Solo show at Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts, Dhaka: 'Dismal Cry of Heritage' || 13~22 November, 2011
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`Senapoti-ygb` & `Advance`, 2011
oil painting on shaped canvas stretched on wood panel (Layapa Stencil )
Size: 127x 91.4x 5 cm / 50 x 36 x 2 inch
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Lamentation [For Him], 2011
oil painting on canvas stretched on wood panel (Layapa Stencil )
Size: 60 x 60 x 5 cm / 24 x 24 x 2 inch
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Lamentation [For Her], 2011
oil painting on canvas stretched on wood panel (Layapa Stencil )
Size: 60 x 60 x 5 cm / 24 x 24 x 2 inch
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Hirajheel-[grba], 2011
Oil painting on shaped canvas stretched on wood panel (Layapa Stencil )
Size: 123 x 123 x 5 cm / 48x 48 x2 inch************************************************************************************************
Hirajheel-[bogwrb], 2011
Oil painting on shaped canvas stretched on wood panel (Layapa Stencil )
Size: 123 x 123 x 5 cm / 48x 48 x2 inch
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Lamentation-p , 2011
Stencil Layapa oil painting on canvas stretched on shaped frame
Size: 132.5 x 86.4 x 5 cm / 52 x 34 x2 inch
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Firoz Mahmud
`Dismal Cry of Heritage`
13~22 November, 2011,
Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts, Dhaka
Stencil Paintings `Layapa Art`
Firoz Mahmud has been creating these kind of paintings with stencil technique on shaped canvas for last eight-nine years which he calls `Layapa Art [stencil painting]`. He initiated this technique during his research program at Rijksakademie VBK in Amsterdam in 2003/04. The ‘Layapa’ is a Bengali word which means anoint or plaster. ‘Layapa’ is the term he uses for applying paint on canvas or on objects in a manner used for anointing or plastering by women on clay hut in South rural Bangladesh. Traditionally, people in the countryside live mostly in clay hut and mothers of each family meticulously apply many layers of thick-liquid mud, mixing with cow dung on the wall and floor of the hut. Artist Firoz paints the way rural people anoint mud and dream on hut. He makes painting, with my south-eastern historical image I visualize in my mind through local manuscript and scroll and For Layapa painting, the canvases are deformed with own process. I want to deconstruct the idea of painting using stencil-layapa technique to deform the border of the frame and prefer not to terminate the painting image of vague history inside the frame. I apply very thick layers of oil painting. The technique of rendering method is from our traditional rendering mud on clay hut and stencil technique is taken from Japanese Ukiyo-e (woodblock) precess. Layapa art (painting) on canvas and installation objects are mostly on green color. The green is the color of our nature, flag, national logos and national identity. I also believe the green is life, abundant in nature.
In his Solo exhibition (`Dismal Cry of Heritage`, 13~22 November, 2011) at Bengal Gallery in Dhaka, Firoz Mahmud used the similar Stencil technique of `Layapa Art`. Most of his artworks were made in his `Fee`Rose STUDIO` in Tokyo and New York where he has been living and working in recent time.
Brief on Layapa Painting:
Most of these Layapa paintings are based on history of Nawabs of Bengal & Mughal Emperors life, sovereignty and warfare. The concept of this exhibition `Dismal Cry of Heritage` is based on history of Nawab of Bengal, Nawab Shirajuddaula`s life and reign, plot of Mir Jafar and Battle at Palassey against British East India Company which is widely considered the turning point in the history of India, and opened the way to eventual British domination.
Few Paintings such as `Lamentation [for him &her]`, `Lamentation-p`, `Sorrowful cry of heritage`, `Sorrowful cry of heritage-b`, have images of Nawab, Senapoti and Nawab`s consort. They are in deep mournful emotion as they are about to be lost at the battle of Palassey and showing dismal expression for eventual domination by British East India Company.
His painting `Beginning of the end of an era (plot at Palassey), after Francis Hayman` is based on conspiracy of Mir Jafar against Nawab Shiraj-Ud-Daula. British East India Company military Officer Robert Clive is seen here with Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey. Jafar is also known by Indians as Gaddar-e-Abrar (which translates in English as 'The Traitor of Faith'). `Last ditch` shows mournful position of an emperor. A pink horse is up-side down implies departure of Mughal reign in Bengal region and entire Indian sub-continent.
In the painting `Hirajeel` is showing Nawab Shiraj-Ud-Daula and his senapotis in his royal house `Hirajheel`. It is a moment during British East India Company`s aggression and conspiracy trade in Bengal region.
Senapoti, 2011
oil painting on shaped canvas stretched on wood panel (Layapa Stencil )
Size: 127x 91.4x 5 cm / 50 x 36 x 2 inch
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`Beginning of the end of an era` (plot at Palassey), after Francis Hayman, 2011
oil painting on shaped canvas stretched on wood panel (Layapa Stencil )
Size: 127x 91.4x 5 cm / 50 x 36 x 2 inch
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Solo show at Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts, Dhaka.
'Dismal Cry of Heritage',
13 to 22 November 2011
Press and Vernissage: 12.00~14.00, 12 November, 2011
OPENING Reception: 5.30~ , 13 Nov.
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Solo show at Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts, Dhaka.
'Dismal Cry of Heritage',
13 to 22 November 2011
Press and Vernissage: 12.00~14.00, 12 November, 2011
OPENING Reception: 5.30~ , 13 Nov.
http://www.bengalfoundation.or/index.php?view=exhibition%2FExhibitionInfo.php&exhbID=273
More info:http://www.firozmahmud.com/
http://layapa-art.blogspot.com/
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Sorrowful Cries of Heritage
Firoz Mahmud’s “Lamentation in Two Lies” exhibition at Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo (14 April to 6 June 2011)
-Chisako Izuhara
The March 11th Tohoku earthquake hit Japan like an unexpected slap in the face. The brute force of nature, uncalled for and undeserved, was a disaster leaving thousands homeless and crippling the capital city which ballooned into a nuclear nightmare Japan just can not seem to wake up from. As the situation continually worsens, there has been a feeling of frustration among the Japanese people against their government’s reluctance in letting them in on what’s happening. They are told to calm down and trust the experts; however, the immediate consequences of expert mishandlings are most felt by the ordinary farmer or family in Fukushima: the people kept out of the dialogue. This prolonged suffering from a force unknown and uncontrollable has fostered a shared lament towards violence, loss, and callous authorities. In this respect, Firoz Mahmud’s exhibit “Lamentation in Two Lies” is a timely show as it precisely captures this national atmosphere.
The Bangladeshi artist has traveled far from home. A graduate of both Tama Art University and Tokyo University of Art and Music, Mahmud works often in Japan, most recently in the Aichi Triennale 2010. But however far he may be from home he seems to have never forgotten his cultural heritage. The works showcased in Ota Fine Arts all deal with his country’s history with a conscious incorporation of tradition.
The “Layapa” paintings — a technique invented by the artist himself — are done in stencil and oil paint using a tradition followed in rural Bangladeshi villages. According to Mahmud, village women cover the walls of their huts with thick liquid plaster as a form of ritual, applying layer after layer of mud mixed with cow dung while praying for good luck. By following the same technique, Mahmud makes his paintings into prayers. They feature battle scenes between Bengals and British, becoming unvoiced protests by the local people, wishing only for peace and stability in everyday life. Mahmud also focuses on the opposing sides in war. The stenciled warriors and horses standing in a swirl of oil paint confront each other as if in dialogue. The ‘King (Lamenting Queen)’ and ‘Queen (Lamenting King)’ stare at one another as if to say “What’s next?”, beside “The Start of the End of a Reign of the Subcontinent” portraying the cornerstone Battle of Plassey that led to the eventual British occupation of India. In essence, Mahmud’s canvases house three voices: of the two in confrontation and of the locals.
This three-way discussion carries itself over to his fighter planes too. A smaller version of the one shown in the Aichi Triennale, the five jets titled ‘Fat Boys’ fly suspended in stop motion. Each one is colorfully decorated by green, orange, yellow and black Desi beans; its original steely exterior is lost. The beans, as signifying the local people, transform the jets from bloodless machines in to bodies pulsating with desire, hope, and angst. The little jets fly in and out of one another, playing a ruthless game of kill or be killed with wings made out of hopes and cries for life.
“Lamentation in Two Lies” is Mahmud’s cry in sorrow of a painful past experienced by his mother country. The historical aspects may escape us, but the expressed emotion we can understand. The desperate cries of Bengali villagers are in tune with the people in Fukushima and we have often found government officials looking at each other, lost, like the Indian king and queen. However, lamentation is a process and a stage to pass through. It allows us to express our grievance so as to continue on. Time passes along with history and both India and Bangladesh are independent nations now. Over two months has passed since the quake; let us too grieve, and eventually move on with renewed focus for the future.
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* The review was written by Chisako Izuhara for website of `Tokyo Art Beat` on 29 May 2011,
http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/2011/05/sorrowful-cries-of-heritage.html
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FIROZ MAHMUD: A Learning Journey
-By Lucy Birmingham
Firoz Mahmud's remarkable paintings and installations inspire questions, and learning. My first encounter with the work of this thought provoking Bangladeshi artist was at Japan's Aichi Triennale 2010. And an amazing sight it was. The 26-foot (8-meter) replica of a Super Hornet F/A 18 fighter jet, embedded with thousands of colorful beans and grains of rice, had attracted a curious crowd, growing bigger by the minute. From a high-laddered platform, one could get a bird's-eye view of the scene below. Visitors, young and old, snapped photos, and the "please touch" sign invited all to investigate the remarkable rice and bean artistry patterned in tiny orange lentils, red kidney and black beans, and Indian dal of dark green mas, golden toor and warm yellow mung. But what did it all mean?
Surely it was the uniqueness of the combat jet (with accompanying photograph and drawing) that drew in the crowds -- familiar in form, but so different in presentation. In peaceful Japan, a fighter jet is an anomaly. War machinery is not normally an item or issue used in works by Japanese artists. It had a foreign sensibility; always intriguing to the Japanese.
Titled "Sucker`wfp21," I learned the work symbolized disproportionate government spending on militarism rather than needed food programs. 'Sucker' = sucking from public survival (food=beans/rice); 'wfp' = world food program similar to UNESCO`s World Food Program; '21' = 21st century. At the time I had been witnessing an art world disproportionately consumed with sales, prestige and superficiality rather than substance. What a pleasure it was to encounter an artwork from a young, rising artist with vital, socio-political commentary on war and hunger -- finely rendered. I wanted to learn more.
Firoz's 2011 solo-exhibition "Lamentation in Two Lies" at Ota Fine Arts in Tokyo was extended version of the project `Sucker`wfp21` and this exhibition also a captivating commentary on war -- the sorrow it produces and the massive, misaligned spending it induces -- with an historical perspective reflecting his Eastern roots. Dangling in the center was the installation "Fatboy"; five bean-covered fighter jet models, aptly named after the U.S. atomic bomb detonated over Nagasaki, Japan in 1945 The group of 'chubby' jets symbolized the military fat gained from sucking off of public funds better used for feeding the many poor and needy in the Indian/Bangladesh/Pakistan region. Although divided by rule and borders, the three countries share deep ties in food and culture. Firoz says these small aircraft are the "limbs" of his larger "Sucker`wfp21" Aichi Triennial work. The idea of the combat aircrafts are same. The show combined modern aircraft as symbol of war, war history, conspiracy and aftermath during Mughal Empire.
Surrounding the installation was a series of oil paintings Firoz calls "Layapa Art"; a stencil technique borrowed from Japanese ukiyo-e (woodblock) prints and paint applied like plaster. The plastering technique, he explains, is similar to the way women in rural Bangladesh and India apply layers of wet mud to form the walls and floor of their clay huts. The shaped canvases, protruding and indented in sections along the frame, add a rough-hewn ambiance to the work.
Most of Firoz's Layapa paintings are inspired by manuscripts, scrolls and ancient coins, and based on the regional history of Bangladesh and India stretching back thousands of years. The works are dreamy, myth-like renditions of the region's legends with historical drama and tragedy beautifully abstracted in rich earth tones and hues of striking blue and green.
The paintings in the "Lamentation in Two Lies" solo show depict war and conflict in the region during the eighteenth century. "Desolation" (2010), features the Nawab (ruler) of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah, the last independent ruler of the Indian subcontinent. He stands in his palace contemplating his army's terrible defeat against the British East India Company. With a flower in hand, he waits for the comforting arms of his consort. "Traitor of Faith [plot 1 #Shiraj & Mir]" features a conspiracy against the Nawab, while "Traitor of Faith [plot 2 #Shiraj & Mir]" evokes a scene from the "Battle of Palashi" (West Bengal) in 1757. Considered a turning point in Bengal and Indian history, it led to the nearly 200-year British rule over India (then India, Bangladesh and Pakistan). Again, I was intrigued and wanted to learn more.
South Asia (Subcontinent:presently India, Bangladesh and Pakistan) has long history of war and conflict since 16th century. Mughal Emperors, British East India and other foreign traders governed the subcontinent for more than four hundred years. During that periods people were always at war and conflicts in the region. Most of my paintings were based on Mughal Emperors life and history including war.
When Firoz was born , I saw the entire country was devastated by war. The country was in huge crisis aftermath the Liberation of War in Bangladesh against Pakistan. Economically, socially, politically , every people and property were in utmost crisis. Eventually people were in mass starvation which is called `Famine of 1974`.
So he was motivated to make artwork by those war and conflict. The large scale fighter aircraft `Sucker`wfp21` was made being inspired as Aichi Prefecture has highest tax income from the public and it`s industrial output is higher than any other prefecture in Japan: the prefecture is known as the center of Japan's fighter aircraft industries (Aichi Kokuki KK) which produced a remarkable number of aircrafts for World War 2.
The aircraft considers the interplay of militarism and prejudice related to the state of civil defense that most of the governments at entire world are in. Most of the government spends money for their military, defense, weapons, military aircraft sucking money from public tax and revenue. This militarism is ripe with pride and always prepares for an eventual war. This aircraft is made of FRP with metal structure and glass. Beans, crops and rice will also cover the entire body based on the concern that many people share: survival. These aircrafts function as a stage for the reinterpretation of political militarism.
This aircraft is the model of 5th generation fighter aircraft Super Hornet F/A18. The fighter aircrafts are based on Bangladesh government`s MiG-29 jet fighter aircraft purchase and later corruption trials and still planning to procure fighter aircraft, surface-to-air missiles and other armament from public tax and income money by which poor people are surviving on. And of course, it commemorates Bangladeshi Liberation war against Pakistan and its aftermath.
Firoz has explored social and emotive issues in previous works such as his 2009 "Urgency of Proximate Drawing [NINKi :UoPD]" a drawing series, first shown at Sharjah Art Biennale in 2009 (part of Halcyon Tarp Project) and after that at the Hiroshima Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA). The Japanese word 'ninki' means popular and Firoz`s drawings are on popular celebrities. The series includes photo portraits of controversial celebrities drawn with geometric patterns and lines that appear like protective hex symbols. Firoz explains that however tainted, icons such as Michael Jackson, Mike Tyson, Diego Maradona, Shoaib Akhter and even sumo champion Asashoryu Akinori can remain invincible in their popularity, protected by an uncanny force.
Firoz's first explored the power of icons in his 2008-2009 "Halycon Tarp" project, shown at the Sharjah Art Museum during the 9th Sharjah Biennial 2009 in the United Arab Emirates. The installation was modeled on a traditional Bangladeshi hut, displayed with figures of the Royal Bengal tiger, the iconic symbol of the country. Here, Firoz probed intolerance in politics and religion, and caste bigotry.
With his Bangladeshi roots, Firoz is among a growing cadre of internationally recognized artists from Asia and the Middle East. Through globalization, the power of the Internet, and converging insights, they are asking vital questions -- a new art movement embedded with learning.
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Lucy Birmingham is an American journalist and writer based in Tokyo for about 25 years. Her articles have appeared in Time.com, Japan Times, Wall Street Journal, Artinfo.com, Artforum.com, ARTnews, among many other art publications. She has published several books on art and culture.
In addition to her writing and photography, Lucy has been teaching journalism at the Tokyo Institute of Technology since 2011. She has a BA degree in Communications from George Washington University. She is a board member of the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan.
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Strata of Conflict
Mami Kataoka
Chief Curator, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo
With the first ten years of the 21st century now behind us, it seems as if a new wave of global change has started to gain momentum. The democratization movements that began in Tunisia at the end of 2010 soon extended to Egypt, Libya and various other countries all over North Africa and the Middle East. The energy of ordinary citizens, which coalesced and rallied together through social networks within a short span of time amidst all this political upheaval, has attracted much attention. In May 2011, the death of Osama Bin Laden was announced, and American troops began pulling out of Afghanistan. September 11 this year marked the 10th anniversary of the events of 9/11. Meanwhile, natural disasters on a massive scale have been erupting frequently all over the world – the March 11 earthquake in Japan, of course, but also tremblors in New Zealand, Hurricane Irene on the east coast of the US and an earthquake centered on Virginia. These superhuman manifestations of energy seem to be harbingers of some dramatic change creeping up on us.
Thanks to the development of various forms of information technology, these global movements can now be shared at an individual, personal level regardless of where we live. The situation is the same in the context of contemporary art – starting in the 1990s, the steadily burgeoning number of international exhibitions and art fairs has helped to dramatically expand the horizons of art. One striking trend that has been observed is not the homogenization of culture due to globalization. Rather, it is the tendency for individual artists to reaffirm their stance and artistic position in relation to this staggering volume of visual and cultural information. Specifically, the practices of these artists are oriented towards a direct reflection of the political and social situation of each region, the search for personal identity within the context of postcolonial societies where a plurality of cultures coexist, or an attempt to contextualize the social and artistic histories of the culture to which they belong.
By weaving these various elements into their work in a complex way – society in the form of collective memory, historical or personal experiences, recollections and reminiscences – a singular and distinct outlook on the world emerges. The practices of these artists, who are forced to confront the uncertainty and fluidity of both the political and natural environment that lies before them, can perhaps also be seen as a series of instinctive actions that question the very nature of what it means to exist.
After studying fine art at Dhaka University, the Bangladeshi-born artist Firoz Mahmud pursued further studies at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam and the Tokyo University of the Arts. Currently based in New York, Mahmud maintains an artistic practice that can basically be seen as part of this particular tendency. He confides, “when I was born, the entire country was devastated by war.” Although Bangladesh won independence as a result of the third Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, which erupted due to economic, political and religious reasons, the conflict had in many ways led to the complete collapse of the country. In 1974, a massive flood and the severe famine that followed in its wake exacerbated the situation, causing more than 50,000 deaths from starvation. This was the year in which Mahmud was born.
Chaos and political upheaval continued to afflict post-independence Bangladesh – two of its presidents were subsequently assassinated, and the country was only able to achieve democracy in 1991. In 2004, with the country still suffering from continuous poverty, another major flood struck. Having grown up in a state of political, economic and environmental chaos and uncertainty, it seems only natural that Mahmud would seek to question the meaning of his own existence by attempting to decipher the historical conflict that has plagued the Indian subcontinent for more than 400 years, as well as the lives of the people who suffer under it. At the same time, however, these contemporary social problems such as war, poverty and starvation are also themes that are directed at all members of the human race who inhabit the world today.
Sucker-wfp21, which was exhibited at the Aichi Triennale in 2010, consists of an aircraft-shaped sculpture that was modeled after the F/A-18 Super Hornet, a fifth-generation fighter jet typically used by the US Navy. The surface of this sculpture, made using fiberglass-reinforced plastic, cloth jackets, metal and beans, is completely covered in grains, cereals and beans that make up the typical Bangladeshi diet. Measuring 8 meters long and 5.1 meters across, Mahmud’s sculpture exposes the national and collective profit-seeking imperatives that govern military affairs and international relations, as well as their blatant disregard for issues pertaining to individual survival, such as poverty, starvation, and basic human rights. The work also highlights the contradictions in the way our societies are configured – superimposed on its surface is a contrast between the privileges attached to material wealth and the weak, disenfranchised members of society.
The “sucker” in the title alludes to a subject that uses his power to exploit the food supplies that ordinary citizens rely on to survive, while “WFP” refers to the World Food Progam, the only food agency affiliated with the United Nations (operated by UNESCO, the world’s largest humanitarian organization). When asked why he decided to exhibit this particular work at the Aichi Triennale, Mahmud highlighted the fact that Aichi Prefecture generates some of the highest tax revenue in Japan from the income of ordinary citizens, while earnings from the industrial sector are also substantial. The prefecture is also home to Aichi Kokuki (now Aichi Machine Industry Co., Ltd.), which started manufacturing aircraft in 1920. Although Sucker-wfp21 derives from the particularities of Bangladesh’s history, the work also resonated with the social conditions and history of the place where it was exhibited.
At his subsequent solo exhibition “Lamentation”, Mahmud revisited the historical context of Bangladesh once again. On display was a series of Layapa paintings made using a traditional Bangladeshi stencil technique depicting the Battle of Plassey. This pivotal battle, which took place at Palashi, Bengal in 1757, was fought between the British East India Company and the provincial Mughal rulers, as well as the colonies governed by the French East India Company. Soldier and tank motifs are rendered in thick layers of colored plaster, as if to offer the viewer a vicarious experience of an overlapping, accumulated history – that of a momentous battle that inaugurated Britain’s full-fledged colonization of India. Traditionally, Bangladeshi people paint the walls of their houses with a mixture of clay, mud and cow dung, a practice that also has religious origins. As Mahmud explains, “As I made these paintings, I imagined how people living in the countryside would smear the walls of their huts with mud, entrusting their dreams to them.” Although he makes a conscious effort to paint with colors that can basically be found in nature, Mahmud’s use of green in particular calls to mind the color of the Bangladeshi flag, in addition to serving as an emblem of the natural environment of his home country.
In Mahmud’s work, a whole host of conflicting values – human dignity and economic gain, individual and collective interest, political influence and economic clout, war and peace – collide with each other, accumulating in multi-layered strata. His practice calls to mind the way in which the map of global power is being redrawn. In contrast to a world that has been dominated by Europe and the United States up until the 20th century, the 21st century promises a very different balance of power centered on the emerging BRICS economies and the “Next 11” countries that are also expected to show remarkable future growth. Ever since Marcel Duchamp, contemporary and avant-garde artists have fought to question what constitutes true value. This process of questioning, together with shifts in power and the makeup of existing value systems, as well as the alchemical creation of new values, has also been a constant interrogation of what lessons we ought to take away from history, what values and traditions we ought to inherit, and what it is about our modern cosmopolitan societies – which demand coexistence between a diversity of values – we ought to change and innovate upon. Firoz Mahmud is one of the modest individuals who attempts to answer these questions.
*Translated from Japanese to English by Darryl Jingwen Wee
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Mami Kataoka is Chief Curator of Mori Art Museum, Tokyo since 2003 and international associate curator, Hayward Gallery, London. She was chief curator at the Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery. During her tenure at the Mori Art Museum, Kataoka has curated a number of exhibitions, including “Ozawa Tsuyoshi: Answer with Yes and No!” (2004), “All About Laughter: Humor in Contemporary Art” (2006), “Ai Weiwei: According to What?” (2009) and most recently “Sensing Nature: Perception of Nature in Japan” (2010). She is one of the Joint Artistic Directors of the 9th Gwangju Biennale 2012.
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Narrative as Anti-Mythology
-Akira Tatehata
The works of Firoz Mahmud give us a strange sensation that a unique fictitious world is linked to an ordinary realistic space. It comes from his own combined method, the collaboration of bricolage technique and painting, but it must be also deeply related to the social environment of Dhaka, Bangladesh where Firoz formed himself as an artist.
The elements which compose Firoz’s installations, such as wood-carved sculpture, readymade objects, paintings hang on the wall or video images, are quite fragmental and because in large part they are combined arbitrarily, they do not create stories with particular plots. This is the reason why his installations, as a whole, deeply reflect the culture of his origin, which is filled with diverse energy while containing contradiction and confusion. The use of mass media, such as newspapers and TV news, as a sort of conceptual metaphor, rather verifies that his critical imagination relies deeply on the reality of his life in Bangladesh.
However, what is most prominent is the green color which dominates his entire work. The green is the color of Bangladesh’s national flag and naturally it is a symbol of his cultural identity with ambivalent feelings. Of course Firoz does not bury himself in the place of his origin nor reject it by keeping himself away. He just stares at a chaotic yet fascinating scene with a calm gaze with a little humor and irony. An installation as a site to make fragments with various meanings float. By being an anti-mythology device, Firoz’s works rather open up before us the possibility of richer narratives.
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*Akira Tatehata was the Director of The National Museum of Art, Osaka (2005~2010 & 1991 to 2005) and Artistic Director of Aichi Triennale 2010, Japan. Japanese commissioner for the Venice Biennale (1990, 93), artistic director of Yokohama Triennale 2011, professor of contemporary art theory and criticism at Tama Art University in Tokyo, and he was the visiting scholar at Columbia University and UC Berkeley (2002 to 2003). He was also a visiting research fellow at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1986. Currently he is the President of Kyoto City University of Arts.
反神話的なナラティブ 建畠晢
フィロズ・マハムドの作品は、特異なフィクションの世界が自ずと日常的な現実の空間に繋がっているような不思議な感触を有している。それはブリコラージュ的な手法と絵画の共存というフィロズ独自の複合的な方法から来るものだが、また彼がアーティストとしての自己形成をしたダッカの社会環境とも深く関わっているに違いない。
彼のインスタレーションを構成する要素は、木彫りの彫像であれ、レディメイドのオブジェであれ、壁に掛けられたタブローであれ、あるいはビデオの画面であれ、イメージとしてはいずれも極めて断片的であり、しかもそれぞれが多分に恣意的に組み合わせられていて、特定の筋書きをもった物語を発生させるものではない。だがそれゆえにこそ、インスタレーションの総体として、多くの矛盾と混乱をはらみながらも雑多なエネルギーに満ちている、彼の出自の文化をより深く反映しているともいえるだろう。新聞やテレビ・ニュースなどの大衆的なメディアが一種のコンセプチュアルなメタファーとして導入されているのも、かえって彼の批評的想像力がバングラディシュの生活の現実に深く依拠したものであることを証している。
しかし何よりも印象的なのは、作品の全体を支配する緑の色調であろう。バングラディッシュの国旗の色でもある緑は、当然ながらフィロズにとってアンビバレントな思いを伴った文化的アイデンティティの象徴である。もちろん彼は出自の場所に埋没するわけでもなければ、否定的に突き放すわけでもない。ただいささかのユーモアとアイロニーを伴った冷静な眼差しで、その混沌とした、しかしそれだけに大いに蠱惑的でもある光景を見据え続けているのである。さまざまな意味の断片を浮遊させる場としてインスタレーション――。フィロズの作品はそのようないわば反神話的な装置であることによって、むしろより豊かなナラティブの可能性を私たちの前に切り開いてみせているのだ。
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Kari Konte
Program Director, International Studio and Curatorial Program (ISCP), New York,
Thu, Aug 18, 2011 at 6:46 AM , * (Interview by Kari Konte during Firoz Mahmud`s residency program at ISCP New York)
Dear Firoz,
....................I am much closer to finishing your text and ... I have a few questions regarding your work. .....
Q. Why is naming/titling series of works so important for you - as in Layapa and UoPD?
`Layapa Art`, [Layapa Painting on shaped canvas stressed on wood panel with stencil Technique] `Layapa` is a Bengali term which means rendering or plastering. I render thick oil painting onto broken or uneven canvas depicting history or social culture. I call my paintings very often as `Layapa Art` which I describe `Layapa Painting on shaped canvas stressed on wood panel with stencil Technique` as a media o. I studied classical painting in my primary art study in Bangladesh. After going to Amsterdam
I was gradually thinking to do something informal way of painting at Rijksakademie in Amsterdam. I started to use stencil painting basing on sub-continental history and culture. All the images of paintings were sometimes borrowed from old manuscript, image, old coin and stamps. So I transferred my own edited layout images onto a broken or uneven canvas and rendered with thick oil painting. Using stencil used to be popular in countryside of Bangladesh. After researching on Japanese woodblock printing (Ukiyo-e) in Japan, I intended to combine my own traditional method of stencil technique with the Japanese wood printing. The process and method is important for me and so the title is as well. Gradually naming my painting work is titled `Layapa` painting.
About Urgency of Proximate Drawing [NinKi:UoPD] : `NinKi` is a Japanese word which means popular. I make drawing on popular icon who are very popular
but blemished by their own controversy. So, I rescue them drawing a structure on images as if they don`t fall down or protected and make them easy to gesture from their position. In thus way, I support them from their endangered moment. So the title of the drawing project `NinKi:Urgency of Proximate Drawing` came in that way. I used to draw very realistic pencil drawing like renaissance artists and I wanted to find a way to make drawing in other way which will give a sense of meaning or concept.
-"I am a benevolent but poor artist who can protect vexed people or things in rich time"
-"Each and Every Drawing has its own concept which can strategically change visual idea of the image. It
sometimes brings my eyes into very depth of vision" , "The Urgency of Proximate Drawings are hidden in images but I can see through my power of lens and it urges me to draw on. I can not discover the drawings until I see the images of stars"
Q. Can you explain a bit more about how you use stencils in the paintings? Do they reference propaganda?
I call my painting as `Layapa painting with Stencil painting`. The ‘Layapa’ is a Bengali word which means anoint or plaster. ‘Layapa’ is the term I use for applying paint on canvas or on objects in a manner used for anointing or plastering by women on clay hut in South rural Bangladesh. Traditionally, people in the countryside live mostly in clay hut and mother of each family meticulously apply many layers of thick-liquid mud, mixing with cow dung on the wall and floor of the hut. I make painting, with my subcontinental historical image I visualize in my mind through local manuscript and scroll and I paint the way rural people anoint mud and dream on hut.
For Layapa painting, the canvases are deformed with own process. I want to deconstruct the idea of painting using stencil-layapa technique to deform the border of the frame and prefer not to terminate the painting image of vague history inside the frame. I apply very thick layers of oil painting. The technique of rendering method is from our traditional rendering mud on clay hut and stencil technique is taken from Japanese Ukiyo-e (woodblock) precess.
Q. What is the historical image represented in the attached image of a Layapa painting?
For example, `Traitor of Faith [plot 2 #Shiraj & Mir]`, 2010, 300 x 230 x 3.2 cm ]. This painting is also based on a plot between the Nawab (ruler) of Bengal and British East India Company associated with Mir Jafar (Muhammed Jafar Ali Khan). The scene of the painting features Mir Jafar, head of the armed forces of Bengal on left side and the Nawab of Bengal Siraj ud-Daulah, the last independent ruler of Indian subcontinent. The scene is imagined of the `Battle of Palashi` (in West Bengal) which is widely considered the turning point in the history of India, and opened the way to eventual British domination in the subcontinent.
Flying circled owls are seen here as symbol bad omens, a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future of the Nawab of Bengal and subcontinental rule.
Thanks so much Firoz , I'm working hard on the text and looking forward to hearing your answers.
Best, -Kari
Thank you Kari for your cooperation. B
est Regards
-Firoz. [ fee`Rose Studio ]
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The Layapa Painting Series `Traitor of Faith` is based on political history in the 18th century in Bengal Region in Indian sub-continent. The paintings are based on East India Company`s conspiracy, traitor of the plot against Nawab of Bengal (native governor of Mogul empire), battle of Palassey and political history of Bengal region.
The Battle of Plassey which was turning point of modern indian history. Bangladesh, India and Pakistan was a united country as India during that time. The Battle of Plassey held in 1757, was a decisive British East India Company`s victory over the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies, establishing Company rule in South Asia which expanded over much of the Indies for the next hundred years. The battle took place a Palashi, Bengal, on the river banks of the Bhagirathi River, about 150 km north of Calcutta, nearMurshidabad, then capital of undivided Bengal. The belligerents were Siraj-ud-daulah, the last independentNawab of Bengal, and the British East India Company.
The `Battle of Palashi` ( conflict and wars between local Indian and British East India Company in 18th century) in West Bengal which is widely considered the turning point in the history of India, and opened the way to eventual British domination in the subcontinent. Flying owls are seen here as symbol bad omens, a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future of the Nawab of Bengal and subcontinental rule.
`desolation2`, 2011
Oil Layapa Painting on shaped canvas stressed on wood panel (Stencil Technique)
Size:48x48+2x3 inch
`Traitors`, 2011
Oil Layapa Painting on shaped canvas stressed on wood panel (Stencil Technique)
Size:96x48+2x3 inch
Layapa Art # `Negotiation:Plot`, 2011
Oil Layapa Painting on shaped canvas stressed on wood panel (Stencil Technique)
Size:96x48+2x3 inch
I painted images of the history of Bengal using stencil technique with Layapa painting style. Several paintings are diptych and each part is 48 by 48 inch. The paintings I call them`Layapa Art` referring how village women render mud mixing cowdung on the hut.
Cindy Rodriguez, emerging curator as intern gave me immense support in last few weeks. After her graduation from Parsons The New School for Design in New York, she had several experience on curatorial exhibition and internship including Guggenheim Museum in New York. Her professional work can be seen on her website.
http://cindymade.com/
http://www.art-it.asia/u/otafinearts/8tokxVQjN7LAPcGB5UgJ/
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The Layapa Painting Series `Traitor of Faith` is based on political history in the 18th century in Bengal Region in Indian sub-continent. The paintings are based on East India Company`s conspiracy, traitor of the plot against Nawab of Bengal (native governor of Mogul empire), battle of Palassey and political history of Bengal region.
The Battle of Plassey which was turning point of modern indian history. Bangladesh, India and Pakistan was a united country as India during that time. The Battle of Plassey held in 1757, was a decisive British East India Company`s victory over the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies, establishing Company rule in South Asia which expanded over much of the Indies for the next hundred years. The battle took place a Palashi, Bengal, on the river banks of the Bhagirathi River, about 150 km north of Calcutta, nearMurshidabad, then capital of undivided Bengal. The belligerents were Siraj-ud-daulah, the last independentNawab of Bengal, and the British East India Company.
The `Battle of Palashi` ( conflict and wars between local Indian and British East India Company in 18th century) in West Bengal which is widely considered the turning point in the history of India, and opened the way to eventual British domination in the subcontinent. Flying owls are seen here as symbol bad omens, a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future of the Nawab of Bengal and subcontinental rule.
`desolation2`, 2011
Oil Layapa Painting on shaped canvas stressed on wood panel (Stencil Technique)
Size:48x48+2x3 inch
`Traitors`, 2011
Oil Layapa Painting on shaped canvas stressed on wood panel (Stencil Technique)
Size:96x48+2x3 inch
Layapa Art # `Negotiation:Plot`, 2011
Oil Layapa Painting on shaped canvas stressed on wood panel (Stencil Technique)
Size:96x48+2x3 inch
I painted images of the history of Bengal using stencil technique with Layapa painting style. Several paintings are diptych and each part is 48 by 48 inch. The paintings I call them`Layapa Art` referring how village women render mud mixing cowdung on the hut.
Cindy Rodriguez, emerging curator as intern gave me immense support in last few weeks. After her graduation from Parsons The New School for Design in New York, she had several experience on curatorial exhibition and internship including Guggenheim Museum in New York. Her professional work can be seen on her website.
http://cindymade.com/
Exhibition view
Installation
`Traitor Of Faith`
Firoz Mahmud, Layapa Paintings
ISCP `Fee`Rose Studio 206` , New York
Curator: Cindy Rodriguez
More info:
http://www.art-it.asia/u/otafinearts/8tokxVQjN7LAPcGB5UgJ/
Layapa Painting:` Lamentation in Two Lies`
`The Start of the End of the Reign of the Subcontinent: during the time of my forefathers`Layapa Art , 2011
Oil Layapa painting on shaped canvas stressed on wood panel (Stencil Technique)
Size: Length 266 cm x Height 163.5 cm x Dimension 3 cm ( L.104.7 x H.64.4 x D. 1.2 inch )
(# Click on the image to enlarge)
Installation View of `Lamentation of Two Lies` at Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo
for more information
(# Click on the image to enlarge)
`Lamentation` (for king & for queen)`, 2011Layapa Art/
Oil Layapa painting on shaped canvas stressed on wood panel (Stencil Technique)
Size: Length 293 cm(146.5+146.5 ) x Height 93 cm x Dimension 3.7 cm ( L.115.4 x H.36.6 x D. 1.5 inch )
`Juboraj`, 2011
Desolation, 2010
Oil Layapa Painting on Shaped canvas stressed on wood panel (Stencil Technique),
Size: 166.2 x 130 x 3.2 cm
`Traitor of Faith [plot 1 #Shiraj & Mir]`, 2010
Oil Layapa Painting on shaped canvas stressed on wood panel (Stencil Technique)
Dimension: 182.2 x 272.4 x 2.5 cm (diptych)
`Traitor of Faith [plot 2 #Shiraj & Mir]`, 2010
Oil Lepa Painting on shaped canvas stressed on wood panel (Stencil Technique)
dimension: 300 x 230 x 3.2 cm (diptych)
I make painting, with my south-eastern historical image I visualize in my mind through local manuscript and scroll and I paint the way rural people anoint mud and dream on hut.
For Layapa painting, the canvases are deformed with own process. I want to deconstruct the idea of painting using stencil-layapa technique to deform the border of the frame and prefer not to terminate the painting image of vague history inside the frame. I apply very thick layers of oil painting. The technique of rendering method is from our traditional rendering mud on clay hut and stencil technique is taken from Japanese Ukiyo-e (woodblock) precess.
Installation of aircraft `Fatboys` at the exhibition `Lamentation in Two Lies`, 2011
Installation `Lamentation in Two Lies`, 2011
More Links:
http://www.aaa.org.hk/event_detail.aspx?event_id=17655
http://www.art-it.asia/u/otafinearts?lang=en
http://www.flickr.com/photos/layapa-painting/show/
http://www.artinasia.com/galleryDetail.php?catID=0&galleryID=110&view=7&eventID=9266
http://www.art-index.net/art_exhibitions/2011/04/post_1304.html
http://www.kalons.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5527&catid=0&lang=us&Itemid=
http://brazucasnomundo.com.br/
http://lostinjapan.
http://www.corneta.org/no_120/
http://travellingsahil.
http://www.art-index.net/art_
http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/
http://layapa-art.blogspot.
http://www.artinasia.com/
http://artonair.org/show/fong-
http://hiko0707.tumblr.com/
http://www.artinasia.com/
http://www.location1.org/feed/
http://bad-museum-of-
http://reonald.tumblr.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/
http://www.
http://www.myspace.com/
http://www.nzu.ac.jp/blog/
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