Solo sculpture exhibition held at British HC's residence

A two-day sculpture exhibition concluded at the residence of the British High Commissioner in Dhaka on Friday. The garden of the residence of the British High Commissioner Alison Blake, provided the setting for a solo exhibition of sculpture by Arham-ul-Huq Chowdhury 'Hard Emotions', dramatically arranged and lit, so that the changing shadows and perspectives and the contrast with the foliage added further depth and contrast to the emotions portrayed in and evoked by the works themselves.

The artwork is available for sale and all proceeds raised go direct to the CRP to support its work. CRP is a project of the Trust for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed in Savar, an organisation working across a broad spectrum of disability, especially spinal cord injury where even the poorest of the poor receive treatment, rehabilitation and vocational training.

Those who already know Arham enjoyed seeing his works afresh and literally in a new light. "For those who haven't seen what he and the CRP workshop have achieved together, I hope that like me, they will be inspired by the transformations worked by the artist on metal as well as by CRP in transforming lives of the disabled and paralysed," said the High Commissioner. She said Arham has devoted all proceeds from his work to CRP, and hoped that this exhibition will encourage as many people as possible to support their work.

The sculptures were created by the artist and made in the workshop of the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP), where the artist was assisted by CRP workshop staff using the leftover pieces of metal after the wheelchairs and other mobility aids are constructed. It was founded by Valerie Taylor in 1979, who has been working since 1969 in this country in the field of disability. The artist, Arham-ul-Huq Chowdhury is trained in anthropology and held various solo exhibitions including pioneering in furniture, Bangla calligraphy, natural dye and Bonsai.  'Hard emotions' was previously shown at the Alliance Francaise in Dhaka in September-October 2016.