mij KzÛwj
“Time is not passing, rather it is we, who are passing through it” – sums up an ontological conception of human existence that deals with a dimension called time, imaginary, unfathomable, inevitable as well. Visually, if we consider time as a tunnel, we can relate to it as an entity signaling something luminous in the in-between phases, having vague and obscure ends in two opposite positions named, ‘past’ and ‘future’. On the other hand, history is regarded as a spiral order where the incidents occur closer to the same point of the previous cycle than when they were to the remote point of the same cycle.
DAAGI as an artists’ collective, is trying to create these dialogues within the stairway of the newly built architecture of the DrikPath Bhobon, which houses the Pathshala South Asian Media Institute. The structure of the spiral stairway has provided an impetus to our collaborative interactions, which have been triggered by the described idea of time and being.
DAAGI Art Garage
The Daagi Art Garage is a collaborative and supportive collective, comprised of seven Dhaka-based artists working across a variety of disciplines. Officially founded on friendship and common perceptions, members took a studio space together where they could meet, make work, share ideas, and solve their own and others artistic problems, inspire and support each other.
Having formed close working relationships through their ongoing conversations and creative exchanges, with each member contributing his own viewpoint, the group exposes new depths within their chosen themes, while diversifying their own thinking.
Dhiman Sarkar
An art practitioner based in Dhaka. He is an art writer, art teacher, organiser and a founder- member of the Daagi Art Garage. In his work he explores the changing globalised world and the metamorphosed psyche of mankind through devising conceptual structures and visual expressions. In his experimental work, Dhiman explores the position of the self in diverse subcontinental cultures. Though he has achieved his degree in painting from the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka he is interested in engaging in multidisciplinary visual works.
Emran Sohel
He is a Dhaka based multidisciplinary art practitioner and founder member of the Daagi Art Garage. His works spring out of his interpretations of local and global contexts of modernity, post-modernity, and other contemporary conditions which defy categorisation. He operates from within the space between natural and manmade places, personal and social times while taking into account the secret lives of plants and objects. Emran is also involved with several other collective initiatives like Shonimongal Adda and Cafe ReLi, artist-run initiatives which portray performativity as a leading form of art practice.
Rasel Chowdhury
He is a multidisciplinary visual artist and founder member of the Daagi Art Garage. As an alumnus of the Pathshala South Asian Media Academy, Rasel has been equally active in the discursive community that is developing around exhibitions and arts programming in contemporary Dhaka.
Rupam Roy
Rupam Roy’s enigmatic sculptures are the product of exploring the relationship between sound and object. He analyses the sources of sound and draws lines in spontaneous gestures, in response to a sound piece—preferring to lose control in the process. Rupam earned his post-graduation degree from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Dhaka University, in 2011.
Sanad Kumar Biswas
Sanad Kumar Biswas is an artist based in Dhaka, with a keen interest in experimenting in the in-between spaces of sculpture, installation, and live art. Biswas’s work explores his own relevance in transformations that occur on a global scale, scrutinising his momentary existence which keeps changing within the constraints of space and time.
Sanjid Mahmud
Sanjid Mahmud, who grew up in Dhaka, is a visual artist whose Bachelor’s degree is in sculpture (University of Dhaka). Besides sculpture, he also practices drawing: vigorously-drawn, strong and expressive lines are characteristic of his art. His work delves into socio political issues, the human entity, and daily activities in public spaces. He is also a performance artist and explores breathing, inhalation, and feelings of suffocation and claustrophobia. Sanjid says, “This work, titled ‘Claustrophobia’, is about antipathy towards notions of free thinking, open conversations, and the liberty of the human soul. It is about wanting to fill one’s lungs with a deep breath but not being able to do so.” He is one of the founder members of the Daagi Art Garage and Director at Chanderpur Art Residency and project coordinator at the Dhaka Live Art Biennale.
Syed Tareq Rahman
Syed Tareq Rahman is an artist based in Dhaka, who completed his BFA and MFA from the Department of Sculpture, Faculty of Fine Arts, Dhaka university. For most of his sculptures, Tareq casts his work using metal, cement, and fiberglass, as well as wood, brass, iron, and stone. His work deals with contemporary urban society. The intricately chaotic formations and structures Tareq creates symbolises the superficial and near-robotic people of modern times, whereas he himself solemnly wishes to return to a time of stability, harmony, and ethereal beauty.