| Sagar Dey, 25, is an award-winning artist. He was only15 when he first took part in an art exhibition, and over the years he has won a number of prestigious awards. Besides painting, he also teaches at the Bulbul Academy of Fine Arts in Dhaka, and at the same time is doing BBA in Accounting Information System. Y&I recently spoke to him about his work, inspiration and future plan. |
Sheikh Iraj
How long have you been an artist and how did you get started?
From an early age, I had an interest towards art and my parents got me admitted to Bulbul Academy of Fine Arts (BAFA). There, I completed a four-year junior course and a diploma course. Now, I am teaching at BAFA. Through my paintings, I want to portray different aspects of our culture. The themes of my paintings are some of our lost traditions, social crises, etc.
What does art mean to you?
Art means everything to me. I am having a conversation with someone over the phone and my mind automatically creates a painting of that person, that’s art to me. Art is a beautiful medium to portray anything.
What medium do you like to work with?
I like oil and watercolour.
Please tell us about your routine.
Four days a week I attend university classes, and three days I teach. During my semester breaks, I complete my artworks. It’s tough for me to maintain a good result and participate in national and international art exhibitions, but my passion for painting keeps pushing me to give my best. I go to bed very early and wakeup early in the morning. I like to work in the morning because sun light is very important to me.
How do you come up with ideas/techniques for new paintings?
I visit different exhibitions. I don’t search the internet because I believe attending an exhibition can give you more new ideas.
Please tell us about your biggest achievements.
Some of my biggest achievements are Shilpi Rashed Honourable Art Award 2006, Annual Art Award BAFA 2008, Bongobondhu Art Exhibition Award 2013, NSU Canvas Club Best Artwork Award 2014, and becoming UIU Annual Art Champion 2015.
Please tell us about your first solo exhibition and your recent show.
In 2006, Shilpi Rashed Art Exhibition was the first show that I participated in. My most recent exhibition was ‘Search the Truth of Beauty’, it was organised in memory of eminent artist SM Sultan.
What’s next for you?
After completing my BBA, I will start MBA course. I also want to bring in new ideas to my art using different techniques. I would like to continue to take part in both national and international art exhibitions, too.