'Parables of the Womb'
A two-month solo fine art exhibition of artist Dilara Begum Jolly titled 'Parables of the Womb' happens to be underway at Quamrul Hassan Exhibition Hall of Bengal Shilpalaya in Dhanmondi of the administrative centre.
The Ambassador of the Royal Norwegian Embassy Sidsel Bleken inaugurated the exhibition as the principle guest on February 4 at Bengal Shilpalaya, while Director of Bengal Institute architect Marina Tabassum and filmmaker Shameem Akhter were present on the occasion as special guests.In her speech, Sidsel Bleken said about the exhibition, "In search of spreading art and being human, such practice is necessary in any society.
Through the utilization of different mediums, the artist has marked a sign of craftiness in her work." Marina Tabassum said about the artworks at the exhibition, "The works in this exhibition are incredibly powerful, which easily made me think of them. It also made me interested to know the backdrop story and history of these works."
'Parables of the Womb' explores the area of women during war and reads in to the conceptual perplexity of gendered history. In times of war, history shows us hostility to omen and a rise in patriarchal authority.
Dilara Begum Jolly recalls the precise plight of Bangladeshi women through the troubled times of the Liberation War; expressed through the evocative needle-works on photograph and x-ray, and a psychosomatic video portrayal of Roma Chowdhury, a 'Birangona' (war hero). The artist's testament to gender roles in war culminates a feminist perspective.
Trained as a painter, Jolly can be known to use various media including performance, video and sound. She has developed a signature practice of needling in some recoverable format and, recently, photographs - a painstaking process during which she draws motifs in some recoverable format, or highlights areas on photographs, through needle prickling.
Her show 'Parables of the Womb' explores themes of gender, trauma and the feminine body.The exhibition is available to all each day from 2pm to 8pm until March 28 (closed on Sundays).
