Zahangir Alom’s 3rd solo art show Songs of Soul at AFD Nov 3

An exhibit of 3rd solo art exhibition of Jahangir Alom which will begin at AFD on Nov 3.

The opening of the third solo art exhibition by Zahangir Alom titled Songs of Soul — প্রাণের গান will be held on Friday, 03 November 2023 at 6 pm at La Galerie of Alliance Française, Dhaka.

Anis A. Khan, Member, Board of Governors, Society for Promotion of Bangladesh Art, Prof. Mohammad Eunus, Chairman, Art Bangla Foundation, Zareen Mahmud Hosein, Director, Shasha Denims Limited and Prof. Dr Malay Bala, Department of Oriental Art, Faculty of Fine Art, University of Dhaka will attend the event as the special guests.

Zahangir paints from the core of his heart, intoxicated by the festival of creative pleasures. Having worked as 'Resident Artist' of Oriental Painting Studio for a long time, he has developed his own style of watercolour wash technique. The maturity of colour mixing is the unique quality of his painting. Some of his works are semi-abstract. The mature arrangement of colours in the painting can be seen in conjunction with the maturity of his senses.

The melody of the music, the rhythm of the poem and the dance of the female body are alluded to in his paintings. Sometimes ‘Gaudiya Nritya’, sometimes ‘Desh’, sometimes ‘Bageshree’, sometimes ‘Khamaj’ or ‘Malkauns’ raga; sometimes the play of clouds, sometimes the afternoon of Late-Autumn, sometimes magical twilight, sometimes the beauty of Bengal, sometimes ‘Leelakirtan’, sometimes the subject-narrative of mythological anecdotes play in his paintings.

He paints many images of flowers which do not exactly resemble real flowers. Here the colour comes with the charming message of form. The itinerant artist’s work celebrates the visible nature, but his view of nature is not a close-up view. He made series paintings based on the motifs of Bengal’s Sarachitra - which are mixed with the new language of Bengali folk paintings. The inner flowers, female figures, trees and foliage are arranged in an imagined alchemy. Although the painting is a traditional wash method, the painting is full of three-dimensional mixed colour play.

This exhibition includes works in the watercolour wash technique. The shape of the figure is similar to a heap of clouds in the movement of colours. There is no attempt at clarification, but the figures (mostly female figures) give the appearance of real flesh figures. This skill has been acquired through his long practice and watching the work of oriental artists in the studio.

In most of his works, he has used red, blue, yellow, orange and black colours with the same brightness. There remain the expanse of standing trees, the glimmer of light through the gaps in the trees and the evocative silhouettes of childhood memories in his paintings. Almost every work has a touch of blue. The Monsoon, rain-drenched nature, the smell of the earth and the colour of the air are saturated in the melody of nature’s music.

After the opening, the exhibition will be open to all till Saturday, 11 November 2023.

Hours: Open Monday to Saturday, from 3 to 9 pm