Renowned visual artist Chandra Shekhar Dey has depicted his observation of human beings through drawings and paintings in his third solo exhibition under way at the Gallery Kaya in Uttara, Dhaka.
The exhibition titled 鈥楥handra Shekhar Dey: Reality, Fantasy & Dilemma鈥� is featuring artworks depicting landscapes, portraits, still life, ancient objects, female figures and a series titled 鈥楽tories of My Time鈥�.
A total of 60 artworks created between 2012 and 2024 with diverse mediums, including oil, acrylic, mixed media on canvas, watercolour, pen, charcoal and others have been displayed at the venue.
The exhibition gives the viewers a glimpse into the artistic journey of the artist, who embraced different art movements, isms and styles like realistic, semi-realistic, surrealistic, folk, abstract impressionism, symbolism, figurative, neo-expressionism and more but he created his own identity through his artworks comprising measured brush strokes and soft textures.
Triangular shapes, tree skeletons, small luminous forms and other intriguing shapes with scribbles, lines, blurred figures and unfamiliar objects create dramatic texture in his space while his figures and portraits especially portray women in various forms of expression, including romantic, contemplative and semi-nude seated figures.
The pen and ink on paper series titled 鈥楽tories of My Time鈥� comprises four drawings depicting the events, approaches and conditions of contemporary people in the society during the pandemic.
A drawing with pen and ink on paper titled 鈥楲overs-2鈥� inspired by Picasso shows a Bengali couple embracing each other under the moonlight.
An acrylic on canvas artwork titled 鈥楲ife of a Boatman鈥� shows an abstract composition comprising a boat, fish, net and a dead river.
An acrylic on canvas and wood work titled 鈥楲ost and Found鈥� created between 2000 and 2023 shows the emptiness of life.
Chandra Shekhar Dey was born in 1951 in Chattogram. He used to observe the activities of artists who paint rickshaws, trucks and others.
He was fascinated by the way artists adorned the vehicles with vibrant colours, depicting birds, flowers, trees and animals.
Later, he studied BFA at Dhaka Art College (now the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka) and pursued his MFA at the Department of Fine Arts, Chittagong University.
The fourteen-day exhibition will end on May 17.