Visual artist Malay Bala depicts Buddha, nature and women in his third solo exhibition titled ‘Seeking Sacred Beauty: The Devotional Art of Malay Bala’ is currently underway at Alliance Française de Dhaka in the capital.
Curated by Mikhail Idris, this 11-day exhibition is showcasing 80 traditional Bengali paintings arranged in four distinct series. These series are titled Shakuntala, Sacred Women, Sacred Nature, and religion.
The event, inaugurated on October 18, is dedicated to the eminent wood sculptor, freedom fighter and Ekushey Padak recipient Ferdousi Priyabhashini.
‘I paint to seek, meditate upon and become closer to God. My heart senses the divine within the sacred myths, spiritual masters, nature, and divine grace of women that I strive to paint,’ said Malay Bala who employs traditional watercolor, gouache, tempura and wash technique. Â
His series Shakuntala, a fictional character, heroine of the Sanskrit drama Abhijnana shakuntala was written by the 5th-century Indian poet Kalidasa that features her life in a forest hermitage.
The series titled religion depicts mostly the life and portrait of Gautama Buddha while a painting portrays Radha and Krishna.
He brought together his series Sacred Women and Sacred Nature by exploring the organic theme. Landscape, portrait and figures all highlighted the organic shapes, colors and mysterious texture. Â
Mikhail Idris said that as an artist devoted to indigenous Bengali Art principles, content, styles and natural materials, his artwork remarkably reflects both Ananda Coomaraswamy’s Sacred Art ideals and Rabindranath Tagore’s swadeshi spirit.
The exhibition is also comprised of traditional music and dance performance at the venue every evening which attracts a huge audience.
The exhibition will be open until October 28. Â