Kazi Rakib’s cascading timeline for connoisseurs

The Galleri Kaya is about to host an exhibition to present the temporal journey of artist Kazi Rakib.

Titled Chronology (1975-2015), it will be inaugurated at 5:00pm Friday in Dhaka’s Uttara.

The artist, defined by his simplicity yet lively style of depictions, will have on display 75 works done in a span of 40 years. It is significant, as it will reveal the passage of a devoted artist.

They include acrylic on canvas and paper, watercolours, oil paintings, drawings as well as his celebrated work on glass.

A sneak peek into Rakib’s world is breathtaking.

His older creations hark back to the surreal world of great masters. They bear darker colours compared to the younger acrylics, a form he has used to depict anything from faces to fabric, amid light and colours.

Several of these works are driven by his love for water, the humble veteran told bdnews24.com, and he has evidently captured wetness in many forms.

Born in 1955, Rakib got his BFA from Chattagram Charukala College in 1977. He has also served as one of the founding teachers at Rajshahi Art College.

He has had nine solo exhibitions before Chronology at home and abroad, three of them with Galleri Kaya.

Its director, artist Goutam Chakraborty, described Rakib as an artist who played a significant role in building a foundation for art in Bangladesh, devastated by war and atrocities.

“He is a dynamic artist because he handles many media that always increases versatility ... But I will also honour him for his social role, his personality.”

“He is among artists like Nitun Kundu or Hamiduzzaman Khan who mastered various media and have produced massive amount of work.”

Chakraborty said some of Rakib’s black-and-whites reminded him of Abstract Expressionist Mark Rothko, the American postwar artist.

“They depict very little, but have so much to say. I enjoy how they grip me.”