shafiqul kabir chandan's fibre art weaving the breath of the universe
translated by Nico Smeenk
A craftsman forms a vision of his art using his life experiences and gives this vision form using the bounty of the land. Shafiqul Kabir Chandan, a renowned Bangladeshi artist living in Italy, weaves the lives he has led and the places he has loved together to create his unique crafts-based art. Anna Baldi speaks with this internationally acclaimed artist, whose art bears a close connection to crafts.
The eyes of Shafiqul Kabir Chandan light up when he speaks about his work. I can imagine him as a child, sitting at the entrance of his house, looking at the nodes in the roots of the “wisdom trees” in his village and at the multi-coloured patterns of his mother’s sari. Because of the landscapes of Bangladesh and his close contact with its soil, through long and slow walks along the meridians of his culture, Chandan has acquired ancestral, immanent energies.
Chandan’s work often interprets the dense reflections of the sun between the vegetation of forests and rice fields, as if the artist conceived three-dimensionally the magma of life above the earth’s crust. Colour fields and contrasts follow precise concepts of time, memory, melancholy and tenderness. Encounters are knots, silences in prayers are knots; life itself for the artist is the knot that is tightened or untied, if only to modify the design of the knot. Textile weavers have helped Bangladesh reinforce its identity, culture and tradition, revitalized its social and spiritual communication and enhanced its reputation and business. The mantra-like rhythm connecting Chandan’s thoughts with his hands on the weaving loom helps this Bangladeshi craftsman discover anew the rhythm of the universe, and the deep meaning of each knot that binds man to the infinite existential weavings of the universe.
Chandan is a direct descendant of a weaving tradition. His work is creative and constructive at the same time, he is not limited by the urge to be special and there is no division between “artistic time” and “ordinary time” in his work. Like the gestures of Homo Faber or Giotto, his movements are pure and practical.
walls and diaries
In the villages of Bangladesh, the walls of many houses are built with interweaving reeds and leaves: they are living, breathing enclosures. Chandan holds this principle of construction delicately in remembrance in his works of art.
In Grace of Earthen Hedge, (2009), the fibre art weaving is vibrant, full of roughness and knots and clotted with light. The knots are thoughts that run across the wall, embodying memories of moments and emotions, voices, words and laughter, wind whooshes, sun and shadow, salamanders on walls, children’s hand traces left in the fields where they have played. In the duality of his weaving you can read the three-dimensionality of his home town. Consequently and parallel to these walls, the Pages of a Diary, (2009) represent a fundamental stage of Chandan’s work. In addition to the knots and the textile volume, Chandan has created drawings of knots on white tissue. They recall, in their lightness and physical precision, the sketches of Leonardo da Vinci. Working on the brilliant contrast between the complex existential symbology of the knot and the subtle sign with which it has been traced, Chandan reveals his mastery of the fundamental laws of life and creation. Simplicity is an aim – difficult to reach – and lightness or subtlety is one of the ways that lead to it.
major and minor arts
Holding a fibre thread in his hands, knotting and unknotting it continuously, Chandan informs me that institutions have divided the arts into major and minor, starting from the Renaissance period, and eventually downgraded the artisan to a mere technician while upgrading the artist to a superior being. Leonardo da Vinci had the same problem with the academics of his time and he called himself – with typical Tuscan wit – homo sanza lettere (man without learning); thus, taunting those who laughed at him while declaring his “incapacity” in writing, to come up with profound and meaningful studies.“Society has evolved for ages by building on the artisans’ mastery,” says Chandan, “and it is exactly from the birth of industrialization in England, that the counter-revolution of the arts and crafts movement started, where the entire significance of the artisan culture was re-evaluated with strength and determination.” That marked a crucial turning point, for it planted the seeds for future compromises between craftsmanship and industry (the birth of design) and between craftsmanship and art (action painting and fibre art). And by now, contemporary art has completely re-conquered the idea of Homo Faber ending the discussion between major and minor arts.
in the beginning there was a knot
I ask Chandan if his vast creativity has unravelled from the knot. “Yes” is his answer. Mankind is part of the knot and knots enhance mankind. We are tied to our mothers and from our mothers we are untied to become knotted to the world. Many of Chandan’s works explore the complexity and fascination of this process of identity formation. The fibres that the artist interweaves to create a rope already express the anthropological value of the itinerary. Every one of us not only creates his own destination knot, but is also the maker of the ground material – the initial craft of the “Homo Faber”.
In Remembrance of Mother’s Lap (2006) a figurative dynamism is developed, in which the skilful two-dimensional sign is tangled up, twisted and emptied around the concept of the mater primogenia and its endless fertility. In Chandan, the memory of his own mother is materialised in a textile sculpture of erudite ascesis. The melancholy of the distance is represented by the empty womb of the mother – perceived by her son’s mimesis of the heart. To paraphrase Dante Alighieri: fatti non foste per viver come bruti ma per seguir virtute e canoscenza – virtue and knowledge are divine gifts that man should never forget to be worthy of. Chandan instances Leonardo da Vinci as an ideal, for which reason he has chosen not only Italy as the land to live in, but also Milan as his residence. Empathy never arises by chance; the extraordinary genius of da Vinci is not just an exemplary for Chandan but a part of himself. Free to continuously put himself to the test, experiment with textiles, and play with different creative identities, free to shed his creative skin without leaving anything behind, and yet he imbibes and absorbs through a ‘carpe diem’ approach, being serious and ironic at the same time.
from the ganges to the mare nostrum
“There are more than 200 rivers in Bangladesh,” says Chandan, whose words guide me onto one of the thousands of small boats in the country where I can meld with millions of human destinies. A work of weaving without measure! The air bubbles following the trails of the boats, the complex interweaving of the currents that fill the river with whirls, the rhythm of the paddles heading for a destination are images that are evoked in the work Search of an Antiquarian Image (2008). With great mastery Chandan creates a double symbology poised between the real source and the mnemonic source. The experience of a journey is liquefied in childhood memories.
Chandan’s journey has brought him a long way; indeed, just like a character from one of the ancient Bangladeshi myths, all the way to Sicily, another land of myths. The prestigious Museum of Mediterranean Weavings of Gibellina and the Orestiadi Foundation have invited Chandan to be “artist resident” in their atelier in Gibellina. Under a burning sun and amidst flowering jasmines, Chandan is seduced by the colours and by the legends of Sicily. The Mare Nostrum (Mediterranean Sea) is in front of him, with drifting meanders of Odyssean sea foam. The ‘Ego’ of the artist expands under the influence of external forces; the knots and the volume of the fibres detach from the two-dimensionality of the loom; in the process, in-depth sculptures with sinusoidal waves are brought to life.
Some of these sculptures recall the mane of stallions, held dear by Apollo; others reminded one of the tactile bodies of Sirens; the fibres twisting with glowing colours of lava from the Etna. This Sicilian experience embraces even more valuable and complex meanings for Chandan.
On January 14, 1968, a terrible earthquake devastated the Belice valley in Sicily; the town of Gibellina, together with six other densely populated areas, was completely destroyed. Thousands of years of history were erased in a few minutes, while human lives were lost and the intensity of the pain that fill up spaces were left empty. On the ruins of the old town, the artist Alberto Burri created the famous Grande Cretto or great crack, the biggest outdoor work of art in the world. Chandan has walked silently in this contemporary labyrinth to pick up the threads remaining there and tie them to ancient memories. This experience gives birth to Homage to Gibellina (2009), where the town plan becomes a textile sign, impressed in his imaginative, epic world of sunlit walls, unrolling, un-fetchable and bold, metaphorical and real; a metaphor of the people that inhabited this town for over a thousand years. The crunching sound of the sand all around, its arid presence instils an even more accentuated harshness to the art work, almost as if it was a cave painting impressed in the rocks, visible till the end of time.
made in italy
“Italy has contributed a lot to my maturity”: with these synthetic words Chandan reveals how his almost decennial stay in the Latin peninsula has been a dense and fertile experience. Before all, Chandan explains, breaking away from his own culture gave him the opportunity to deepen the traits that he had inherited from the extraordinary richness of Bangladeshi traditions.
“On the other hand, living in Italy, especially Milan, has added deep layers of knowledge to my philosophy of life,” he says. It’s no surprise indeed that he has written in Milan no less than three books about contemporary art and the figure of Leonardo. In close contact with metropolitan Western culture, in which the symbolic value of words is essential, Chandan began to weave his own morphological words, knotting them to the warp of threads into a collage in which also the paper-printed text imbibed values that are fecund.
Cut out words, writing, revolutionary icons of artistic movements dating back to the beginning of the 20th century (Cubism, Dadaism, Futurism) have become part of the creative universe of Chandan and, together with real, tactile knots of fibre, have led to his morphological weaving with its solid three-dimensionality. Also evident are the traditional materials springing from the Bangladeshi earth: cotton, jute, fibres and wool become blended in his work with materials “made in Italy”: paper, felt and plastics.
the age of light
In the summers of 2009, 2010 and 2011 Chandan was invited by the Czech Republic for a long sojourn and symposium in the Castle of Dolni Lukavice. This fascinating location enchanted Chandan, especially with its transparent and airy light, expanding in a natural climate of deep harmony. The exchange with international artists from all over the world offered Chandan new contacts, inspirations, ideas and discussions.
“Days of pure joy,” Chandan confesses with a smile, “and intense work.” Surrounded by the silence of the castle park, the Bangladeshi artist rediscovered the silences of his own land and the mantra of the Eastern world became knotted to that of Eastern Europe. Chandan discovered new and surprising materials: wooden beams, ancient window frames, doors coming off their hinges as he worked in the polyphonic space of a deconsecrated church. In See the Past Through the Window of Lukavice Castle (2009) the work of art is brought to life in a wooden rectangle, like a Byzantine icon. Precious reds and browns, wrinkled by subtle flashes of light-blue and orange tell a fairy-tale, while the golden volumes of the orthodox domes resonate in the swaying of small textile spheres even as the baroque femininity of the castle is revealed by waves of lace. Chandan captures Europe, from the East to the West.
ethical fiber
Western culture was the first to exploit the natural resources of our planet in an irresponsible and dis-harmonic way and now it finds itself at the forefront of huge and serious problems. Re-use of materials, attention towards energy saving and biological approaches are not just alternatives anymore but the only way towards a new worldwide ethic. Chandan has made these themes his own, with his ethical force and the immense artistic talent that he embodies; he has been deepening their meaning and reworking them artistically. In Chandan’s latest works, the used matter has been ‘upgraded’, from humble to precious, from ordinary to sacred, from unnoticed to eye-catching. Like an ancient metaphorical recipient, the work The Mythical Pitcher (2011) synthesises many of the meanings that are present in Chandan’s entire production. The knot that ties the umbilical cord is untied, opening as if it was Dionysus’ novel ear, a direct sensorial contact through which the world can be heard and from which worldly sonorities enter the cavity of the soul. The knot is also the only substantial element used: macrame. In a first empathetic contact with this pitcher it seems to allude to its own fertile internal substances; at a second, more attentive circumspection it reveals rhythmic breathings, the lung of the cosmic breath that we all are part of.
weaving the breath of the universe
In recent years Chandan’s work has multiplied and been showcased in a number of exhibitions, opening up nodes along the boundaries of the entire peninsula – Pordenone, val d’Aosta, Novara, Venezia, Milano, Gressoney, Como and Firenze. His contact with the Czech Republic has become a constant and his works have been displayed permanently in The European House Gallery in Pilsen and the Castle of Lukavice, as part of an existing private collection. His works have been exhibited in Italy, England, Germany, Spain, Japan, Canada, India, Bangladesh and can be found in private collections in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Holland. Chandan’s creativity took off in the land of Bangladesh but has unravelled itself spatially just like the immense weaving in Mogul textiles. In an existential “crescendo”, the works of this Bangladeshi artist have become ever more tied up with his diasporic experiences: chromatic, formal and conceptual. Listening to his own artistic breathing, with persistence, talent and professional craftsmanship, Chandan is weaving a dimension that is part of us and that we should observe ever more consciously: the breath of the universe.
Dr. Anna Baldi is an art historian living in Milan, Italy. She has worked as Artistic Director at the “Centre Culturel Italien” in Paris and is the founder and director of the “Amandolarte” International Festival of Contemporary Young Art. She has also served as a curator for a number of exhibitions and cultural events.
Nico Smeenk is an industrial designer and lecturer at the Istituto Europeo di Design in Milan. He lives and works on the Lago Maggiore in Italy.
shafiqul kabir chandan
The following excerpts are taken from an interview with artist Shafiqul Kabir Chandan by the author of this article, Anna Baldi
Anna Baldi Why did you choose fiber art?
Shafiqul Kabir Chanda My interest in fiber art comes from my native country, where women make things that are both beautiful and functional, such as knitted clothing, quilts, mats or rugs. Conceptually, I find it interesting that textile is often the first material we are wrapped in when we are born and the last material we are wrapped in when we die. So, to me, there is a relationship between textiles and the body. Textile offers a memory of the body.
Would you describe your work as ‘art’ or craft’?
Textile work is often categorized as ‘craft’ rather than ‘art.’ I consider myself to be an artist – I don’t make bags or hats! The debate between whether or not a work can be called ‘craft’ or ‘art’ reveals that an unfair hierarchy exists within the arts and in our culture. This hierarchy results in discrimination that has effects on the fees paid to teachers, grants and university budgets for craft areas and so on. ‘Art versus craft’ is a complex issue that has tormented artists and critics for a long time. Contemporary fine arts have recognized any kind of material and medium for creating art objects, from cow dung to the Internet! I am using the medium amount of fibres to create my works. I would like to reclaim the word ‘craft’ though, since I believe it denotes the idea of a special body of knowledge and skills passed on from generation to generation. My art is what I make and my craft is the skill I learnt to make it well.
How were you able to enter the Italian art scene?
It was actually not very easy. I came from Bangladesh with my higher degrees to conquer a portion, however small, in the world of contemporary Italian art. But I found this to be quite a dilemma. Art galleries respond to the laws of the global economy and are not always looking for unknown artists. But I am happy to say that in the field of contemporary Italian art there is a place for fiber art and I think it is slowly increasing.
How did your emigration influence your work?
In my early days here in Milan, I didn’t have a studio to work in, nor materials such as thread or a loom. There was a language barrier since I didn’t speak fluent Italian. But I persevered and started working in spite of my limitations, using poor materials like macramé, paper, and recycled materials. Of course, many things have changed since then but this period of struggle has influenced the development of my work dramatically.
Why have you chosen to stay away from your motherland for such a long time?
I originally left my motherland to go out and see the world, to learn about fiber art and artists. It was not an easy decision for me. To live and work so far away from my motherland, I am prone to feeling nostalgic. But this same feeling of nostalgia has helped me to imagine and create new works. I have always tried to remember and highlight the unique flavours and colours of my motherland in my art. This foreign land, Italy, has given me lots of opportunities and now I no longer see myself as a foreigner. It has become home, especially for my son who was born here. I thank Italy for giving me all of this. But no matter which country I live in, fiber art is the basis on which we shape our lives. In this world we learn from each other – about fibers, art, different people and different cultures. To learn with my own hands, to produce fiber art, using this extended textile vocabulary – this has become my life’s work. Now, I am waiting for the right moment to come back to my motherland.
translated by Nico Smeenk A craftsman forms a vision of his art using his life experiences and gives this vision form using the bounty of the land. Shafiqul Kabir Chandan, a renowned Bangladeshi artist living in Italy, weaves the lives he has led and the places he has loved together to create his unique crafts-based…