Dhamrai Metal Works Exhibition, May 1-2
April 24, 2008 11:05 am
~story by Mikey Leung~
The German Club (House No. 24, Road. No. 104) is hosting an exhibition of brass sculptures on May 1st and 2nd, 09:30am - 19:30pm. The sculptures were produced by the Banik family of the Dhamrai Metal Works and the designs are splendidly intricate and detailed. Sukanta Banik has long been fighting to preserve this art, which he says has been in his family for generations.
You can see more pictures from my visit to Dhamrai here.
The exhibition is being held because Sukanta says he needs to raise funds and save his historic house, the same venue where the sculptures are produced. He writes:
Many of you have been here – visited it, seen a demonstration or two, walked though hallways, browsed in our shop, had a cold drink or a cup of my mother’s lemon tea. In a short time, our family might lose this place.
This building is not just a house and a home to us… it is a place where art and history converge – a place where a legacy of culture, heritage and tradition prevail and prosper. For over two hundred years, we have done our best to keep a 2,000 year old tradition alive. We have trained students, carried out countless public demonstrations, set up an NGO to protect our customs and worked tirelessly to give something back to the world – an understanding a dying art. Why? Because we believe that the world is a better place because of this tradition. Because we believe that our children and our children’s children have a right to appreciate what our workshop has to offer. It is our history, our legacy and our contribution to this world’s appreciate between the nexus between art and religion.Our family is about to lose this property. The details are not important. It is a personal family matter. Frankly, I don’t know how to stop the process. For those of you know me, I have tried to make this house into a historical art center – one that serves not only Bangladesh, but Asia and the world. My vision is to have this house be a place where artists can learn and teachers can pass on this craft to new apprentices. I want it to be a historical heritage site.
Please join me in my quest to save our tradition. Please help me to maintain this house a school of art. I need your help. Together, perhaps we can come up with a plan. Thank you.
Probably the first thing people can do is learn about the art. And if you’re an art collector (some sculptures can take up a month or more to produce), then maybe you’ll be interested in purchasing.
Ihtisham Kabir’s blog about the Dhamrai Metal Crafts shop, with photos.
Photos of some of shop’s products.
Another article from a sculpture-exporting company about the Dhamrai Metal Crafts shop.
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