Contemporary art gallery Shilpangan is holding a solo sculpture and art exhibition by famous sculptor Ferdousy Priyabhashini. The exhibition, titled “Megher Shongi - Rhythm of Clouds” was inaugurated yesterday (August 4) at the gallery. Tasmima Hossain, acting Editor of the Daily Ittefaq, inaugurated the show as chief guest. Noted writer and journalist Anisul Hoque was present as guest of honour. Renowned artist Professor Nisar Hossain presided over the programme. The show, opening from 3pm to 8pm, will conclude on August 18.

Ferdousy Priyabhashini is an eminent personality of this country. She is one of those courageous women who played an active role in the War of Liberation. For all her contribution to the War of Liberation, she was awarded the Shadhinata Padak (Independence Award) in 2010. However, Ferdousy's struggle for the emancipation of our country didn't stop in 1971. That year was rather the beginning of another stage of her life. Since then, she has always been keenly aware of the socio-political and cultural events and trends of this country. She has continued her strife for establishing a secular, progressive and enlightened society in this land.

Another very important aspect of her life is that Ferdousy Priyabhashini is an eminent sculptor of this country. Like the pata-chitra shilpee (scroll painter) Shambhu Acharya, she does not belong to the mainstream world of painting and sculpture. Ferdousy has not any formal training in sculpture.

Her materials are not stone or any kind of metal. She has deliberately chosen different kinds of materials – broken branches of a tree, an old trunk, dry leaves, or even a small tree or plant. She turns these apparently useless things into wonderful pieces of art. Nature, particularly the world of flora, has been her object of deep interest for quite a long time. In all her artworks, she usually uses leftover, broken and unused objects of nature. Through those apparently insignificant objects, she produces human figures and their emotions and thoughts, their joys and pain. Viewers have always found her artworks accessible and simple. But these accessible and simple artworks manifest our deep emotions and thoughts, dreams and frustrations, plans for the future and remembrance of the past. Through all those artworks she has certainly distinguished herself as a unique sculptor.

The writer is a Professor, Department of English, Jahangirnagar University.