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Bangladesh artist’s four decade journey through pictorial diaries
Bangladesh-based artist Rokeya Sultana’s retrospective is on display in Delhi. It traces her time spent in Santiniketan, as a student, under the guidance of Somenath Hore, to establishing her artistic career. Her work focuses on the rights of women, and Nature.
Every person lives a journey that is unique, filled with rich experiences. And so is the four-decade-long journey of Bangladesh-based artist Rokeya Sultana, which has been presented at an exhibition in the Capital. “My paintings are like pictorial diaries that I have maintained over the years. Through my experience and that of others, I’m proud to have painted the fight for my rights, women of my country and the world,” says Sultana.
Her retrospective traces her time spent in Santiniketan, West Bengal, as a student under the guidance of sculptor and printmaker Somenath Hore, and how she established her career in Bangladesh with artists Safiuddin Ahmed and Mohammad Kibria as mentors.
One particularly interesting piece of work on display has her portrait surrounded by paintings of people she met at an art camp in Bengal. “The idea behind the painting is to showcase how every single one of them has been part of my journey. While we all have had a different journey, our fight has been the same, against gender inequality,” she says about the artwork.
Another artwork is the new version of Madonna, one of the best-known figural series by Sultana with abstract interpretations of the Bangladeshi landscape. “It shows the journey of a mother. I have added Nature, especially a part of the Sundarbans in this version, representing both Bengals,” shares the artist, who loves working with various mediums and is a self-taught animator as well. Her passion for experimentation reflects in her exhibition, which features paintings, photos, animation videos, film and sculptures.
Sultana shares, “A creative person can’t be satisfied with a single medium. For quite some time, I worked on tempera, but I couldn’t depict everything using it. So, I experimented with video and 3D structures. If you believe in yourself, nothing is impossible.”
Catch It Live
What: Rokeya Sultana retrospective
Where: Rabindra Bhavan, Lalit Kala Akademi, Ferozeshah Road
On till: June 26
Timing: 11am to 7pm
Nearest Metro Station: Mandi House on Blue and Violet Lines
Author tweets @AngelaPaljor
