Showcasing a handful of selected captivating artworks representing the glorious artistic vision of the young Bangladeshi artist Sourav Chowdhury, Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) opens its door for the 5th solo art exhibition of the young artist titled ‘Eternal Existence’ on Friday.

The inaugural ceremony of the exhibition was held at AFD’s La Galerie in the evening, featuring legendary artist Prof Rafiqun Nabi as the chief guest. Chargé d'affaire of the French Embassy, Guillaume Audren De Kerdrel, and renowned art critic Moinuddin Khaled also joined the inauguration ceremony as special guests.

This exclusive exhibition is a part of Sourav Chowdhury’s longtime ongoing series 'Eternal Existence,' which resonates with vivid imaginations and ancient symbolism.

A total of 30 artworks are being displayed at the exhibition, most of which are in the media of etching and aquatint. Additionally, there are ceramic, metal, fiber sculptures, and installations.

Inaugurating the exhibition, artist Rafiqun Nabi said that this exhibition is different considering Sourav Chowdhury’s dedicated vision and sincere hardship towards printmaking.

“This exhibition is only about prints and sculptures, although his main field is drawing and painting. Talking about his exhibition of 23 prints (etching-aquatints) and 7 sculptures out of 30 works, Sourav told me that due to his workstation responsibilities at Gallery Cosmos, the print studio has to be looked after by himself, where other artists work in different mediums of printmaking.”

Elaborating on this, he added, “Eminent artist Kalidas Karmakar established a few machines and work himself from the beginning of the studio (Gallery Cosmos and Cosmos Atelier-71). At that time, Sourav was inspired by his work and started working in several mediums including etching. Now, the young artist is continuously trying to capture the qualities of a printmaker and I was fascinated by his large-scale etchings; I am sure everyone will appreciate him, as well as other artists and art lovers - after exploring this exhibition.”

Spain-based expatriate popular artist Monirul Islam said, “Printmaking is a very special medium and it requires dedication. Moreover, materials for printmaking artworks are also rarely available in the country; but artists like Sourav Chowdhury not only exceeded these limitations for others - but also manifested this wonderful exhibition, showcasing some captivating artworks.”

Art critic and writer Moinuddin Khaled said, “Sourav's artwork has a unique representation of the subject in the depiction of subtle forms. It was this clairvoyant mind that led him to meditate on the language of Mughal miniatures and various aspects of folk art; the new expressive image that has been refined by his artistic consciousness and mixed with the elements of diverse sources with each other, can be considered a new Mythopoeia - which Sourav Chowdhury has illustrated through the deconstruction of the existing mythology and therefore, through the combination of emotion and intellect, the audience might get engrossed in understanding the underlying message of Sourav's artwork in this exhibition.”

Artist Sourav Chowdhury thanked everyone for joining the exhibition, saying that it was his dream for the past four years to arrange this exhibition with his selected artworks. “A number of people shared my passion, vision and dream to execute this exhibition properly, and I hope the audience will also be able to resonate with these aspects and my journey towards exploring the eternal existence of our human lives.”

Sourav Chowdhury also thanked Gallery Cosmos and Cosmos Atelier-71, for providing him with the opportunity to work for the continuous betterment of the different mediums of art and also the artists.

After the inaugural session, the exhibition opened its door to art admirers and soon an influx of audiences explored the artworks at the gallery till its closure for the inaugural day.

Artist Sourav Chowdhury was born in the divisional district of Rajshahi in 1987. Even before completing his BFA and MFA in Drawing and Painting from the University of Development Alternative (UODA), he embarked on his artistic journey and participated in many exhibitions, art camps and competitions at home and beyond.

His first solo exhibition titled 'Eternal Existence' was held at Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) in 2016, followed by his second and third exhibits titled 'Eternal Existence–Circle of Dynamism' held at Cherepovets Museum Association, Cherepovets, Russia, and Academy of Professional Development and Retraining of Educators, Moscow, Russia in 2017. His fourth solo exhibition titled 'Eternal Existence' was held at Russian Ambassador's Residence in Dhaka in the same year.

For his brilliance in art, Sourav Chowdhury has received several awards including Bengal Foundation Award (Printmaking) at the 22nd National Art Exhibition 2017 and the 'Best Award' at the 20th Berger Young Painters' Art Competition 2015, to name a few.

The exhibition will be open to all till Tuesday, August 01, every day from 3 pm to 9 pm (closed on Sunday).