Bangladeshi artist’s exhibition at Lalit Kala Akademi postponed

While Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, President, ICCR, did not share a reason for the postponement of the exhibition, he stated, “A new date will be announced later.”

The showcase at the Lalit Kala Akademi – featuring over 100 artworks, 35-40 photographs, animation videos, film and sculptures – is in the final stages of being ready for display. The exhibition that also commemorates 50 years of India-Bangladesh friendship is scheduled to travel to different cities – as per the original schedule, it was to conclude in Delhi on November 21.

It was to be showcased at Rabindranath Tagore Centre, ICCR, Kolkata, from December 11 to January 2, followed by Bengal Shilpalay in Dhaka from January 21 to March 9. A curtain raiser event was held in Dhaka on October 6, where a monograph on the artist was also launched. It features essays by art curator and critic Ina Puri and literary critic and writer S Manzoorul Islam. “Rokeya is an important artist of our times and it would be wonderful to be able to see her works in India at some point soon,” said Puri.

Spanning over 40 years of the artist’s oeuvre, from the time she was a student at Santiniketan, the exhibition includes, among others, some of her significant works from her best-known figurative series “Madonna” and
“Relations”, her abstract interpretations of the Bangladeshi landscape and nature in “Earth Water Air”, and the print series “Fata Morgana”.

In Delhi for more than a week now, Sultana said, “We are looking forward to a time when we can have the exhibition. Everything is in place and we hope to hear back from the ICCR, who have been very cooperative till now.”