Firoz Mahmud

Firoz Mahmud
Firoz Mahmud
Born	(1974-09-05) September 5, 1974 Khulna, Bangladesh
Nationality	Bangladeshi
Education	University of Dhaka Tama Art University Tokyo University of the Arts Rijksakademie
Known for	Contemporary Art
Movement	NinKi: Urgency of Proximate Drawing, Layapa Stencil Painting

Firoz Mahmud (ফিরোজ মাহমুদ,フィロズ・マハムド); born September 5, 1974) is a Bangladeshi artist. He works on installation, painting, drawing, photograph and other media of art. He has been working in a wide variety of media including installation, painting, drawing, photograph and other media of art. He has created several large scale installation art projects on particular concepts and thematic idea on his own country. His artworks were predominantly been green color with somewhat brown to re-imagine Bangladesh’s primary color or color of his land and soil which describe his native culture and history. He coined the term 'Layapa Art' (Layapa Stencil Painting)[24] for his unconventional method of oil painting which describes native history rendering with thick oil color on uneven canvases. He is creator of the NinKi: Urgency of Proximate Drawing Photograph (NinKi:UoPDp) [23], is a drawing photograph project to rhetorically rescue popular celebrities with geometric structure drawings or make photo image of the people tactically static.

He was one of the participant artists fellow at Rijksakademie Van Beeldende Kunsten (Royal Academy of Fine Arts) in Amsterdam.

Early life and career

Mahmud was born and raised in Khulna city. He is youngest of four brothers and sisters and was born into a cultural family. His father is a lawyer, poet, writer and social activist and mother a housewife. Mahmud moved to Dhaka to study at the Institute of Fine Art, University of Dhaka. After finishing his BFA and MFA from the institute he attended the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten (Royal Academy of Fine Arts), Amsterdam under Dutch government fellowship in 2003/04. He was only Bangladeshi artist attended at Rijksakademie in Amsterdam after Runa Islam, the Bangladesh born British artist. He completed MFA at Tama Art University, Tokyo and received a PhD degree on Fine Arts from the Tokyo University of the Arts (東京藝術大学 Tōkyō Geijutsu Daigaku), Tokyo. He received a fellowship from Asian Cultural Council.^[1] as an Asian Cultural Council guarantees and attended in a residency program at the International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP), New York in 2011.^[2]

Artworks

Mahmud makes large scale installation projects. He exhibited Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial 2006 in Nigata Japan (2.1) where he exhibited numerous wooden airplane in the city of Tokamachi.^[3] Mahmud is one of the finalist artists at The Sovereign Asian Art Prize in 2007 in Hong Kong.^[4] He was invited to exhibit at the 9th Sharjah Art Biennial^[5] in 2009 where he exhibited large sculptural installation, 'Halcyon Tarp' with Royal Bengal Tigers. In 2010 he created 26 feet long fighter aircraft sculptural installation 'Sucker'wfp21' to exhibit 1st Aichi Art Triennial^[6] at Aichi Arts Center,^[7] Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art in 2010. Mahmud was invited to an exhibition 'Step Across This Line'^[8]- Contemporary art from Bangladesh, India & Pakistan in Asia House London co-organized by Grosvenor Gallery^[9] and curated by Deeksha Nath.

Appropriation (art), the operative term used in the art industry, has been employed by many artists in history, but most prominently by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Jeff Koons and Richard Prince. Firoz Mahmud is one of the artists works on found object images and images from museum objects, coins, stamps or manuscript paintings. His few works which are altered in shape, concept adding lines in his NinKi:UoPDp photograph drawing works and remodelled his paintings altering with texture rendering thick colour, technique, media treatment, tone or cropping.

Layapa Stencil Painting 'The Start of the End of the Reign of the Subcontinent: during the time of my forefathers`

Painting: Stencil painting & Mixed Media

Mahmud creates oil painting with the technique of stencil rendering thick layers of oil colors. He divides his time also on mixed media on homemade paper works.

He has painting series which he calls 'Layapa Stencil Painting' are based on history and myth of Bengal, political history and political wars in Bengal region and relations of West and East Bengal (now Bangladesh). He exhibited his stencil painting in his solo exhibition 'Lamentation in Two Lies'^[10] at the Ota Fine Arts in Tokyo in 2011. He exhibited solo exhibition 'NinKi: Legacies, Run over the Yamuna’^[11] simultaneously with Nandan Ghiya at Exhibit 320^[12] in New Delhi in 2015.

Visitors are closely watching 'Sucker'wfp21' aircraft sculptural at Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art in Nagoya, Japan

Installation art

Mahmud has created several large scale installation artwork. Among these he created 26 feet long fighter aircraft sculptural installation artwork which was created in Tokyo and Nagoya.

The 'Sucker'wfp21' aircraft sculptural installation on view at Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art in Nagoya, Japan

Installation view of 'Halcyon Tarp' art project at Sharjah Biennial, UAE

NinKi:Urgency of Proximate Drawing

This drawing photography series is based on controversial celebrities from everywhere.

Photography

Mahmud works on arranged and conceptual photography. Since 2009, he has been working on a photography series called Soaked Dream which engage families with children and eye-glass sculptures. (23)]

Exhibition

Solo exhibition

Among Mahmud`S solo exhibitions include ‘NinKi; Legacies Run Over Yamuna’ , Exhibit 320, New Delhi, India, Goethe Institute Dhaka, Dhaka Art Center, Dhaka, Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts, Dhaka, International Studio and Curatorial Program (ISCP), New York, `Lamentation in Two Lies`, Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo, B.A.D. Museum of Contemporary Art Yuga Gallery Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo, Asbestos Art Space and city billboards, Bandung, Indonesia ,^[13] OZU Space, Umane, Italy, Plaza Gallery, Tokyo, Setagaya Art Center & Setagaya Art Museum, Rijksakademie Van Beeldende Kunsten, Amsterdam, La Gallery, Alliance Francaise in Dhaka.

Group exhibition

Biennial, Triennial exhibitions include the 2013 Setouchi Triennale art festival, Aichi Triennial (10),^[14]

Sharjah Biennale, UAE (09), Cairo Biennale (08), Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial (06 & 09/DAP),^[3] Asian Biennale Bangladesh (08, 02, 00).

He also EXHIBITED at Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo/MOT & Geidai, Fuchu Art Museum, Ota Fine Arts, Mori Art Museum (Center Gallery), The University Art Museum (Geidai), Hiroshima Museum of Contemporary Art, Aichi Pref. Museum of Art (10) and Ota Fine Arts Tokyo in Japan. Queens Museum, Hammond Museum, Flushing Town Hall, International Studio and Curatorial program ISPC, Location One and Rochester Contemporary Art Center, New York. Rijksakademie in Amsterdam, Metropolitan-Gallery Mostings & Byggeriets Hus, Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, kunsthaus Tacheles &Kunststueck in Berlin, Royal Overseas League, Concourse RNCM, Manchester and Edinburgh College of Art, Scotland & Asia House (Step Across This Line -Contemporary art from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan) in London UK, S.M.A.K., The Municipal Museum of Contemporary Art – Ghent, Witte de With, Center for Contemporary Art, Rotterdam, Rijksakademie Van Beeldende Kunsten, Projectruimte Oost, MediaSchip in Amsterdam.

Sovereign Art Foundation, Landmark Atrium in Hong Kong, ShContemporary08, Shanghai Exhibition Center, Asbestos Art Space, Bandung, Sharjah Museum UAE, Changwon Sungsan Art Hall, Korea, Mayor Plaza, Madrid, Birla Academy, Kolkata, Exhibit320, New Delhi. Dhaka Art Center, National Museum, National Art Gallery Shilpakala Academy and Bengal Gallery in Dhaka.

Media

In 2013, Asia Society^[15] in Honk Kong invited him in a symposium 'Continuous Horizons: Contemporary Art for Asia, No Country: Contemporary Art for South and Southeast Asia Programs’ Co-organized by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.

Mahmud was featured on Japan Times^[16] and DNP^[17] magazine written by Lucy Birmingham.^[18] He exhibited his solo exhibition "Loss of the Toss is Blessing of Their Disguise," on NinKi:Urgency of Proximate Drawing at Dhaka Art Center in 2013.^[19][20] The Daily Star featured on his ongoing (primarily anonymous) NinKi: Urgency of Proximate Drawing photograph when he had a solo exhibition at Dhaka Art Center.^[21]

Gallery representation

He is represented by Ota Fine Arts^[22] in Tokyo and Singapore and Exhibit 320^[12] in New Delhi. He started to exhibit with Ota Fine Arts in Tokyo since 2008. His first exhibition was with Tomoko Kashiki and Manami Koike with the title-`When you switch off your mobile, painting starts to talk eloquently’ in Tokyo which was Curated by Ozawa Tsuyoshi andTsuruta Yoriko. In 2015, Mahmud started his tie as represented artist with New Delhi-based gallery Exhibit 320. In May 2015 he had a solo show 'NinKi; legacies run over the Yamuna' simultaneously with Indian artist Nandan Ghiya with the title 'Images Attacked'. Mahmud exhibited his iconic drawing photography project and other mixed media of works.

References