‘Bengal Bliss and Harmony’: Fragments of Bengal in Texas

The everlasting beauty of Bengal and her women, the past relics, and the present elements are currently assembled at Lone Star College Art Gallery, City of Tomball, Texas — creating a window from the USA, across the Atlantic, to Bangladesh. Tasnuva Rahman, a Bangladeshi-American visual artist has adorned the walls of the gallery with her heritage, memoir, and artistry for her second solo exhibition titled "Bengal Bliss and Harmony". The event, curated by Jill Brumer, chair of the Fine Arts Department at Lone Star College and associate professor of Drama, is currently taking place in Texas.

Tasnuva grew up with parents who consistently encouraged her to engage in artistic activities. She learned vocals at Shishu Academy in Dhaka but, during her time there, found herself increasingly intrigued by her peers who were learning to draw. In the second grade, she visited Shantiniketan in India, where the influence of fine arts and the serene environment deeply resonated with her. Eventually, in ninth grade, she decided to pursue drawing. These formative experiences summed up in her decision to embark on a journey in the Department of Oriental Art at the Fine Arts Institute, University of Dhaka.

She possesses a style of mixed-media art that she creates by carving into acrylic paint layers. She uses recycled materials like brown paper, metal hangers, recycled cotton fabric, cold wax, and so on. For "Bengal Bliss and Harmony", she has selected 30 of her artworks. The series "Lost Coins" is a union of Bengali script, rickshaw art, and the old coins of Bangladesh that are not used anymore. 

The artist has fond memories of buying street food during her childhood with scallop-shaped 10 paisa coins and square-shaped five paisa coins. Thus, combining the vibrant hues of rickshaw art, the antiquity of Bengali script, and the emotions attached to the lost coins, she has created several small paintings against black backdrops. The only installation work is a play of light and shadow.

The ever-familiar images of Bengali women, their struggles, their resilience, their beauty, their demeanor, their skin, their attire – everything is presented vividly in Tasnuva's "Tradition and Gold" series, consisting of seven paintings. It speaks of traditions, culture, and economy, and portrays the typical picture of our society. However, in my eyes, the most mesmerising and skillful illustrations were the paintings of our national flower, the water lilies. These look like they had been carved out of one's dreams.

The artist considers herself lucky to have been in the presence of prominent artists of Bangladesh such as Nasreen Begum, Hashem Khan, Shawkatuzzaman, and Dr Abdus Satter. Tasnuva took part in several group exhibitions and graduated in 2006 before moving to the US. She is a certified digital artist and an experienced art instructor for senior citizens. Currently, she is pursuing a Master's degree at the University of Houston Downtown (UHD), Texas.

Tasnuva Rahman, who showcases her art on Instagram under the handle @artnuvatx, dreamt of representing Bangladesh internationally and she achieved that to an extent through "Bengal Bliss and Harmony". The ongoing exhibition began on October 29 and is scheduled to come to an end on November 26.

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