. Mingling my meditative thoughts with the stunning magnificence of the universe, I have depicted several paintings for the exhibition."

Bangladesh, being a riverine country, inspires these artists to stroke the curves of boats, the sampan seemingly getting the greatest attention, with its crescent shape and enormity. In addition, many artists embrace the charm of the rickshaw and the distinguished artworks that accompany it.

"I observe the nature and its elements and compose mindscape paintings from my imagination, while sitting in my studio. I call it 'monochhobi' and have been doing it for the past decade," said artist Azmeer Hossain. "I follow the non-traditional way of watercolour art and compose artworks with many washes…Jolokabbo 3 is exhibiting artworks of many young artists this time, which is great."

In the exhibition, realism and romanticism prevail in most of the artworks. However, a good number of abstract pieces stand out as well, where both urban and rural life are majestically upheld through rich hues.

The show will continue every day from 10am to 8pm.