On the political map the two countries may not be one but when it comes to art, gallerist Ritu Jain feels artists from Pakistan and Bangladesh still share several sensibilities. “There is a lot of realism in the work,” says the director of Gallery Art Asia.More than 50 canvases by 15 artists from the two countries will be put on display in an exhibition titled ‘Collage — Divided Legacies’, opening at Alliance Francaise on Saturday. Pakistan High Commissioner Shahid Malik and his Bangladesh counterpart, Liaquat Ali Chowdhury, will inaugurate the exhibition.Amid others, Pakistani artist A Q Arif’s abstract art will occupy one end of the room, and put up close will be Bangladeshi artist Kanak Chakma’s works in shades of yellow. While Dhaka-based Jamal Ahmed will have saree-clad women by the river on his acrylic in the series titled ‘The River’, Karachi-based Nahid Raza’s frame will depict “women waiting for freedom” in her series ‘The Waiting’. “Women in the subcontinent will relate to this urge to be independent,” Raza says. She will not come here for the exhibition but the 58-year-old says India is close to her heart: “I always look forward to exhibiting in India, and showcasing work with artists from Bangladesh only adds to the excitement.”For Jain, the exhibition is an outcome of a year visiting galleries and speaking to art critics in the neighbouring countries along with partner Ishi Jami. “There was a lot of research involved,” she says. Jain, incidentally, had organised an exhibition of art from Pakistan in Mumbai last December and an exhibition of Chinese art in Delhi in 2005. The collectors of international art in India may still be limited but Jain says the number is on the rise. “There is a lot of curiosity,” she says. “People aren’t familiar with them in the way that they are clued to Indian art but the response has been encouraging.”Ahmed agrees. He exhibited at Mumbai this March, and fondly recalls queries from art collectors. “There was a lot of interest,” he says, “and I managed to sell substantial number of paintings.”Jain adds that the relatively lower prices of their frames when compared to their Indian counterparts also work in favour of Bangladeshi and Pakistani artists. “The work of an established artist could come under Rs 5 lakh. Affordability is an important factor,” she says, and runs through the price list of the current exhibition that ranges from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh. As the curtains go up on the exhibition, the artists and gallerists are already looking forward to other collaborative ventures. While Raza is waiting for the “huge show of Indian artists in Pakistan”, Jain has, on the cards, an Indo-Pak art exhibition.
