HerNet Fine Arts in association with the embassy of Japan has organised a nine-day group art exhibition titled ‘Origins of Visions’ that pays tribute to the student-led July mass uprising and the legendary figures in Bangladeshi art.
The exhibition, which began at the embassy of Japan at Baridhara in the capital Dhaka on Friday, is displaying more than 70 artworks of 47 contemporary artists along with artworks of legendary artists, including SM Sultan, Zainul Abedin, Mohammad Kibria, Novera Ahmed, Rashid Choudhury, Quamrul Hassan and Safiuddin Ahmed.
The event is featuring paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures and a tapestry along with a performance art.   Â
Curated by HerNet Fine Arts chief curator Alisha Pradhan, the exhibition was inaugurated by artist Monirul Islam while Spanish ambassador to Bangladesh Gabriel Sistiaga, South Korea ambassador Park Young Sik and Japan mission deputy chief Takahashi Naoki were present as guests at the event.Â
At the opening ceremony, painter and performance artist Preema Nazia Andaleeb staged ‘Tracing July’, a performance reclaims the act of remembering through gestures of pain, ritual and resilience.  Â
A 30-minute performance under the red light was confronting the entangled politics of memory, trauma, and feminine agency during one of the most emotionally charged months in Bangladesh’s recent political and personal history.
Rokeya Sultana’s acrylic on canvas painting titled ‘36 July’ shows bloodshed of July martyrs and Bangladesh flags carrying their bodies.
Ahmed Nawaz’s acrylic on canvas titled ‘A Tree of 36th July’ shows the fall of the regime which murdered a thousand of lives.
Ranajit Das’s acrylic on canvas painting titled ‘Baul’ depicts a traditional folk musician who promotes philosophy by singing.
The exhibition will also comprise a Japanese tea ceremony on Sunday and Ikebana, a Japanese flower arrangement, to be held on July 25.Â
The exhibition will end on July 26. Â