Recounting history, Dr. Gul Nahar Begum offers an abstract perspective on contemporary events through her art. The multifaceted artist received her Bachelor and Masters in Fine Arts from Chittagong University. Dr. Begum is teaching as a professor in the Department of Painting, Oriental art and Printmaking at the University of Rajshahi. She completed her PhD in “Culture of Bengali Woman” (In The Light of Prehistory to 13th Century) from the Institute of Bangladesh Studies (IBS), University of Rajshahi.
Born in Rajshahi, Dr. Gul Nahar Begum is one of nine siblings. Driven towards the arts in all its many forms, the artist’s primary focus until her university life had actually been her music. She stated, “I used to recite poetry and practiced dance as a child. But I shifted my focus to the musical arts. I was taught music until I completed my SSC. Afterward, I was then given the chance to be a regular singer on radio and television.” The artist recalled the story of the pathway that led to her eventual shift towards painting, “One of my older brothers was a forest officer at the Chittagong division, and he knew one of the professors at my university. My teacher recommended that I focus on fine arts as, according to him, I was more likely to excel in the subject. I reapplied and changed my major. I subsequently discovered my knack for the subject. Music and painting are both within the realm of practicing art. If anything there is quite the junction between the two, they’re quite similar. Because of this similarity, I had found myself to be quite at ease and doing well.” Her drive to excel in her ventures was invigorated by the challenge of needing to prove herself, to herself and to everyone around her. She stated, “I had a drive to be the best, a need to prove myself. Of the 24 hours in a day, I would practice for 18 of them. I regularly sang for Chittagong radio.”
Dr. Gul Nahar Begum specializes in printmaking, engaging almost every day with the medium she chose for her masters. However, like many of the unforeseeable consequences of the pandemic, Dr. Begum experienced a shift. “While I engage in printmaking almost daily. Something I picked up during the lockdowns was acrylics. I created a lot using acrylic paint and have developed quite an interest in the medium. I’m quite fond of acrylics, I’ve already started sending out many of my works.” She goes on to describe a piece of hers done for a joint workshop hosted by Bangladesh and the United States, “This is a landscape piece I created during the workshop. This is my ‘Gram Bangla’.” Diving into the mental process behind her extensive work collections, the artist revealed that she primarily bases her work on contemporary events. “My work relating to the tragedy of the twin towers was selected in the 2001 Asian Art Exhibition and Urban Series-1, selected also in this Exhibition on 2017. Here I drew The Complexity of Building Construction using Print media in Dry point.”
Her art is closely tied to political and social issues that have plagued the world in recent years, both nationally and internationally. Dr. Gul Nahar Begum creates a post-disaster dystopia through narratives within a canvas, many of the works feature abstract motifs. While this is relative to the observer, the mixed media elements within some of her works create a sense of whimsical dimensionality.
“Things that should be written down due to their historical significance, I record them through my art.”
Dr. Gul Nahar Begum was awarded “The Bangladesh Shilpokola Academy” on 2015 for her contribution on art.
