1=1 bMt series; /emigration/craving
-by Firoz Mahmud
“Soaked Dream” Project since 2008-2017
Photography, sculptor and metal eyeglasses
The art photography project addresses social hope through personal encounters and stories in which poetry and pragmatism meet. It is a rebirth of collective hope and dream that each family would like to cherish to fulfill their vision and dream in landed territory through green eyeglasses. Firoz re-constructs a full-scale yearning desire of emerging families and children of migrated minorities in Bangladesh (Craving #1) and second reconstruction in Thailand. Each family’s dream is rebirth of collective hope and dream that children and their families symbolically vision through the green eyeglass after they migrate in the new territory.
The emblematic eyeglasses are made with material or part of devices, which the families are involved with or wish to be their auspicious vision and dream. “The Soaked Dream” photographs engulf hope and dream of migrant family, refugee family, family of Diasporas and ethnic minorities who look for light in the darkness and have vision to contribute for social change.
Artist Bio:
Firoz Mahmud
1974, Khulna, Bangladesh
Firoz Mahmud was born and brought up in Bangladesh, now lives and works between New York and Dhaka. He has been prominent emerging artist from Bangladesh for his large scale and ongoing art series and projects for last few years. Mahmud’s artistic practice is realized through various mediums such as painting, drawing, installation and photography that engage with his cultural and political heritage. Among his large scale and extensive art projects are on war and conflict and legacies of Bengal region, cherish dream of immigrant families in new land, city or country, Layapa Art-painting project series on native legacy and history, NinKi: UoPD- Urgency of Proximate Drawing on controversial celebrities among others.
He was a resident artist at Rijksakademie VB Kunsten, Amsterdam, and has a PhD from the Tokyo University of Arts, an MFA from Tama Art University and a BFA from Dhaka University. Mahmud has exhibited at the Office of Contemporary Art (OCA), Norway, MAXXI Museum of 21st Century Arts Rome, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan Contemporary Art at Asia House London, Hiroshima Museum of Contemporary Art, University Art Museum, Metropolitan Art Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo & Geidai PS1, Fuchu Art Museum, Mori Art Museum (CG) Tokyo; Metropolitan Mostings Hus Copenhagen, Sovereign Art Foundation HK, Children Museum and Hammond Museum in New York, Ota Fine Arts, Exhibit320 in Delhi, Dhaka Art Center, National Museum and Bengal Gallery in Dhaka.
Mahmud’s work has been exhibited at the following biennales: 1st Bangkok Art Biennale, Lahore Biennial, Dhaka Art Summit, Setouchi Triennial (BDP), Aichi Triennial, Sharjah Biennale, Cairo Biennale, Echigo-Tsumari Triennial and Asian Biennale.
He is represented by Ota Fine Arts in Tokyo, Singapore, Shanghai and Exhibit 320 in New Delhi. His project is partially supported and promoted by Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation.
