‘The Song of Agony’: Exhibition explores the six inner enemies of human nature
Upon entering Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) through the café, visitors are greeted by what appears to be a model of La Galerie, scaled down to perhaps a quarter of its actual size, with paintings displayed on its walls. However, the impact of the actual artworks hanging across the gallery is far more striking. Each painting speaks volumes about the artist’s abilities, leaving viewers to grapple with the challenge of putting their impressions into words. This exhibition, titled “The Song of Agony: Arishadvarga” by Dr Abu Kalam Shamsuddin, was inaugurated at AFD on October 2.
The inaugural ceremony was attended by Professor Mohammad Eunus, eminent artist and Chairman of Art Bangla Foundation, along with Dr Siddhartha Shankar Talukder, former Professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Rajshahi, and Professor Dr Bazlur Rashid Khan, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Jagannath University, Dhaka. Inspired by Indian philosophical traditions, the exhibition explores Arishadvarga, also known as Shadripu, which refers to the six inner enemies of human nature: Kama (lust or excessive desire), Krodha (anger), Lobha (greed), Moha (delusion or attachment), Mada (pride or arrogance), and Matsarya (jealousy). Through a series of paintings, the artist illustrates the effects of these impulses on human behaviour, relationships, and the balance between humanity and nature.
The exhibition presents the artist’s engagement with painting traditions and material experimentation. He uses materials such as sand, mud, zinc oxide, and acrylic paint. By creating tangible surfaces and asymmetrical compositions, he gives physical form to complex psychological and philosophical ideas. He was highly inspired by the techniques of Ajanta cave paintings and Thangka painting. This inspiration led him to combine contemporary materials with layered, textured surfaces to develop a distinctive visual language.
According to curator Aakshat Sinha, Dr Abu Kalam Shamsuddin is an artist, artist-teacher, and artist-researcher. He added that he and co-curator Harmandeep Singh were honoured to be able to work with the artist beyond borders. Shamsuddin says that he paints our inner demons, from which no one is exempt, but that we can still choose to control them. He likes to work with lines, which dominate his paintings.
The set of six paintings accompanied by mirrors features his self-portraits alongside his Arishadvarga. He says that things such as desires, ambitions, grief, and anger are useful in helping us reach certain points in our lives, but when we lose control over them, they become negative energies that are detrimental to us and everyone around us. He has used red in almost every painting, with the colour sometimes turning green, blue, or brown to depict the amplification of these energies. This also shows how industrialisation has played a huge part in environmental degradation. His use of metallic colours portrays the materialistic side of human nature.
The paintings featured in the exhibition speak of the artist’s involvement in philosophy and aesthetics, along with his knowledge and wisdom. The scale of the artworks and their unique presentation truly leave a mark on visitors’ minds. This flamboyant and exceptionally curated exhibition will continue at AFD until October 13, daily from 3:00pm to 9:00pm.
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