Abinta Gallery of Fine Arts Dhaka is pleased to present an exhibition of New York based artist
Firoz Mahmud and his few distinct yet interrelated bodies of paintings. Developed throughout
his practice in last few years, these large-scale Layapa Stencil paintings, mixed media on paper
and drawings speak directly to Firoz’s continued exploration of history, narratives, myth, and
belief with his unique stencil techniques oil painting on asymmetrical shaped canvases and
rough-hewn edged heterogeneous media based work on paper. Reanimating Bengal’s historical
past and collective memory of sociopolitical factors, personification to abstract concepts of
Zamindars of Bengal, objects, motif, places and historical texts.
The works have quondam roots as storytelling and artistic devices, and most of Firoz’s works
have traditional fables or narrativity with varied techniques and materials used. In his paintings
and paper works Firoz uses idioms of backstories—such as old palace, fort, mansion, spice tree
or herbaceous plant, tiger or skeleton of tiger, owl and symbolic shape of owls, blessing of the
fairy, citizens, colonial trade and more. He revived links of British Raj-era, 1905’s Partition of
Bengal, East Pakistan Era and connection of independent Bangladesh with his own signature
style.
Firoz creates a lyrical Bengal of his own revelation. This conventional and generic diversity
mines the fecund aesthetic and philosophical tensions central to Firoz’s paintings: chronicle,
nature and reality, exterior life and inner reality, elaboration and intimacy, organic and imitation.
He synchronizes these dichotomies into contemporary somatic and temporal sites of
embodiment and its regional connection.
He has been creating Layapa Stencil painting on uneven canvas, which he calls `Layapa Art
[stencil painting]`. He initiated this technique during his research program at Rijksakademie VBK
in Amsterdam in 2003/04. The ‘Layapa’ is a Bengali word that means anoint or plaster. ‘Layapa’
is the term he uses for applying paint on canvas or on objects in a manner used for anointing or
plastering by women on clay hut in rural Bangladesh. Traditionally, many people in the
countryside live mostly in clay hut and they meticulously apply many layers of thick-liquid mud,
mixing with cow dung on the wall and floor of the hut. Artist Firoz paints the way rural people
anoint mud and dream on living hut.
He makes painting of historical image and he wants to deconstruct the idea of painting using
stencil-layapa technique to deform the border of the frame and prefer not to terminate the
painting image as histories are linked each other. He was also inspired the stencil technique
from narrative stencil painting created on doorway of those clay hut and Japanese Ukiyo-e
(woodblock print). Initially color of Layapa painting was predominantly raw green color, which he
painted on canvas and installation objects. Though in recent years he uses multiple colors in his
paintings. Two of his remarkable green painted works are families with green eyeglass project
titled ‘Soaked Dream’ which he has been creating and exhibiting globally on emerging, refugee
and migrant families and another project is ‘Halcyon Tarp’ installation exhibited at Sharjah
Biennale in UAE. He created 20 feet by 12 feet long hut using roughly 40 kilograms of oil
Layapa painting entirely on top of hut, sculptures and all objects. Artist believes the green is
symbol of ecology and a verb. It is the color of life, energy, growth, hope, rebirth, fertility, and
environment. Green has close ties with Islam and Bangladesh.
ABOUT ARTIST:
Bangladeshi artist Firoz Mahmud was born in Khulna and now based in New York. He
has been one of the significant contemporary artists from Bangladesh for his large-scale artworks and
long running art series of paintings for last few years. He was a fellow researcher artist at Rijksakademie
VB Kunsten, Amsterdam, and achieved PhD from the Tokyo University of Arts, MFA from Tama Art
University and a MFA and BFA from Dhaka University. He attended artist in research and residency
program at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, SU-CASA artist at Queens Council on the Arts,
Flux Factory, International Studio and Curatorial Program (ISCP) in New York, OZU Culture Center, Rieti /
Rome, Italy, Tama Art University & Tokyo University of Arts and Music, Japan. Firoz taught and lectured
many institutions including Salisbury University, Cornell University, ULAB, Davidson College and DePaul
University Chicago.
His artworks have been exhibited at several international art Biennale and Triennial exhibitions including
1st Bangkok Art Biennale, 1st Lahore Biennial, Dhaka Art Summit, Setouchi Triennial (BDP), 1st Aichi
Triennial, Sharjah Biennale, Busan Biennale, Asian Art Biennale, Cairo Biennale and Echigo-Tsumari
Triennial in Japan.
Firoz has also exhibited at the Office of Contemporary Art (OCA), Norway, MAXXI Museum of 21st
Century Arts Rome, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan Contemporary Art at Asia House London, Hiroshima
Museum of Contemporary Art, University Art Museum, Setagaya Art Museum Tokyo, Metropolitan Art
Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo & Geidai PS1, Fuchu Art Museum, Kyu-Iwasaki Tei
Museum, Dynamo Art Project at Echigo Tsumari Art Triennale, Mori Art Museum (CG) Tokyo; Sovereign
Art Foundation in Hong Kong, Shanghai Exhibition Center, Art Dubai, Metropolitan Mostings Hus
Copenhagen, JCAL, Metro Pictures, Flux Factory, Children Museum, Massacheusets Museum of
Contemporary Art A4Astudios/B12 and Hammond Museum in New York, Arthur Berger Art Gallery,
Manhattanville, International Studio and Curatorial Program (ISCP), ABC No Rio, Skoto Gallery in New
York, Ota Fine Arts in Tokyo and Singapore, Exhibit320 in Delhi, Dhaka Art Center, Alliance Francaise
Gallery, National Museum and Bengal Gallery in Dhaka. He is represented by Ota Fine Arts in Tokyo,
Singapore, Shanghai and Exhibit 320 in New Delhi. More info: http://firoz-mahmud.com/
