Akhtarun Nahar Ivys Ceramic Art
By Bipul K Debnath
The use of clay as an artistic medium has been around since ancient times, as is evident from the many archaeological sites of our country. And of course, people of the Bengal region have been using clay in various ways for a long time and the vivid designs of the objects made from baked earth attract all. That is why artist Akhtarun Nahar Ivy has chosen clay as the medium of her art. She uses clay in three different ways to express her artistic ideas _ terracotta pottery and tiles, ceramic painting and mosaics with glazed pieces.
Describing her artistic journey at an exhibition in Dhaka recently, Ivy said: My first solo ceramic art exhibition was held in 1978 at Charukala Institute. I got immense inspiration from that exhibition; I was very lucky as famous artists like SM Sultan and Quamrul Hasan saw my show. People were not so aware about art exhibitions then, but there were some art lovers who used to come to my show. At the time, we didnt have the facilities that are widely available now. When I was a student of the Institute of Fine Arts at Dhaka University (from 1978-82), the use of ceramic as a medium was not so popular. I held another solo show in 1995 at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
Working with clay is very time-consuming, said the artist, who turns 74 on November 7. A maximum of two months is required for each of my work. I break pots that are bought from the market, and use the pieces to make the designs I am thinking of. Working with ceramics is really tough and the colour doesnt sustain for a long time. But in the USA, there is a technique available for using dyes so that the colours sustain for a long time, Ivy added, explaining the problem of working with clay and ceramics.
Describing some of the 136 artworks on display at her latest solo show, which was held at the National Museum in Shahbagh from October 2 to 10, Ivy said: My terracotta piece, Hunger, represents universal hunger. Actually, we all are hungry not for food, but for other means of sustenance. The desires of the mind also need to be filled. Everyone, young or old, has demands and different hunger pangs. Another work, titled Madonna and child, represents love and affection between mother and child. Here, a woman is sitting with a sad look. Her baby hugs her with a soft hand and inspires her to go on and come out of her sadness. My piece titled Struggle of life represents the evils of our society that are everywhere. The peace of our society is being hampered because of that. We have to uproot the evils to establish peace in the society.
I would request the visitors to go through this exhibition carefully. I would be thankful for their valued comments regarding my works, she added.
Basudeb Roy, 33, a lawyer from Dhamrai, who was visiting the show on October 8, told this correspondent: I regularly visit art shows in Dhaka. I came to know about the exhibition from an artist who was travelling on the same bus from Savar to Shahbagh with me. Actually, I have a soft spot for clay art, and I think it is a difficult medium to express the ideas of an artist. But todays exhibition is really good and I thank the artist who has taken the trouble to create these works of art. It is a nice exhibition to see.
Another visitor, Galibur Rahman, 25, a private job-holder from Mohammadpur, shared: First, I saw her ceramic paintings which are really mind-blowing. Later on, I saw her works on the mother and child, our great Liberation War and village life, they impressed me a lot.
Pointing to one of the terracotta tiles, Mahim Uddin Khan, 50, a retired NGO official from Mirpur, said: She has properly depicted a hungry child with clay. The feeling of hunger and the state of extreme poverty of the boy are vividly described here. Her works tell me that art really can speak and we can feel it with our soul. I believe there are many beautiful things inside the artists heart. I hope she will gift us many more creative works in future from which we can learn a lot about terracotta and ceramic art.
Dr Azim Anwar, a Bangladeshi physician who now lives in Australia, said: I came to know about the exhibition from the online version of a Dhaka newspaper. She works with terracotta and I am keenly interested in that art medium. Personally, I have a great interest in our cultural heritage. I have seen the same types of terracotta works in different museums of Bangladesh. The works by Ivy are unique, eye-soothing, artistic and fantastic. I am just amazed. I wish a grand success to the artist and hope the next generation will also take up this art medium to express their ideas.
Akhtarun Nahar Ivy, who was born in Dev Pahar, Chittagong, now divides her time between her home in Dhaka and the USA, where her three children are settled.
Ivys latest exhibition, her first solo show in Bangladesh in 22 years, was jointly organised by Bangladesh National Museum and Gallery Cosmos.
Photos: Courtesy
