India-Bangladesh art summit begins in Mumbai

Mumbai, Aug 1 (IANS) Artists from India and Bangladesh Monday came together to participate in a weeklong summit dedicated to two legendary artists of the subcontinent, M.F. Husain and Mohammad Kibria.

India's Husain and Bangladesh's Kibria died within two days of each other in June this year. The exhibition, beginning Monday at the Museum Art Gallery, features 56 art pieces.

Scheduled to end Aug 7, the India-Bangladesh Art Summit brings together the works of 74-year-old Samarjit Roy Choudhury and 30-year-old Biswajit Goswami, the oldest and youngest participants. Both are from Bangladesh.

Roy Choudhury, who has participated in several group programmes and six solo exhibitions in various countries, taught at the Government Institute of Fine Arts (presently Institute of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka) for 43 years. He would be displaying two of his creations.

The 14 Bangladeshi representatives include Paris-based veteran Shahabuddin Ahmed, Abdus Shakoor Shah, Afrozaa Jamil, Biren Shome, Mohammad Iqbal, Jamal Ahmed and Kalidas Karmakar.

Among the 14 painters from India are Debabrata Chakrabarti, Kashinath Salve, Ram Viranjan and Bishwa Bose, the organisers said.

"We have a good mix of senior and junior artists," said Kolkata-based Sukhomoy Majumdar, whose organisation Autograph International has tied up with Bangladesh's Gallery Cosmos for the exhibition.

Shahabuddin's untitled oil-on-canvas that depicts people running is the most expensive exhibit priced at Rs.6 lakh.

Among the Indian artists, each of Salve's works are priced at Rs.2.50 lakh.

Young artist Bishwa Basu's two works on display pay tribute to the victims of the July 13 Mumbai blasts. Both the installations on canvas are titled "No More".

"This is my way of expressing my agony at the loss of innocent lives and an appeal to all that such dastardly acts should stop," said Bishwa.

Eleven of the Indian artists and two from Bangladesh have already reached Mumbai. Organisers are hoping that Shahabuddin would also attend.

Kibria, considered a pioneer of the modern art movement in Bangladesh, died June 7 at the age of 82.

Husain, one of India's best known artists, died two days later on June 9 at the age of 95.