written by: News Desk
Artist Dr. Abu Kalam Shamsuddin’s solo exhibition, The Song of Agony: Arishadvarga, explores human desire, inner conflict and the relationship between the individual and the natural world. The exhibition is currently on view at La Galerie, Alliance Française de Dhaka, in Dhanmondi.
The exhibition draws in part on the Indian philosophical concept of Arishadvarga, the six internal impulses of desire, anger, greed, attachment, pride and envy. Through these human tendencies, the artist examines questions of self-awareness, behaviour and inner conflict.
Alongside individual psychology, the works consider the consequences of human behaviour on the natural environment. Unrestrained desire and self-interest, the artist suggests, are closely connected to environmental degradation, deforestation and the loss of biodiversity. The works also point to the need to protect forests, wildlife and natural habitats.
Shamsuddin develops his visual language through layered surfaces, textures and asymmetrical compositions created using materials such as sand, clay, zinc oxide and acrylic. These material experiments allow questions of consciousness, conflict, transformation and self-reflection to emerge through the works. The recurring use of gold tones suggests ideas of inner transformation and self-realisation.
According to the artist, one of the aims of the exhibition is to make visible the less apparent connections between human desire, behaviour and the natural world, while encouraging viewers to reflect on the consequences of their own actions.
The exhibition was inaugurated in the presence of painter and chairman of Art Bangla Foundation, Professor Mohammad Yunus, as the chief guest. Special guests included Dr. Siddhartha Shankar Talukder, former professor of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Rajshahi, and Professor Dr. Bazlur Rashid Khan, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Jagannath University.
The Song of Agony: Arishadvarga will remain open to visitors until 13 October at La Galerie, Alliance Française de Dhaka.
