Old Dhaka's poetry in architecture and art: Rafiq Azam's solo exhibition 'Threshold'

Architect Rafiq Azam's solo exhibition 'Threshold: Art and Architecture' is on at the Kamrul Hasan gallery of Bengal Shilpalaya in Dhanmondi. The poetic reality of old Dhaka's memories comes alive in his line drawings, watercolours, photographs and architectural models.

The exhibition, organised by the Bengal Foundation, was inaugurated on Friday afternoon, a holiday, by noted artist Monirul Islam. Architect Professor Shamsul Wares and architect Jalal Ahmed spoke as discussants, and architect Rafiq Azam presented his artistic vision. The exhibition has been curated by noted artists Mahbubur Rahman and Tayeba Begum Lipi. It will run until December 5, open to all every day from 4pm to 8pm.

Rows of boats drawn with swift lines rest on the riverbank. There are also the old mansions of old Dhaka, the minarets and domes of mosques seen from afar, and the mystery of light and shade in watercolour. Beside them are photographs of modern architecture and architectural models. Together, they bring out the poetry of old Dhaka's remembered reality.

As soon as one enters the gallery, a large board on the front wall catches the eye with an architectural design. The side walls carry line drawings done in ink and pen.

Architect Rafiq Azam was born in Lalbagh, in old Dhaka, and he has observed Dhaka's transformation closely. Unplanned urbanisation and a harsh, treeless urban landscape — all of this appears in his pictures. Overhead electricity wires stretched above houses, fragments of old Dhaka's ancient buildings, roof cornices, arches and walls — all are there in his line drawings.

His line drawings also show boats on the riverbank. He has drawn boats of many shapes, their forms captured from the front, the back and the side. There are rickshaws too, from the hand-pulled rickshaws of old days to pedal rickshaws — he has drawn them all. There are also trees spreading their wavy branches.

The watercolour works are largely abstract in style, with the mystery of black and white. The exhibition also includes architectural designs of private residences and institutional buildings, along with photographs and models highlighting the special features of those buildings. The vastness of Dhaka city, expanding haphazardly along the Buriganga, also finds a place in the exhibition.

A large part of the gallery floor is taken up by an installation made of his architectural models, draft designs, sketchbooks and notebooks of writing. Along the southern wall of the room, a video of architect Rafiq Azam is being shown, in which he shares his experience of his architecture and artistic vision.

Architect Rafiq Azam received his formal education from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and pursued higher studies in Australia. This is his third solo exhibition organised by the Bengal Foundation. Earlier, he held two exhibitions titled 'Nature Is' in 2008 and 'Water in Light' in 2014.

In addition, the book 'Architecture for Green Living' on Rafiq Azam's work and ideas has been published jointly by the renowned Italian publishing house Skira and the Bengal Foundation. For his architectural work, architect Rafiq Azam has received many awards and honours at home and abroad, including the 'Leading European Architect' award.