-Najah Tahrim
Soma Surovi Jannat stunned everyone by achieving the one and only 22nd Young Artists’ Art Exhibition 2020 Award. The 22nd Young Artists’ Art Exhibition 2020 was an enormous platform for people aged between 21 and 25 to submit and present their artworks. A total of 368 artworks from 337 young artists were featured in the exhibition. Even though it was held during a global pandemic, it could not stop people from visiting this remarkable display.
The 22nd Young Artists’ Art Exhibition 2020 Award was the only reward that was open for all the participants; with a monetary prize of taka 1 lakh. There were 11 additional awards given for each of the 11 categories. Soma won for her elegant installation called, “Adikatha.”
In Bengali "Adikatha" translates to "The Beginning." Soma spoke about her experience during the Covid-19 global pandemic. She mentioned how being locked down inside her home reminded her of a time when people used to live in caves hundreds of years ago, metaphorically "the beginning" of time, from the title of her artwork. Thus, she tried to merge the present and the past using graphic communication from prehistoric times through art. Her installation contained symbols found from prehistoric times. A total of 32 symbols were found. It is considered as a language in graphic communications since it was the main form of communication in historical time.
“Adikatha” was made with diverse materials; paper from natural fiber, chalk, yellow soil, pen, tea, and natural color. Instead of using traditional paint, she came up with ways to utilize natural ingredients as sources of paper and pigmented colors. As shown in the picture, she included 12 symbols from the 32 that were originally founded.
Her creation is said to be succinct. It conveys a brief meaningful message to the viewers. Just like poetry, art needs a touch of musical quality. It brings out harmony and rhythm through words, or in this case, art.
In her interview with Moushumi Mou (on the right) from Shomoy TV, Soma gave a detailed explanation of her installation. She mentioned how time flies in front of our eyes and so do stories from the past. Allegorically she stated, “The stories of the past flows in the air which cannot be visually seen.” The value of the past slowly fades away with time; hence she tried to remind people of those using ancient symbols as an icon. She said the 32 symbols were found inside the caves where cavemen used to live and are now being investigated by archeologists. As an artist, she wanted to create a new language using these prehistoric symbols as a form of art. According to Soma, these exhibitions are a platform for artists to use their imagination power to communicate or deliver their thoughts to the audience.
Soma Surovi Jannat, born in 1990, Bangladesh. Her education includes Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Department of Drawing & Painting, Faculty of Fine Art, Dhaka University, Bangladesh and Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Department of Painting, Visva Bharati, Santiniketan, India. Over the past few years, she took part in numerous exhibitions, national and internationally, also won multiple awards. She even had a solo art exhibition, Grey Contours, La Galerie, Alliance Francaise de Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2018.
“There are no strong platforms for the emerging artists so that they could continue with their practices. Many artists have been hit hard by the COVID-19 outbreak. The Young Artists’ Exhibition, National Art Exhibition, and Asian Art Biennale are the major platforms for showcasing our talent. I am very happy that my work has been selected as the best work in the exhibition. It will inspire me to work hard in the coming days,” Soma Surovi Jannat told New Age.
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