Bangladeshi paintings on Dhaka and Sundarbans generate ‘huge interest’ in Denmark

Paintings of two contemporary Bangladeshi artists - Kazi Salahuddin Ahmed and Zubaida Arzu - have generated 'great interest' in Denmark.

Bangladesh embassy in Copenhagen showcased the works of two leading artists from June 28 to June 30 at the Chancery as part of its ‘image-building’ initiative.

This was the first such initiative the embassy has taken since its opening in June 2015.

The embassy said they exhibited 50 artworks which generated “huge interest” among members of diplomatic corps, representatives from different Danish art galleries, residents and members of Bangladesh community.

Salahuddin’s theme was ‘Sheer Chaos’ while Zubaida’s  was ‘The Sundarbans’ – but their messages converged – reinventing the treasures of a city and a forest and the need to protect them for their ever-symbiotic population.

Denmark is one of the leading development partners of Bangladesh, working in different sectors including water, sanitation, agriculture, human rights and development.

It is globally acclaimed for its expertise in green issues and the Nordic country plans to be the first country in the world to completely replace fossil fuel by renewable energy by 2050.

Denmark is also set to import Bangladeshi bicycles from October this year.

Ambassador Muhammad Muhith while inaugurating the exhibition said this was to introduce Bangladesh’s “unique strength - its rich tradition of art – abroad, which is unfortunately not exposed as it deserved to be”.

“Bangladesh is a country proud of its contemporary art scene – from the later forefathers of modern Bangladeshi art like Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin, Qamrul Hassan and Safiuddin Ahmed, to the new generation of burgeoning talent who have been able to drive Bangladeshi art into the international landscape,” he told the audience.

Salahuddin, best known for his ingenuity as a natural and born painter displayed some of his masterpieces which captured the unique rhythm, music, smell and texture of old Dhaka. It offers a glimpse into its togetherness, structural design, buildings and architectural view.

“What the spectators found intrinsic about Salahuddin’s works that they not only reconnected the old and the new but also tended to challenge the stereotypical thoughts constituting the present day of the urban life of Dhaka,” the embassy said in a statement.

While the environment has taken centre stage of global deliberations, Zubaida’s works, portraying not only the spectacular Sundarbans landscapes but also a reminder for the preservation of the flora and fauna of the forests around the world, received “great admiration” from the visitors.

“As Bangladesh is combating the impacts of climate change, works like Zubaida’s can bolster its campaign under the banner of cultural diplomacy," the embassy said.

The artworks of both the painters, done on canvas and paper using mixed media which combined oil, woodgrains, sand, and tree bar, also stood out distinctly for their atypical forms, composition and colours.