The painting exhibition of artists Halimul Islam Khokon titled Images of Inner Vision has begun at La Galerie. The inaugural ceremony of the exhibition was held on Friday, 20 July 2018.

Artist and critic Mustofa Zaman inaugurated the exhibition.

Halimul Islam Khokon is a seasoned ceramic artist who earned his MFA from the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka and studied in Japan under the supervision of Prof. Ryoji Koie, who is revered as one of the great masters of Japanese ceramics. After participating in more than 40 group exhibitions and four solo exhibitions, Khokon, now a enthusiastic painter, will present 40 paintings in this exhibition titled ‘Portrait of an Artist’.

These paintings — which can be categorised as experimental abstract art, take encouragement from his well-developed ceramicist artistry, which in itself takes inspiration from the Bangladeshi culture, tradition and history. The paintings also depict primitive cave art forms and different textural abstract forms. Khokon often focuses on the power of animal figures and shapes, or, among other things, brings patterns from moss-covered as well as paint-peeled walls or from glittering aqueous shapes.

According to artist and critic Mustofa Zaman: “In this 5th solo painting exhibition, one witnesses a series of works where a certain aesthetic routine is employed to achieve the desired results. There are works in which reference to animals are obvious, and there are others where textures and shapes fill the picture-plain, fully abdicating the idea of representation. These are imageries through which Halimul, perhaps, makes an attempt to return to an imaginary "plain of origin". It is in the second type that one experiences "a loosening of the stranglehold of technicity," to borrow from Martin Heidegger. Visual texture and its absence thereof sets the basis for the final composition in this set of works.”

The exhibition will be open to all till 2^nd August 2018 at La Galerie, Alliance Française de Dhaka. Visiting Hours:  Monday to Thursday from 3:00pm to 9:00pm, Friday and Saturday (9:00am to12:00 noon and 5:00pm to 8:00pm). Closed -Sunday.