& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Fareha Zeba: Building Bridges

Nivedita Rattzvon Frentz
“There is an imaginary, indiscernible veil around us, which haunts me. It is the compelling force behind the pace of my progression. I have always wanted to know what lies on the other side of this imperceptible veil. No wonder, it can be found in almost all my work.”
Artistic leanings are often deep-seated in childhood; such was the case with Fareha Zeba. Rambles with her mother along riverbanks and through woods kept her in sync with nature. Noticing Zeba's creativity blossoming, her mother enrolled her into children's art classes run by Charukala. She went on to win the junior Zainul Abedin award, convincing her parents to let her proceed with an arts degree.
At Charukala, Zeba was doubly blessed, in her teachers and friends. The former introduced her to a variety of techniques, encouraging her to explore and experiment. Being from a conservative family, Zeba was truly amazed by the freedom encapsulating Charukala; painting was her release from the cocoons of tradition. She met an eclectic bunch of people, including her classmate and husband Saidul Haque Juise.
From the word go, figurative, political and women's themes have been close to Zeba's heart, moving her to use them as bases for several exhibitions. She has striven hard to establish her own, individual style, and tried painting on a daily basis, her sketchbook her constant companion.
First solo exhibitions are always memorable and Zeba’s was no exception. Held in Cox's Bazaar in the early 1980s, mostly graphics and woodcuts were on display. Jumping in at the deep end, she recalls being pleasantly surprised by the positive public response. "Little watercolours that made up rny everyday personal diary led to my An artwork by Fareha Zeba second solo venture. I covered numer
ous topics, experimenting, trying to break from typical artistic norms. Again, I was satisfied with people's reactions," added Zeba.
At a private show in Denmark in 1993, other artists commented on the similarities between her and avant garde Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo's work. Previously unaware of Kahlo, Zeba’s research revealed a startling resemblance in their thought processes. “A friend and I wanted to develop an awareness of Frida in Bangladesh. I became obsessed and read extensively about her life, driven to do an exhibition combining our styles,” resulting in Zeba's ultimate tribute, “Homage to Frida Kahlo.” She considers her Frida phase to be the most important as an artist, a significant turning point in her life.
Having always taken a keen interest in women's issues, it is not surprising that Zeba admired the progressive ways of stalwart Bangladeshi feminist author, Sufia Kamal. Zeba dedicated her last solo show in 2003, “Twilight Magic," to Sufia Kamal, so named after her first poetry book, “Sha(n)jher Maya." “The event seemed to strike a chord with the public and was also a success because of backing from Sufia Kamal's family," said Zeba.
Seeing the plight of their teacher Malibubul Amin portrayed pathetically on television, Zeba and fellow artist Kuhu tried, unsuccessfully, to form a group to help needy artists. Soon after, a peace-themed exhibition was hosted in honour of an Indian delegation of female artists, journalists and activists. This was the breeding ground from which germinated the idea for 'Shako' (Bengali for bridge), a group of nine women artists, of which Zeba is an active member.
Some profits from Shako's annual show are donated to charities such as CRP (Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed), Acid Survivors' Foundation and various drugs rehabilitation projects. Shako always invites other women artists to join the exhibition, enabling a confluence of techniques and styles. Every year, Shako also arranges a competition for art college students, with substantial financial rewards. Zeba believes that the use of watercolours is on the wane; the exhibition is seen as an opportunity not only to encourage budding artists, but also to foster a re-emergence of watercolour as an integral artistic medium. To teach underprivileged Bangladeshi children some craft, setting them on the road to self-sufficiency is on Zeba's wish list. In this regard, Shako's effort to train differently-abled girls to make greeting cards is a success story. “We are trying to put something back into society and dispel the negative image that sometimes attaches to artists."
Her initial European experience in the early 90s brought with it exposure to installation and video art which "changed my definition of art. I realised that such art forms had been ; - long pracusedmlu^^
' ' of dynamic Gerrtian 'artist Joseph
Beuys.” Zeba's first serious installation was appreciated by her peers at another all-women's workshop in Alexandria. Most recently, a long-cherished Ethiopian sojourn brought home the compelling differences in the church paintings compared to their European counterparts.
An exhibition of Zeba's recent works, paintings done in the last three years, is on at Galleri Kaya (House 20, Road 16, Sector 4, Uttara). Once again, topics she feels passionately about, women and the unsettling current global situation, are the rationales. She has introduced new colours into the mixed media paintings. "I haven't shown anyone these pictures, so I'm very excited at the prospect. Pink gives a certain softness and orange is a strong colour appealing to many.” The show ends on April 3.