Feted Bangladeshi printmaker Kamruzzaman Sagar has recently bagged Kazi Anowar Hossain Award for his thought-provoking lithograph "Pandemic 20" at the 24th National Art Exhibition 2021, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA). The award giving ceremony was recently held at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Segunbagicha in the city.
Kamruzzaman Sagar's image projects the pandemic's destructions through a peculiar point of view--that of birds. Covid-19 and all other pandemics are usually related to human plights with little or no regard for animal kingdom and nature. Judging by this perspective, the award recipient artwork is pivotal and bold indeed. Birds are seen witnessing the devastation of human civilization from the sidelines--with waters running out of their eyes. Some birds may themselves have perished due to these alleged "man-made crises."
The picture focuses on its centre where fumes are going up in the sky apparently after a huge explosion. The blast is distant enough but some other bird-like figures are evidently shrieking away from the sudden disaster. Almost no other living being can be seen--leaving a sense of desolation and horror. Some strange debris is flying up in the sky and some of them may be feathers.
The absence of colour makes the depiction all the more thought-provoking. The artist has deftly utilised the power of black-and-white to make the audience pity themselves over what they or their leaders have done to nature and civilisation. Peculiarly the two side stages hosting the on looking birds have shades of red and blue - signalling their feeling of sadness and despair which humans are falling short of.
Kamruzzaman always chooses a certain language in order to explain the stories of his prints lively. He has been enthusiastically studying movements of figures, different birds' forms, and arrangements of compositions for a long time. In this sense, the artist is very cautious about his composition and arrangement of movements. The painter is recognised for his intrepid approach and he crosses great lengths to describe his topics.
His prints usually appear neat and clean, and always keep away from any over ornamentation. His prints are fresh, unusual and offer the viewers a sense of pure ecstasy and pleasure. His compositions are lively and have the right kind of restraint. He knows where to stop. Lighting is a prominent feature in the prints and the artist generally prefers incandescent light and mystifying setting. His figures look emotive and poignant.
His earlier works were more quiet and inexpressive. Then he used to concentrate on mainly the figure. Expressions of the subjects are not quite noticeable in the works. During that time, the painter was concerned with the connection between human isolation and logical explanation. His themes and approaches were closely connected to physiological experiments. He also added illusion and emotion to his works.
Most of Sagar's works delve deep into complexity of human life and he has made a great attempt to blend surrealistic metaphors in his prints. All of his single prints can be divided into several segments and each section denotes a story which is dissimilar to other. His prints explore different avenues of humankind. Aves and human motions are very recurrent features in his prints and his prints are laborious, exhilarating and thought-provoking. The subjects of his works are sometimes in solemn mood and their characteristics are highlighted.
The writer is an art critic and
cultural curator
