SAUDADE

Akhter Ahmed Rasha eloquently elaborates on his driftwood sculptures and his fourth solo exhibition ‘Ogrojo Shanniddhe Shilpo Shondhya’, which was held in New York

 

 

Each one of our journeys is marked with the collected expressions of seasons, just as in weather, and in life. While our experiences branch to conquer new boundaries, the fruits we carry are those memories that have lingered with us for unknown reasons.

 

I SET UP THE ‘OGROJO SHANNIDDHE SHILPO SHONDHYA’ ART EXHIBITION TO PAY HOMAGE TO THE MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE BROUGHT BENGALI CULTURE TO THE FOREFRONT.

 

Embedded at our core is a treasure shared by those who still remember the generational commons of their time. If you inquire within the Bengali community today, some will recall the aroma of their mother’s cooking, or the way merchants would come door to door carrying fresh groceries for sale. Others recall times from war, not information from a history book, but the scenes of struggle when the youth would leave their mothers to fight, and as families care for the elderly while fleeing from the genocide of 1971. However, not all memories are tied to emphasised events as typically seen in documented history; some are from rather negligible moments that one would never care to realize until life moves on.

 

 

Having spent half my life in Bangladesh, I have decided to undertake the task of documenting the commons of my time. Currently residing in Jersey City, New Jersey, where there are mainly four seasons, I often recall memories from my childhood of how birds would get drenched during the monsoon season under the rain that drummed upon tin-roofed housing. Memories of fishermen getting ready for their morning catch before sunrise and brick stones houses in old parts of Dhaka are still ingrained deep within my mind. It has been a huge undertaking to create tangible representations of my memory and to share that with a community who may still remember. My primary medium is driftwood, scavenged from river banks and occasional hikes. It only seems fitting as my memories are from Bangladesh, a country praised for its greenery and where the land is referred to as our mother. Through the course of the last decade, I have expanded the horizons of my artistry by working on themes ranging from heroism to treachery, capturing moments of both innocence and burden, with a nature of truth that can be described as intentional as well as playful. Regardless of our inherent need to understand, there is no telling why certain memories stay with us while others dissipate. Yet, what I hope to demonstrate through my works are the expressions, some of them being subtle emotions while others are rather bold.

 

REGARDLESS OF OUR INHERENT NEED TO UNDERSTAND, THERE IS NO TELLING WHY CERTAIN MEMORIES STAY WITH US WHILE OTHERS DISSIPATE. YET, WHAT I HOPE TO DEMONSTRATE THROUGH MY WORKS ARE THE EXPRESSIONS, SOME OF THEM BEING SUBTLE EMOTIONS WHILE OTHERS ARE RATHER BOLD.

 

In March 2020, following my third solo exhibition, ‘Roots in Art’, the world shut down due to the pandemic. There was a pause in the daily routine of life, but in the midst of it all, I experienced a creative renaissance whilst adapting to the new ways of life introduced by the pandemic. I took to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean to garner inspiration; there I found everything to be in a state of natural purity – untouched by mankind. Many characters and stories often wash ashore in the form of driftwood – my main medium of art. I then bring these pieces home and carve new life into them.

Over the course of the pandemic, I began making sculptures of notable elders in our Bangladeshi diaspora and other public figures, both of whom have brought the Bengali community to the forefront through their contributions. Though I was just a child during the Bangladesh Liberation War, I can vividly remember the sacrifices of our brave freedom fighters – both men and women. Pakistani forces had suppressed the voices of the Bengali masses and prevented journalists from reporting on the conflict. That is why I, from a young age, have always had a deep respect for the international community who have brought awareness to the injustices that were occurring in Bangladesh; the Bangladesh Liberation War was globalized through ‘The Concert for Bangladesh’ – a pair of benefit concerts organized by George Harrison and Ravi Shankar. With love and respect, I have made portraits of the many artists involved using driftwood and sawdust. I set up the ‘Ogrojo Shanniddhe Shilpo Shondhya’ art exhibition to pay homage to the many people who have brought Bengali culture to the forefront.

Ultimately, I hope to expand upon my art form through new mediums and themes/ideas. Art is a universal language and a depiction of our core ideas as humans. Life imitates art and art imitates life; there is a lot we can learn from and portray through art. I look forward to making more art that engages deep thinking through the bridging of cultures and generations.

 

Photographs: Courtesy of Akhtar Ahmed Rasha