A solo painting exhibition “Unconsciously Conscious” by Md Abdul Guffar Babu is being held at the Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) and will continue till tomorrow. As many as forty four acrylic and mixed media paintings are on display, depicting the artist's perception. The title “Unconsciously Conscious” is a reference to a dream. Surrealistic abstract and semi abstract styles are used to relate the artworks to dreams.
“We dream in our unconscious mind. I think dreams are a form of human desire. In my paintings, dream infused topics and sometimes unsettling forms appear; yet I draw to make a metaphorical comment and to cater to the minds that are stirred by nature and life,” said the artist.
His painting “Unconsciously Conscious” portrays a three eyed man, the third eye being a representation of the dream. Abdul's “Wakeup Call” shows a peacock, an interpretation of a dream that breaks at dawn. The portrait “Kali Das” is a narration of a stranger who appears in dreams - the face is not an invention of the mind but rather an image of a real person. “Break Free” has been portrayed in a circle, depicting crossing lines to explore a person's strength, speed, and beauty like a stallion.
Most of these paintings are done in earthy colour, as the artist is fascinated with the colour brown.
Abdul Guffar has participated in many group art exhibitions, residency programmes and art workshops. He has been working with different media to explore and experiment. His medium of choice include watercolour, oil colour, pencil, acrylic, charcoal, etching aquatint, dry paint, wood-cut, lithography, installation, public art, video art, sound art, book illustrations, book cover design and mixed media.
