KARACHI: When Bangladeshi art critic Nurul Karim was recently in Karachi to present a paper at an art criticism seminar, his presentation stood out as he passionately appealed to artists to stay vigilant of western influences. He had come to the city with his family and briefly sat down with Dawn to discuss the modern Bangladeshi art scene.

He is editor of Jamini, Bangladesh’s first international arts quarterly and has been writing on art and cultural issues for about 10 years. He has also been published in international journals.

He was asked what influence did the erstwhile eastern wing’s separation from Pakistan have on Bengali artists.

“With independence, the first thing that came to Bangladeshi artists was a sense of liberation, a sense of freedom. But with freedom comes the responsibility of getting back to the roots. There had been a sort of resurgence to discover the traditions of Bangladesh and incorporate these with the contemporary artistic language,” he said.

As for the art movements prevailing in Bangladesh today, he said: “There is no organized movement but there is a trend to rediscover our traditions and incorporate whatever influences are coming from the West … a good blend. The earlier artists, let’s say the second generation, were going abroad on scholarships, getting exposure to the contemporary movement in the West. They developed an artistic vocabulary that was more western.

“But the new generation is challenging whatever influences are coming from the West. They are challenging the western hegemony. They are looking for their inspirations from the periphery – going to street art – to rediscover themselves. They are repositioning themselves in the globalized world.”

Nurul Karim said a similar trend towards tradition was also gaining ground in other fields of art.

“This is very true about music as well. Even the popular bands are looking for inspiration in folk songs, in mystic songs. That very much is the trend.” —QAM