Proshanta Karmakar Buddha

Printmaker, painter par excellence

Proshanta Karmakar Buddha is a talented painter and printmaker, who has carved out a niche in the contemporary art scene of the country.  He has created his own identity in art that is very modern and unique. He has already done 19 solo and 85 group exhibitions at home and abroad. He has bagged numerous  national and international awards, namely Honorable Mention  by Alliance Francaise in 1992, Okamoto Prize by Asian Cultural Centre for UNESCO in 1991, Best Award on Graphics at the 9th National Young Artists Exhibition in 1990 and more. His art is in collections at the National Museum of Bangladesh, at the Kennedy Center and US Capitol Hill Arts Workshop in Washington, DC, in the New Orleans Museum of Arts and at the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum in Japan. The artist recently finished his 19th solo exhibition at the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre in Gulshan. In an exclusive conversation with the Weekend Independent, Proshanta shared his thoughts about his works, shows and contemporary arts.
 
How did your fascination for art develop?

My whole family is involved in art. My father was a very good painter and my mother used to do art using rice flour. Thus, I naturally developed an interest for the arts. To tell you the truth, I have learned a lot from my elder brother, Kalidas Karmakar. He is my mentor, and I really feel lucky to have had the chance to learn from a famous artist like him. However, while learning from him, I gradually developed the will to pursue studies in fine arts. I started my academic career at the Rajshashi Art College, and that’s how it all began.

How would you define your artwork? How do you work?

I always love to work on the subject of peace. That’s why you see that the title of my earlier exhibitions were peace, life, happy life, light, etc. The title of my last exhibition, ‘Open Door’, revealed the meaning of peace. I expect a world devoid of chaos, brutality and hopelessness, which is very necessary. So, I really feel happy to work on the subject of peace and love.
American artist Andy Warhol is my idol and I have learnt a lot from seeing his artworks. Currently, I am working with silk screen. Silk screen is a pattern of printmaking and I was inspired to see the amazing silk screen paintings by Warhol.

What is your favourite medium and why do you like it so much?
 
I am fond of silk screen and acrylic medium on canvas. One of my friends suggested that I do not confine my work to printmaking. He inspired me to do acrylic on canvas. Since then, I have been painting with acrylic devotedly, and getting positive responses from critics and art lovers alike.

Tell us about your latest solo exhibition.

It was my 19th solo show, titled ‘Open Door’. Indian High Commissioner Pankaj Saran inaugurated the exhibition on Oct 10, and it ran till the 25th. In total, 50 paintings were showcased. I always display 50 works in my shows.

As I love to work on peace, so through the exhibition, I created a peaceful place where human empathy and cooperation goes beyond national boundaries. It may be a fool’s dream, but a world without hope is not a world worth living in. From my point of view, the world should be open for all human being. I imagine the world would be a place where you could go anywhere without a visa.

Could you tell us something about your first solo exhibition?

My first exhibition was held in a small scale at Faridpur Museum in1996. Later, I did a solo show at Gallery Tone in Dhaka, titled ‘Language Movement to Independence’. That exhibition was huge, with 50 artworks, and I got laurels from many senior artists. Since, my paintings have been exhibited numerous times in different galleries.

What role do you think an artist can play for the society?

I think an artist can play an important role in our society. Artists can depict the problems of a society through their works.  

How would you rate Bangladeshi art in comparison to international art?

Compared to other Asian countries, the present state of Bangladeshi art is truly well. If you see Asian art exhibitions, then you would understand how much we have developed our art. I feel grateful to Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin, who set up an art institute in our country. Now, there are a lot of art colleges to flourish our art scene. There are a number of galleries and foundations that are playing an important role to nurturing our art and artists. Nowadays, foreign collectors are seen buying artworks from Bangladesh. So, the overall art scene is satisfactory.

Proshanta Karmakar Buddha

Printmaker, painter par excellence

Proshanta Karmakar Buddha is a talented painter and printmaker, who has carved out a niche in the contemporary art scene of the country. He has created his own identity in art that is very modern and unique. He has already done 19 solo and 85 group exhibitions at home and abroad. He has bagged numerous national and international awards, namely Honorable Mention by Alliance Francaise in 1992, Okamoto Prize by Asian Cultural Centre for UNESCO in 1991, Best Award on Graphics at the 9th National Young Artists Exhibition in 1990 and more. His art is in collections at the National Museum of Bangladesh, at the Kennedy Center and US Capitol Hill Arts Workshop in Washington, DC, in the New Orleans Museum of Arts and at the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum in Japan. The artist recently finished his 19th solo exhibition at the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre in Gulshan. In an exclusive conversation with the Weekend Independent, Proshanta shared his thoughts about his works, shows and contemporary arts. How did your fascination for art develop? My whole family is involved in art. My father was a very good painter and my mother used to do art using rice flour. Thus, I naturally developed an interest for the arts. To tell you the truth, I have learned a lot from my elder brother, Kalidas Karmakar. He is my mentor, and I really feel lucky to have had the chance to learn from a famous artist like him. However, while learning from him, I gradually developed the will to pursue studies in fine arts. I started my academic career at the Rajshashi Art College, and thats how it all began. How would you define your artwork? How do you work? I always love to work on the subject of peace. Thats why you see that the title of my earlier exhibitions were peace, life, happy life, light, etc. The title of my last exhibition, Open Door, revealed the meaning of peace. I expect a world devoid of chaos, brutality and hopelessness, which is very necessary. So, I really feel happy to work on the subject of peace and love. American artist Andy Warhol is my idol and I have learnt a lot from seeing his artworks. Currently, I am working with silk screen. Silk screen is a pattern of printmaking and I was inspired to see the amazing silk screen paintings by Warhol. What is your favourite medium and why do you like it so much? I am fond of silk screen and acrylic medium on canvas. One of my friends suggested that I do not confine my work to printmaking. He inspired me to do acrylic on canvas. Since then, I have been painting with acrylic devotedly, and getting positive responses from critics and art lovers alike. Tell us about your latest solo exhibition. It was my 19th solo show, titled Open Door. Indian High Commissioner Pankaj Saran inaugurated the exhibition on Oct 10, and it ran till the 25th. In total, 50 paintings were showcased. I always display 50 works in my shows. As I love to work on peace, so through the exhibition, I created a peaceful place where human empathy and cooperation goes beyond national boundaries. It may be a fools dream, but a world without hope is not a world worth living in. From my point of view, the world should be open for all human being. I imagine the world would be a place where you could go anywhere without a visa. Could you tell us something about your first solo exhibition? My first exhibition was held in a small scale at Faridpur Museum in1996. Later, I did a solo show at Gallery Tone in Dhaka, titled Language Movement to Independence. That exhibition was huge, with 50 artworks, and I got laurels from many senior artists. Since, my paintings have been exhibited numerous times in different galleries. What role do you think an artist can play for the society? I think an artist can play an important role in our society. Artists can depict the problems of a society through their works. How would you rate Bangladeshi art in comparison to international art? Compared to other Asian countries, the present state of Bangladeshi art is truly well. If you see Asian art exhibitions, then you would understand how much we have developed our art. I feel grateful to Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin, who set up an art institute in our country. Now, there are a lot of art colleges to flourish our art scene. There are a number of galleries and foundations that are playing an important role to nurturing our art and artists. Nowadays, foreign collectors are seen buying artworks from Bangladesh. So, the overall art scene is satisfactory.