Shiro Sadoshima's rich tribute to Bangladeshi art

Shiro Sadoshima, a passionate artist and the Japanese ambassador to Bangladesh, paid his rich tribute to our culture, rendering Bangladeshi lives onto his canvases. The self-taught artist's maiden solo exhibition was jointly inaugurated by cultural affairs minister Asaduzzaman Noor and Anjan Chowdhury, chairman of Society for Promotion of Bangladesh Art (SPBA) at Zainul Gallery on March 2. 

Department of Drawing and Painting of Faculty of Fine Arts (FFA), University of Dhaka (DU) organized the exhibition, curated by Dr. Mohammad Iqbal, an Assistant Professor of the department. Professor Nisar Hossen, Dean of FFA, DU was present among others at the inaugural ceremony. 

The artist closely observed simple lives and everyday struggles of Bangladeshi people, and depicted those on his 23 acrylic canvases. The exhibition, titled “The Remembrance of a Country: full of colours, full of shades”, is an ode to portrayal of Bangladeshi panorama incorporating aesthetic and meaningful colours, the bliss of leisure of the working class people, the diverse shades of their lives and struggles, and the depiction of rickshaws. 

Shiro Sadoshima has depicted rickshaw with minute detailing. Delineation of Dhaka life, amazing rickshaw rides, richshaw-pullers and passengers appear alive in his works. The vibrant use of yellow, red, green and blue has shaped those works in artistic realm. The artist's depiction of “Chakma Girls in the Shade” is a treat to the art aficionados -- evoking both expressionist nuances in the portraits and, impressionistic colour use in the nature in the background. 

“I was overwhelmed with the abundance of colours and shades and also with the energy that the struggling people of Bangladesh carry. All those people are full of colours and that attracted me. I got inspiration with those amazing people and took brushes to depict the imageries. First of all, I depicted rickshaws and then tried to represent forms and subjects in the styles of miniature painting. I always kept in mind the fact of inserting Bangladeshi flavour into my paintings with a combination of colours and shades. Long time ago, I started doing watercolours,” said Shiro Sadoshima. 

The exhibition, open from 12pm to 7pm every day, ends on March 7.