a good start

Juneer Kibria is of course Kibria, Jr.—though, with commendable independence of spirit, he has kept the information out of the catalogue of his first solo, recently held at the Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts

Intriguingly, the catalogue mentions that his date of birth was 21 February, but the year, though given at first has been conspicuously whitened over—put under erasure, in theoretical parlance. As if the artist were saying that the date is significant (Amar Ekushey) but not the year.

Still, Juneer is obviously in his mid-twenties, with just over a couple of years having elapsed since his graduation in 2003 from Wittenberg University in Ohio. The fact that he chose to devote an expensive educational stint in America towards obtaining a BFA in Print Making is in itself testimony to his artistic commitment. Like father like son!

While studying in the USA Juneer participated in three significant exhibitions, but the work displayed in his maiden solo is fresh from the studio, done since his homecoming. Rather unusually, he seems to have developed a particular fondness for encaustic, a mix of wax and oil paint which is excellent for building up texture. The effect becomes more pronounced because of the concomitant collaging of different materials.

Juneer’s professional interest in print making and his conspicuous use of texture may have been inherited from his father, but he is not to be dismissed as an artistic clone of his forebear. His art has its distinctive look. He succeeds in attaining his own balance between texture and structure. The sharp-edged square and rectangular forms that he imposes on his compositions introduce a dialectical tension that is his personal hallmark.

 ‘Fragile’ is the rather enigmatic title of the show. Marianna Bracht in her brief note in the catalogue explains that it refers to the fragility of memory, which is pictorially brought out through easily graspable symbols like footprints and palm-prints. It’s a good start for the young man; we shall follow his development with interest.

Kaiser Haq is member of the Jamini editorial board

Juneer Kibria is of course Kibria, Jr.—though, with commendable independence of spirit, he has kept the information out of the catalogue of his first solo, recently held at the Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts Intriguingly, the catalogue mentions that his date of birth was 21 February, but the year, though given at first has been…