It was really a pleasure trip for me to take part in a unique art trip about 130 kilometers from the city. This is not like a conventional art camp which has been frequently held. The artists unconsciously felt a rhythm to mingle themselves with the untainted nature and focused nature, pristine panoramic view, human relationship with nature, rural people, the beauty of family bonding, human face with pain, agony and jovial mood.
We reached the resort at noon of the 12th of February and stayed there for two days. We really got mesmerised to see the large open space which is surrounded by hillocks, alluring greenery, tranquil and blissful atmosphere at a lavish resort-- The Palace which is at Bahubal in Habiganj district.
Goutam Chakraborty, acclaimed artist and director of Galleri Kaya planned to assemble some earnest painters of different genres. He wished they would paint with their natural tempo. The galleriest selected six painters working in different genres from the '60s '70s, '80, '90s and post '90s ------Rafiqun Nabi, Ranjit Das, Jamal Ahmed, Ahmed Shamsuddoha, Sheikh Afzal and Mohammad Iqbal. The selection carries a chronological feature of Bangladeshi contemporary art. The participated painters worked in several mediums like charcoal, watercolour and acrylic. Most of the artists preferred to work in charcoal. The significant feature about charcoal is that it's easy to control and artists can move it around easily. Once an artist applies charcoal he can remove it or erase a spot which the artist might not desire. The medium comes in many forms, from pencils to thick sticks to chunks.
Through the visit, the artists rejuvenated themselves with a novel experience and ambiance. The artists did not feel any additional pressure for limning their artistic creativities. All of them lived in a separate villa to enjoy the liberty and got the chance to think individually. The cozy villas' surrounding ambiance influenced the artists to generate something unique and remarkable. They painted with personal enjoyments and experiences that they have gathered in every step of their lives. Somebody portrayed on the easel and some worked by sitting on the floor at the villa's attached balcony. The balcony is spacious and open where one can easily see the lush greenery and plenty of long trees. They plunged deep into their artworks in the midst of nature or personal imaginations.
When came the time for taking lunch buggies came in front of the villas and picked us up to dinning building. The gastronomy was literally superb and had an adequate menu for assisting to select lots of mouth watering foods. In the evening some went for a small nap and some delved deep into their artworks.
After evening, we started to gather at the villa where we chatted on a wide range of topics with soothingly sipped scotch or others for refreshing ourselves. Then buggies were called for taking us to dinner and returning to allotted villa. Thus we went behind locked doors at the end of the day for a peaceful sleep.
The artists enjoyed the place for its lush greenery and roomy place for roaming leisurely and did several numbers of artworks in the two day art tour (February 12 and 13). Three men really added a unique dimension to the trip and the buddies are close friends of Goutam da. Saifuddin Ahmed (affectionately known as Mahbub bhai) is a passionate photographer and traveler who snapped many shots during the trip. Noted art enthusiast Reza Amin also occupied himself with his camera and Sujat bhai (son-in-law of veteran painter Murtaja Baseer) nicely mingled the troupe together. Shimul Salauddin, a promising poet-cum-TV journalist covered the tour nicely, taking interviews of artists, organisers, critic and art connoisseurs.
I feel inclined to personally mention Jamil bhai of Galleri Kaya for meticulously looking after us and I never saw any pressure on his face.
Galleri Kaya, one of the leading art galleries in Bangladesh, in the last 13 years has arranged 98 art exhibitions of which 56 were solos and 43 group art expositions. The gallery also arranged five art camps, six art trips and four workshops. A number of veteran Bangladeshi artists and internationally acclaimed artists have conducted the workshops.
As a gallerist, Goutam has always stressed the importance of maintaining close personal ties with the artistic community. In his love for the arts, he is particularly motivated by his determination to bring more prominence and recognition to the ever-growing community of established and upcoming Bangladeshi artists.
