Firoz Mahmud's works often draw artistic themes from the history of the Bangladeshi region in which he is deeply rooted, and where many historical cities have been transformed by colonialism. A distinct number of Mahmud's works look at Uponibeshik (colonial) and Poruponibeshik (post-colonial) narratives of Bangladesh and its capital city of Dhaka which was formerly known as Jahangir Nagar.
Mahmud coined the term 'Layapa Art' to describe his paintings that employ a technique that he researched on during a residency program at Rijksakademie VBK, Amsterdam in 2003/2004. The word 'Layapa' is from the Bengali language and means 'to anoint or plaster'. The women of rural Bangladesh use a meticulous technique to finish the walls of their village huts with clay. The artist sought inspiration from this as well as other cultural practices such as the Japanese Ukiyo-e woodblock printing. The end result is a hybridized stencil and layering technique which forms part of the foundation of Mahmud's art practice. Such aspects of cultural heritage may have gotten devalued or undermined through the mechanisms of colonialism that affected many nations from the 17th to the 20th centuries.
Mahmud's works are largely informed by his ongoing interest in historical narratives and artistic devices in story-telling. He uses idioms such as old palaces, forts, spice trees or herbaceous plants, wild animals and colonial traders in these drawings and carvings, addressing the riches of his native land. Mahmud juxtaposes themes of socio-political culture, tradition, history, and myths that beg the question of how they exist today, and what forces have created new visual territories, impacting how we remember our own cultural histories and those of our neighbours.
Biography
1974 Born in Khulna, Bangladesh
2001 MFA, Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
2011 PhD, Tokyo University of the Arts, Japan
Residencies
Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP), New York, USA
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2023 Firoz Mahmud: Early Episodes II, New Jersey City University Visual Arts Gallery, New Jersey, USA
2022 Firoz Mahmud: Early Episodes (True Never Lies), York College Galleries, Pennsylvania, USA
2018 Drawing Reverberation, Ota Fine Arts, Singapore
2012 Dismal Cry of Heritage, Skoto Gallery, Chelsea, New York, USA
2011 Toss of the Loss is Blessing of their Disguise, Highline, Billboards & Subways project, New York, USA
Traitor of Faith, International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP), New York, USA
Lamentation in Two Lies, Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo, Japan
2010 Yatta! Anzen!, B.A.D. Museum of Contemporary Art at Yuga Gallery, Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo, Japan
Sucker`wfp21 [open studio], Chinritsukan Gallery, Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo, Japan
Whatever They are Scolded Your Star is Safe, Asbestos Art Space and city billboards, Bandung, Indonesia
Selected Group Exhibitions
2023 Echoes from New York!, Lurf Museum, Tokyo, Japan
2021 OSTRALE Biennale O21, Breathturn, Dresden, Germany
2020 Geumgang Nature Art Biennale 2020: Nature Art Video Exhibition, Yeonmisan Nature Art Park, Republic of Korea
2019 Vantage Point Sharjah 7, Sharjah Art Foundation, UAE
Congo Biennale, Democratic Republic of the Congo
2018 Bangkok Art Biennale 2018, Bangkok Art and Culture Center, Bangkok, Thailand
Lahore Biennial 01, Lahore, Pakistan
2017 HEAT, Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo, Japan
2016 The Missing One, Office for Contemporary Art Norway (OCA), Oslo, Norway
2013 Vivid Strata: New Representations of Asia, Ota Fine Arts, Singapore
2012 New Address, New Works, Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo, Japan
2010 1st Aichi Triennale, Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, Nagoya, Japan
2009 4th Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial (Dynamo Art Project), Niigata, Japan
9th Sharjah Biennial – Provision for the Future, Sharjah Art Museum, UAE
2008 11th Cairo Biennial – The Other, Arts Palace, Cairo, Egypt
Selected Collections
National Gallery of Fine Arts, Bangladesh
Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, Amsterdam
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Firoz MahmudHorse Fighter, 2017Oil on shaped canvasLeft: 139 x 108 x 6.7 cm Right: 138.5 x 108 x 6.7 cm
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Firoz MahmudCurving Itihash 1, 2017Wood122 x 84 x 3.7 cm
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Firoz MahmudCurving Itihash 2, 2017Wood118 x 88.4 x 3.5 cm
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Firoz MahmudFrom the series "Kahini", 2017Mixed media on handmade paper85.5 x 64 cm
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Firoz MahmudPrince, 2011Oil on shaped canvas (stencil technique)131.5 x 194
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Firoz MahmudFat Boys ('sucker wfp21' project), 2011fighter aircraft, bean, glue variable dimensions, set of 5pieces
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Firoz MahmudTraitor of Faith [Plot #1 Shiraj & Mir], 2010Oil on shaped canvas182.5 x 278 cm
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Firoz MahmudTraitor of Faith [Plot #2 Shiraj & Mir], 2010Oil on shaped canvas230 x 300 cm
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Firoz Mahmud: Drawing Reverberation
Firoz Mahmud 2018年11月16日 - 2019年1月5日 SingaporeOta Fine Arts Singapore is delighted to present Drawing Reverberation , a solo exhibition featuring paintings, drawings ...阅读更多 -
HEAT
Gallery's collection exhibition 2017年5月13日 - 6月24日 TokyoIn this collection show, we introduce Asian artists who are gaining increasing attention in recent years. With bold imag...阅读更多 -
Imagined Peripheries
Masanori Handa, Yayoi Kusama, Firoz Mahmud, Nobuaki Takekawa, Yeesookyung 2016年11月23日 - 12月24日 SingaporeOta Fine Arts Singapore is delighted to present 'Imagined Peripheries', a group exhibition by 5 artists from East Asia: ...阅读更多 -
Vivid Strata: New Representations of Asia II
Yayoi Kusama, Jia Aili, Firoz Mahmud, Qin Qi, Nobuaki Takekawa, Baek Jin Sook and Yeesookyung 2014年8月22日 - 10月11日 SingaporeOta Fine Arts is delighted to present 'Vivid Strata: New Representations of Asia II', a summer group exhibition featurin...阅读更多 -
Vivid Strata: New Representations of Asia
Firoz Mahmud, Rina Banerjee, Takao Minami, and Tomoko Kashiki 2013年6月21日 - 7月21日 SingaporeThis summer, Ota Fine Arts is delighted to present a group exhibition featuring four contemporary artists from Asia all ...阅读更多 -
Lamentation in Two Lies
Firoz Mahmud 2011年4月16日 - 6月4日 TokyoOta Fine Arts is pleased to announce the first solo exhibition of Firoz Mahmud, the artist who participated in Aichi Tri...阅读更多 -
New Address, New Works
Ay Tjoe Christine, Jay Flores Ticar, Firoz Mahmud, Manami Koike, Nobuaki Takekawa, Monir Farmanfarmaian, Yee Sookyung 2011年2月18日 - 4月2日 TokyoOta Fine Arts is delighted to announce the gallery will return to Roppongi and new exhibition will start on 18th Februar...阅读更多 -
When you switch off your mobile, painting starts to talk eloquently.
Manami Koike, Tomoko Kashiki, Firoz Mahmud 2008年6月7日 - 7月12日 Tokyo
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Firoz Mahmud
"Surface and Space: Works by Artists of the South Asian Diaspora", Alexey von Schlippe Gallery of Art, University of Connecticut, Avery , USA 2023年9月7日Firoz Mahud will participate in a group exhibition titled 'Surface and Space: Works by Artists of th...阅读更多 -
Firoz Mahmud
"Inscaping Legacies", Pace University Art Gallery, New York, USA 2023年9月7日Firoz Mahmud will be having a solo exhibition 'Inscaping Legacies' at Pace University Art Gallery, N...阅读更多 -
Firoz Mahmud
"Echoes from New York!", Lurf Museum, Tokyo, Japan 2023年5月3日Firoz Mahmud will participate in the group exhibition 'Echoes from New York!' at Lurf Museum, Tokyo ...阅读更多 -
菲罗兹·马哈茂德
"菲罗兹·马哈茂德: 早期插曲II",新泽西大学视觉艺术画廊,新泽西,美国 2023年1月21日菲罗兹·马哈茂德将于2023年2月2日至3月16日在新泽西大学视觉艺术画廊举办个人展览 '菲罗兹·马哈茂德:早期插曲II'。 标题:'菲罗兹·马哈茂德:早期插...阅读更多