When a person steps into Biren Shome’s solo exhibition Date Down Memory Lane at Shilpangan Art Gallery in the capital, he or she will immediately transported back in time.
The 46 artworks on display, created with various media – including pencil and charcoal sketch and watercolour – reveal the beauty of Panam Nagar, a once-splendid ancient city at Sonargaon upazila in Narayanganj. The city was established in the late 19th century as a trading centre of cotton fabrics during the British rule.
Settling in the city, the Hindu cloth merchants built their residential houses in the colonial style, with inspiration drawn from European architecture. Today, the area is protected under the Department of Archaeology of Bangladesh.
The original inhabitants are now all gone, but the buildings still stand tall with pride and glory. And Biren has depicted that spirit in an artistic manner in his artworks. A pencil and ink drawing of the city titled “Panam Nagar 18” shows the old walls, shattered windows, and broken doors of a few buildings. But no matter how shattered and broken the buildings look, they still bear the shadow of grandeur from the past.
In “Panam Nagar 19,” Biren has portrayed the intricate designs on a wall of a palace in Panam Nagar. The artwork, drawn using watercolour and mixed media on paper, reveals the designing skills of the 19th century artisans to the modern viewers. A watercolour painting titled “Panam Nagar 25” shows a road with large buildings on both its sides.
The exhibition is a treat to the eyes of those who love history. It started on Saturday and will run until January 10, open for all from 12pm to 8pm.
