“DOWNWARD’S SURFACE” by the Master’s Students of the Department of Printmaking, Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka

Coordinated by: Abdullah Al Bashir and Julia Lebrao Sendra

     

In this exhibition, prints developed through a collaborative workshop guided by Julia Lebrao Sendra, Assistant professor of École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Visuels de La Cambre (ENSAV) Belgium, and Abdullah Al Bashir, Lecturer ; Printmaking department , Faculty of Fine Art, University of Dhaka to reveal the intricate significance of the Buriganga River, Dhaka’s vital yet vulnerable emblem.

     

✨ The exhibition, scheduled from November 14 to November 19, 2024, will commence with an opening event on November 14 at 6:30 pm at La Galerie, Alliance Française de Dhaka. Titled “DOWNWARD’S SURFACE,” this collection explores visual narratives and creative methodologies, offering an insightful perspective on the expressive talents of emerging Bangladeshi artists.

   

🗓 Date: November 14 – November 19, 2024

     

⏰ Time: 6:30 PM

     

📍 Venue: La Galerie, Alliance Française de Dhaka, 26 Mirpur Road, Dhanmondi, Dhaka

     

Join us celebrating these young voices, standing in solidarity against violence, and supporting the transformative power of art. .

     

Note: Open to all, don’t miss this opportunity!

     

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Note from Julia Lebrao Sendra

   

Before you lies a visual exploration of the Buriganga River, which flows through the heart of Dhaka. This striking portrayal emerges from a 10-day workshop with 23 Master’s students from Printmaking Department, Faculty of Fine Art, University of Dhaka.

   

By intertwining diverse Printmaking techniques—Woodcut, Lithography, and Etching—the students have crafted images that not only blur but deepen the initial perceptions, inviting you to immerse yourself in their rich textures and vibrant colors.

   

How does one capture the essence of a river that lacks a face? Yet, this river possesses countless visages; it embodies myths, conjures memories, and reflects the lives of those who inhabit its banks. It symbolizes the identity of a city, a capital, a nation that has lost its ability to love itself.

   

To create this portrait, we must dismantle the landscape, diving beneath its serene surface. We confront its darkness, its rage, its pollution, and its frustration. While we yearn to showcase a majestic river, we instead unveil a sorrowful queen, one who weeps in silence, powerless to express her anguish as she flows.

   

This artistic endeavor transcends mere visual representation; it seeks to ignite a dialogue about coexistence, resilience, and the void of loss. Each student’s piece starkly illustrates our collective impotence—how we have turned a blind eye as our regrets pile up and connections crumble. The workshop aimed to forge a fluid portrayal of a dynamic territory, both physical and symbolic. Grounded in the Deleuzian philosophy of surface, it reminds us that meaning does not derive from hidden depths but arises from the striking interplay of singularities resonating on the surface. This is the essence of life: a portrait that embraces open, dynamic relationships, welcoming the indeterminacy of existence. Water is, at its core, never just water.

   

Through the complexity of each image and its vivid colors, the artwork emanates a poignant cry for awareness—silent yet powerful, reminiscent of the river itself. It invites us to share in its narrative, to feel, to understand, and to consider the transformative possibilities ahead. By illuminating both the river’s beauty and its fragility, we hope to awaken, if not a collective movement, at least a spark of hope, a fierce desire to break free from the silence that binds us as we struggle against the tide.

   

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