A month-long solo sculpture exhibition of sculptor Maynul Islam Paul titled ‘Opulence of Stone’ displaying minimalist sculptures is under way at Kalakendra at Lalmatia in the capital.
The exhibition is curated by Nasima Haque Mitu, associate professor of sculpture department of Dhaka University, featuring 31 stone sculptures of Maynul Islam who also a professor of ceramics and sculpture department of Rajshahi University.
Dedicated to the late Bangladeshi sculptor and painter Hamiduzzaman Khan, the exhibition displays not only sculptures of small size but also minimal in shapes, outline and textures.
Maynul Islam Paul’s sculptures mostly concentrated on natural forms of stones with his geometrical composition while he created new dimensions by cutting the stone. By engraving his sculptures, he created texture on the surface of the stones.Â
‘Most of the artworks portray apparent animal shapes and some also depict human activities on stone,’ Paul said, adding that sometimes he was inspired by the stone forms and sometimes created his desired shapes.
Nasima Haque Mitu said that the stone is too expensive in Bangladesh and preserving stone-based artworks is also difficult without a patron.
‘In Rajshahi, different types of stones were imported for construction sites including Padma river embankment from India and Bhutan which facilitated sculpture practices in this area, instead of wood,’ Mitu said, adding that Paul is known for his wood-based sculptures. Maynul Islam Paul organised his fourth solo exhibition in 2005, after which he participated in many group exhibitions including Asian Art Biennale and National Art exhibition.Â
The exhibition was inaugurated on August 1 and will continue till August 30.
