Matters of Art

Melody queen Lata Mangeshkar has been an idol for many. Interestingly, this also includes Bangladeshi artist Mohammad Wahiduzzaman, who believes that Mangeshkar is someone who has created a worldwide acceptability for herself through her work. In one of his works titled Image + Experience = You, which is acrylic on canvas and steel, Wahiduzzaman has juxtaposed the singer's face with that of comic character Superwoman.

The work is part of an ongoing art exhibition in the Capital, called "Tactile", which has on display 20 works by nine artists. While eight of them represent the Indian subcontinent, one is from Germany.

Another work by the Bangladeshi artist has the figure of Mahatma Gandhi drawn over that of a comic book superhero. Wahiduzzaman, who has won the Berger award twice — which is Bangladesh's highest honour for a young artist — said, "In this era, every child grows up with an image of his hero from the world of fantasy, who fights against social evils. Gradually, from our everyday experiences, these perceptions mingle with reality where we look for the feasibility of power within human kind."

Curator Bhavna Kakar says, "Tactile literally relates to the sense of touch, and the artists have interpreted it through various materials. They have used hair, safety pins, seeds, wire, cloth and paper. You have to see it, feel it and only then can you understand it."

Living up to the theme is Sri Lankan artist Anoli Perera's work titled The Shroud for a Lost Mother, which is made of safety pins, white cloth, tailor's dummy and wire. "Safety pins are often used to hold together women's garments. But it also has a sense of violence attached to it as it can prick. Through this work, I am trying to depict the human rights violation and the loss caused by the Sri Lankan Civil War that ended in 2009. The white cloth refers to purity and innocence that has been violated."

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