‘Abanto’: Little Abanti, big artistic adventures

A pink poster had been circulating my social media newsfeed, and it turned out to be an art exhibition, so I decided to pay a visit. On the first afternoon of August, Safiuddin Shilpalay hence inaugurated the first solo exhibition, "Abanto", by Mayesha Islam Abanti. She is a distinguished young lady who is currently enrolled at the University of Birmingham, UK. 

The ceremony was notably attended by renowned artists Prof Syed Abul Barq Alvi as the special guest, and Abdul Mannan as the chief guest. Artist Ripon K Das, Abanti's beloved guruji (teacher), was present as an honourable guest. Astha Anindita, Abanti's friend, hosted the ceremony beautifully, adding a personal touch to the arrangement. The guests spoke highly of the young artist, and then the exhibition opened to visitors. 

Art has been a safe haven for Mayesha Islam Abanti since her childhood. She loved to put her imagination on paper and canvases, sometimes with graphite, sometimes with colours. But she is also a person who saw the dreadful side of the world at a very young age. A rare illness struck her, leading to multiple major surgeries, repeated stays in the ICU, and ultimately, she became a victim of medical malpractice. Art soon became both medicine and therapy for her. She also shared that her dear father lovingly calls her 'Abanto', and that's why it is the name of her first solo exhibition.

For her debut solo exhibition, Abanti handpicks artworks she had done as a child, as well as as a blooming young adult. The first vibrant painting that caught my eye depicts the artist's childhood and her love for fish, executed in deep blue and yellow-orange hues. It shows a child playing with fish as they hop and fly out of a water bowl.

The artist has an affinity for portrait work, a difficult genre of art. She had painted Durga of the Bengali novel "Pather Panchali", a tea-seller in action, an aged person from the low-income strata of our society, and she is able to convey their sufferings. Abanti explained that she painted a married Hindu woman with red to show her strength, and blue to show her sorrows. This special artwork depicts the flawed patriarchal system that limits most women from being free and choosing what they want to do with their lives. She has also painted her beautiful mother, her family, and her relatives.

An adorable installation shows the dark cumulonimbus clouds (storm clouds) with tiny lights of hope, and a little boat of survival floating on the sea. But the most heartbreaking artwork is her self-portrait where she was in a hospital bed, wired to several machines and apparatus. This challenging phase of her life is what inclined her to study law and criminology, so that no other person in our country has to be a lab rat for corrupted medical professionals and hospitals.

A youthful yet strong and unbound soul like Abanti has shown her skills in art, and also her kind, compassionate persona, through her first solo exhibition. Safiuddin Shilpalay will run "Abanto" till August 4, 2025.

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