BANGLADESHI SCULPTORS
NOVERA AHMED (1939-2015)
• Considered a pioneer and the first modern sculptor of Bangladesh,
N. Ahmed introduced modern sculpture into what was then East
Pakistan even before sculpture was included in the curriculum of the
Government Institute of Arts in Dhaka.
• Novera was born to an enlightened and cultured family from
Chittagong. Her mother had a special talent for making dolls and
dolls’ houses in clay and other everyday materials, which triggered
Novera’s early fascination with making three dimensional forms.
• She studied sculpture at Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts in
London from 1951 to 1955, under the tutelage of eminent Czech
sculptor Dr. Karel Vogel, and achieved the National Diploma in
Design. She received further training in Florence from Venturino
Venturi.
• The most striking thing about Novera was her lifestyle. She dressed
beautifully – like a Baishnabi – wearing Rudrashkh garland and a
small bun on top of her head – in one word that was characteristic
at a time when society bound women to their homes,”
• Novera’s key style was anthropomorphic forms -
mixing the human figure and animals together in
one sculpture. Example, Family.
• Her forms were fluid, curvy and geometrical.
• Her sculptures had void/openings in them which
created a sense of transparency.
• She vastly worked with stones and cement in
early years. Later she worked with iron, steel and
bronze.
• She came into prominence through her first solo
exhibition, entitled Inner Gaze and held in Dhaka
in August 1960, which showcased about 75
exhibits from 1956 to 1960, mainly executed in
cement. It was also the first-ever solo sculpture
exhibition by any sculptor of Bangladesh and
Pakistan.
Family, poured concrete
Composition, poured concrete
Composition 2, cement Two Figures, cement, height 31.
Reclining figure, poured concrete
Composition, cement, height 71cm
Relief work on south wall of central Library, DU, 1957
The sun dance, bronze (left), Sunflower women, bronze, 1973
•Novella also enjoyed
painting, her drawings
included: shapes and figures,
minimalist landscapes,
meditative characters : space,
island, birds in the sky,
phoenix, flowers, water,
sunshine and the moon.
Soul of the Phantom, 130x97cm, 1973.
The nose, oil, 1973 Eve in the garden of Eden, oil, 1992
• Novera was credited alongside Hamidur Rahman
for the original design of the Central Shahid Minar
in Dhaka.
• Novera had left the country after 1960 and had
been in isolation since – mostly forgotten for over
30 years before resurfacing in writings and
discussions after in the 90’s
• Artist Zainul Abedin described her work saying
"What Novera is doing now will take us a long time
to understand – she is that kind of an artist.”
• "She was the forerunner of modern women
emancipation – expressing liberty of women at a
time when no one dared,”- Ekushey Padak winning
litterateur Hasnat Abdul Hye
• She broke barriers and paved the way for women
artists in Bangladesh but her skills and hard work
were lost in the ignorance of a patriarchal society.
Hamiduzzaman Khan (1946-CURRENT)
• Hamiduzzaman graduated in fine arts from
the College of Arts and Crafts in 1967 and
received a master degreeUniversity of
Baroda, India, in 1976.
• A visit to the USA in the early 80s exposed
him to abstract forms and their relationship
to public spaces and urban landscapes. On
his return he became one of the leading
Bangladeshi artists to focus on the
integration of art and sculpture in public
spaces.
• He has achieved acclaim both locally and
internationally for his metal-based sculptures.
• He works with a variety of material -
metal sheet, stainless steel, bronze,
plaster of Paris, wood.
• His sculpture style focuses on forms
and geometrical shapes.
• Architectural elements like form, line,
geometry are quite evident in his work.
• His sculptures are not exact depiction
of real life subjects, rather they are
abstracted composition.
• He also enjoys watercoloring of
landscapes.
• Hamiduzzaman received the Best Award in
the first National Sculpture Exhibition and in
Life Oriented Art Exhibition at the
Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in 1976. He
was given the Prime Minister’s Award for
Beautification of Dhaka City and the
Ekushey Padak in 2006. Hamiduzzaman is a
member of the Faculty of Fine Arts,
University of Dhaka.
MRINAL HAQUE (1958-CURRENT)
• Born in Rajshahi, Bangladesh, he joined the Art
Institution in 1977 received his BA from The Fine Arts
Institute of Dhaka University.
• Appointed by the Government of Bangladesh, he is
best known for making sculptures and murals all over
Bangladesh.
• He works with variety of material such as clay, marble,
plaster, cement, bronze, copper and terracotta.
• His work has been exhibited across the globe in thirty
different countries.
• "I want to take art from the living rooms of the elite to
the masses. I dream that the whole Dhaka City becomes
my gallery. That is why I have done a lot of roadside
murals. Making profit through the sculptures to beautify
the city is not my interest. I do it to be remembered by
the people” - Haque
• His specializes in creating innovative sculptures
using junk metals or recycled metal objects. For
example:
o His sculpture, Digital Desire in front of IDB-BCS
Computer City entrance depicts a man and
woman in pose of walking. It is created by using
computer hardware scraps specially circuit boards
and cables to build two humanoids.
o His sculpture, Ispater Kanna which means ‘cry of
steel’ is a representation of a rickshaw which is
being pulled by a rickshaw puller with two
passengers on it. It is fascinatingly made by junk
rickshaw chains and is located in Dhanmondi area.
