Friday marked the 79th birth anniversary of the late eminent Bangladeshi printmaker Kalidas Karmakar. To commemorate the Faridpur-born and internationally renowned artist's birth anniversary, a grand event took place at Ambika Maidan in Faridpur city.
Born on January 10, 1946 in Faridpur to a family of goldsmiths and artisans, the internationally renowned maestro cemented his legacy as one of the most respected artists of Bangladesh.
On Friday afternoon, guests inaugurated the program with releasing balloons and lighting lamps, which was followed by a drawing competition for children and a cultural program, under the patronage of the artist's family.
Over a hundred children from various schools in the city participate in the drawing competition. Additionally, local artists showcased musical performances, and the celebration was complemented with a cake cutting ceremony.
Members of Kalidas Karmakar’s family, leaders of the cultural organization, and distinguished individuals were present at the event.
Regarding the event, Kalidas Karmakar’s younger brother Proshanta Karmakar Buddha said, "Today is the 79th birth anniversary of the eminent artist, my elder brother Kalidas Karmakar; and to enlighten our next generation of artists about his life and works, we organised the event from the family."
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"Throughout his entire life, Kalidas Karmakar worked to elevate the country's art to the world; he was a globetrotter throughout his life and had many options to settle abroad, but he always chose his motherland and became an internationally acclaimed artist. The art competition we have arranged today will not have any top place holder, rather we want them to draw as they wish and flourish their artistic talent, just like Kalidas Karmakar," he added.
Rezaul Karim, a visitor, said, "The Ekushey Padak-winning artist Kalidas Karmakar is the pride of our Faridpur. We are extremely happy that today we are being able to celebrate his birth anniversary with this special event at his birthplace."
"Artist Kalidas Karmakar is a globally acclaimed artist, but we were unable to properly celebrate his eventful life and works," stated Shipra Goswami, a local women's leader. "In order for the next generation to learn about our great artist, it is the duty of both the government and the people of our local community to plan and organize such events."
At the ceremony, Kalidas Karmakar's younger brother Proshanta Karmakar Buddha informed that an archive in Faridpur is being established to preserve the eminent artist's work. An art college, in honor of the 'alluvial' artist, is also planned to be established in Faridpur, Prashanta Karmakar Buddha stated.
A maestro of printmaking especially viscosity printing, Kalidas Karmakar’s diverse artworks featuring metallic and other objects, handmade paper, and oil on canvas prints have been widely exhibited throughout South Asia, the Middle East, Europe, the United States and many other places across the world.
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Known as the ‘Alluvial Man’ in the country's art sphere, Kalidas began his career in paintings through assembling metal objects in the 1970s and with prints, he began to explore mythical images in the ‘80s, opening up new possibilities for etching and aquatint. His maiden solo art exhibition was held at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on August 7, 1976; and more than 50 of his exhibitions were held in 70 countries across the world.
Throughout his illustrious career, he received multiple prestigious scholarships and fellowships, including the Polish Government Scholarship in Graphic Art at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Art, Warsaw University; the French Government Superior Scholarship in Fine Arts for research in multicolour etching at Atelier-17, in Paris; Japan Foundation Fellowship on Japanese Woodblock Printing at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music; ICCR Special Scholarship for research in Contemporary Modern Sculpture, West Bengal Lalit Kala Academy Studio; and Asian Cultural Council New York, Fellowship with Artist Residency program in the US, to name a few.
He was one of the advisers of Gallery Cosmos and the modern state-of-the-art printmaking studio Atelier71 at the gallery venue in Cosmos Centre, Malibagh in the capital, for which he had always shown great dedication. He was engaged with the gallery till his death on October 18, 2019, following a heart attack.
For his remarkable contribution to the Bangladeshi fine arts, Kalidas Karmakar was awarded the Shilpakala Padak in 2016 and the Ekushey Padak in 2018.