A nine-day long group art exhibition titled ‘To the Root of Art’ has started in the La Galerie, Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) in the city’s Dhanmondi area. The Inaugural ceremony of the exhibition was held on Friday. The ongoing exhibition includes 38 artworks, those have been created using acrylic on canvas, water colour, charcoal media, terra-cotta and acrylic on paper. Using their expertise, the participating artists--Laila Sharmeen, Md. Tayabuzzaman Khan Topu, Mini Karim, Samiran Chowdhury and Zebun Nahar Nayem--have depicted an overwhelming portrait on canvas. View through their eyes life, nature, man and woman have gained momentum driven by concepts which again being inspired in different shape, street of country, society and people in a manner creating and worth appreciating.
Laila Sharmeen seeks solace in the beauty and harmony of nature. Her ‘mantra’ for peace and serenity in this world of unrest is Datta Dayadvam Damyata. Through painting, she urges all to come back from the materialistic greed and estrangement of modern human being. Sharmeen’s work shows a modernist preoccupation with time, flux, the loss of a center and disappearance of faith and a concern for beauty and truth, imagination and solitude.
Through terra-cotta media Topu wants to dig out his inner feelings, very personal and free feelings, at the same time the very traditional feelings of Bengali people in his artworks, where human beings, nature and animal are present.
Some of Mini Karim’s artworks represent her own thoughts. Every so often she feels amazed by love of nature, which elevates her to swim in the nature. Bright colours have been used in her artworks to create a distinctive tone.
There is a kind of romanticism in Samiran’s paintings and thus he loves to paint for all. Through his paintings, Samiran seeks to convey the message that he is becoming more innovative, using his space to increasingly interact with his colors and forms.
Zebun Nahar Nayem believes it is long overdue to stop putting the stereotypes ‘weaker-bodied’ or ‘the gentler sex’ in the same line with women. She posits that the essence of women is about power and strength. She implores women to seek this defining power within them and be enlightened. Zebun says women, exactly like the women she paints on her canvases, are champions.
The exhibition will remain open to all, until October 10.    

Visiting Hours:  Monday to Thursday: 3pm–9pm, Friday and Saturday: 9am–12pm and 5pm–8pm. Closed- Sunday.  l