‘Ami Ek Jajabor’: Papa walks us through her life
Papa Nurun Nahar’s first solo exhibition ‘Ami Ek Jajabor’ in almost 20 years serves as a retrospective of her 50 years in the art world, showcasing her learnings and inspirations throughout the time
While art exhibition titles often lead one down a perplexing rabbit hole of meaning, the same cannot be said for Papa Nurun Nahar's first solo exhibition in nearly two decades. Titled, 'Ami Ek Jajabor'—which translates to 'I am a nomad'—the name is fitting. Papa has traversed the globe, absorbing, practising and creating art; yet, only a fraction of her life's work is showcased here.
Coinciding intriguingly with her 70th birthday, the exhibition opened its doors at Dhanmondi's Safiuddin Shilpalay on 19 April. It serves as a retrospective of her 50 years in the art world and explores a selection of paintings Papa curated over the last four to five decades.
"There is no particular style or theme to this exhibition. It's more based on my inspirations and my learnings over the years from my university professors like the great K G Subramanyan and Aminul Islam," said Papa about the theme of 'Ami Ek Jajabor.'
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The exhibition showcases a range of paintings that highlight the advanced techniques Papa has acquired over time, particularly those involving optical illusions.
One notable work from 2009, 'The Couple,' turned heads at the exhibition for its captivating optical illusion. In it, Papa tells the tale of Radha and Krishna. This piece cleverly employs visual tricks; when one squints their eyes, the images of Krishna playing his flute with Radha by his side emerge on the acrylic canvas. Observers can also discern the intricacies like Radha's necklace within this illusion. The artwork provides a deeply immersive visual experience.
Papa explains her process: "I started by carbon copying the subjects first and then carefully moved the entire scene onto the canvas. My goal was to maintain the overall effect of the painting as an illusory one."
Moving on, Papa introduced us to a few of her inspirations and showed us a few paintings that she sees as a homage to the greats. One of her paintings from 1995, titled 'Tribute to Dali' stands out in that regard.
"I was heavily influenced by Salvador Dali in my formative years as an artist," she said.
Her painting draws from Dali's thematic exploration of the human subconscious. In her depiction, she splits a face in two to symbolise the unveiling of multiple facets of personality and the hidden depths of the mind. Above the head, there is a dream-like, blurry section that seems to capture the essence of the nightmares experienced by the person in their dreams.
TBS Picks (artist)
'White Phosphorus'
Media: Acrylic on canvas
This is from 2009 and at that time I was staying in Dhaka all alone as my son and family were overseas. At that time, the Israelis, as an act of war on Palestine, were dropping Phosphorus bombs on the Gaza Strip. This painting is a depiction of that. The bright spots and streaks that arc across the canvas depict the white phosphorus bombs against the black backdrop of the night.
'Horse and the Moon'
Media: Indian ink on paper
This painting incorporates precise mathematical and geometric techniques. I marked off 50 equidistant points, each spaced half an inch apart, along the vertical axis, and 38 identical points along the horizontal. The vertical lines match up exactly with the corresponding points on the opposite edge, and similarly, the horizontal points align perfectly with the horizontal lines at the base. I am fond of horses, they exhibit a very masculine energy and stance and a lot of my other paintings feature horses as well.
'Che Design (1)'
Media: Acrylic on canvas
Che Guevara stood as a profoundly impactful personality to me. Immersing myself in his life through study and films had a deep emotional effect on me, leaving me depressed for some time over his tragic end at the hands of wrongdoers. In this painting, I employed a zebra to create an optical illusion, enhancing the commanding presence of Che Guevara. His likeness is inspired by his iconic photograph. Additionally, I included an arc symbolising 'the sign of life' to further enrich the composition.
