oldfangled
Firoz Mahmud
Born
and brought up in Khulna, Firoz Mahmud admitted to Dhaka University`s
Fine Art Institute in early 90`s. He studied foundation art courses
under drawing and painting department. He drew more than 3000 pencil
drawings, pen sketches and pastel drawings in his first two years of
his art education. He also made about one thousand water colors of
human, slum, market and people of many professions. Lived and worked
in slum, old decaying-ramshackled building room studio surrounded by
green market, Firoz spent most of his time to make art and art
besides his institution.
Here
are few examples of his primary art practices. Few are pencil
drawings, few are watercolors and few are with oil paintings. During
his art institution in 90`s he received seven best medium art prizes
including Shilpachariya Zainul Abedin Gold Medal, Experimental
painting prize, Drawing Best Prize, Oil Painting Best Prize,
Watercolor Best Prize, Pen Sketch Best Prize and Pencil Sketch Best
Prize. He also achieved Dilnasheen Khanom Gold Medal from Dhaka
University for receiving recorded highest marks in final exam.
He
lost most of his early artworks. Many of his works were lost by
termite (white ant)`S bite. They severely loved Firoz`s work . Many
works were washed out by flood and rain. Documents and images of few
of his previous academic works were discovered. These images of
pencil drawing, watercolor, oil paintings, etc. are on view here.
bio:
Now,
Firoz Mahmud is
one of the emerging contemporary artists in Bangladesh. He is well
known for his major scale artworks and for his living and working
across the globe. Recently sharing his life between New York and
Tokyo . He did research/residency at International Studio and
Curatorial Program (2011) in New York, Ph.D on fine arts from Tokyo
University of the Arts (2011), research artist at Rijksakademie Van
Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam (2003-04), MFA from Tama Art
University (2007), BFA from Dhaka University`s Fine Art Institute
(1997).
Firoz
integrates elements of nature and everyday materials, creating
phenomenal works of art over the past decade. He loves processing
objects, materials, paintings, drawings and all over media to create
wide range of artworks. He works on installation, oil Painting
(Layapa
Art),
Urgency
of Proximate Drawing [NinKi:UoPD],
photograph, object, and video. His works are based on socio-political
culture, myth, tradition, universal common idea, pop culture and
eventful past. His Layapa Art (Oil Paintings) are mostly with
open-ended narratives that are analytically painted and emotionally
charged. Layapa
Art technique
was primarily taken from Japanese woodcut printing (Ukiyo-e浮世絵)
with the style of Bangladeshi traditional rendering mud painting by
village women.
The Urgency of Proximate Drawing [NinKi:UoPD] at very outset was
anonymous, but gradually he exhibited in museums, project spaces and
public spaces using his own name.
His
ARTIST-in-RESIDENCY
program includes Ozu Culture Center (2009), Rieti/Rome, Italy,
Kolkata Nandonik, India and International Studio and Curatorial
Program (2011) in New York.
He
EXHIBITED
in
a number of major exhibitions including, 1st Aichi Triennale (2010),
Tashkent Biennale (2009), Sharjah Biennale , UAE (2009), Cairo
Biennale (2008), Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale (2006 & 2009 in
DAP), Asian Biennale Bangladesh (2008, 2002 & 2000). His work
also EXHIBITED
at the Metropolitan Art Museum in Tokyo, Fuchu Art Museum, Ota
Fine Arts, University Art Museum, Mori Art Museum (Center
Gallery) , The University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts in
Tokyo, Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Aichi
Prefectural Museum of Art (2010) in Japan, kunsthaus Tacheles in
Berlin, Rochester Contemporary Art Center, New York, Sovereign
Asian Art Foundation, The Landmark Atrium, Hong
Kong, ShContemporary08, Shanghai Exhibition Center, S.M.A.K.,
The Municipal Museum of Contemporary Art – Ghent, Witte de
With, Center for Contemporary Art, Rotterdam,Changwon Sungsan Art
Hall, Korea, National Art Gallery, Dhaka , Rijksakademie
Van Beeldende Kunsten, Projectruimte Oost, MediaSchip in Amsterdam,
Metropolitan-Gallery Mostings & Byggeriets Hus, Frederiksberg,
Copenhagen,Denmark,
Royal Over-seas League, London, Concourse RNCM,
Manchester and Edinburgh College of Art, Scotland, Mayor
Plaza, Madrid, Birla Academy, Kolkata, India, Asbestos Art Space, La
Gallery, National Gallery and National Museum, Dhaka, Yatta
! Anzen !-NinKi:UoPD, B.A.D. Museum
of Contemporary Art Yuga Gallery Geidai, `Lamentation` Ota Fine Arts
, Tokyo. `I
buy, You Frame ! 10% Tax, 100% Discount
Urgency
of Proximate Drawing is on SALE`,
New York, `Step
Across This Line`-Contemporary
art from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, Asia House , London,
Agartola City Center, India, Dhaka Art Center and Bengal Gallery of
Fine Arts, Dhaka.
He
got several national and international AWARDS
and prizes including Asian
Cultural Council/Starr Foundation grant from
New York (ACC-2010/2011), Short listed5-Jiro
Yoshihara Project 2009mini, Osaka
Contemporary Art Center, Prize for Art
project Ideas` from
Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art(2009), Arts Networks
Asia (ANA
research grant),
Singapore(2007), Kaiseikai Foundation Grants
(2007), Monbukagakusho Japanese
Government Scholarship(2007), Dutch Ministry of Foreign
Affairs Rijksakademie
Fellowship ,
Netherlands (2003), ’Elizabeth
Greenshields Foundation Grants’, Canada(1998), C.E.D.S.-Prize’, Royal
Over-seas League, London, Khalaghar National Art Prize,
Dhaka, Dilnasheen
Khanom Gold Medal (2002)
& Shilpachariya
Zainul Gold Medal’ (All
Art Media Best), Institute of Fine Art, Dhaka (1997). He
represented by Ota Fine Arts in Tokyo.
