‘Ways of Seeing’ at Bengal Art Lounge

Art & Culture Report :An exhibition titled ‘Ways of Seeing’ is going on at the Bengal Art Lounge in the city’s Gulshan area at present. On the occasion of New Year Bengal Art Lounge has taken inititiave to organise a new series of exhibitions of private collections titled ‘Ways of Seeing.’ The series began with a selection of works from the collection of Durjoy Rahman Joy, MD of Winners Creations Ltd an apparel sourcing company and owner of a private gallery, Gallery Winners. The focus of the exhibition is on eminent painters from Bangladesh as well as a selection of portraits. The exhibition is dedicated to the memory of late artist Aminul Islam, several of whose early works are on display at the Bengal Art Lounge. Many of the works showcased are also seen in public for the first time. The collection of Durjoy Rahman Joy is well known particularly for the large number of milestone works by Rafiqun Nabi, whose development Durjoy has been following for over a decade. Two rare woodcut prints by the artist created during his stay in Greece are included in the show. He has also collected significant works by Safiuddin Ahmed, Quamrul Hassan, Monirul Islam, Murtaja Baseer, Shishir Bhattarcharjee and many others. Together with his wife, Dr Sania Ahsan, Durjoy has created a strong and comprehensive collection of works by Shahabuddin spanning four decades. “You can see the development of Shahabuddin through these works. In the beginning his figures were still, and then he started working on the movement. First he mastered the run, then the jump, then the cry. An artist grows with time, and an early work is very different from a later one,” said Dr Sania Ahsan. ‘Ways of Seeing’ series is an insight into the world of collecting and the logic and passion that drives people to buy and commission works of art. The objective of the series is to nurture art appreciation, which is the first step in creating a sustainable and vibrant art system. Today the following Friday after the inauguration, a discussion is scheduled to be held on the subject of collecting. The event will start at 6:00pm and entry is free, organisers said.