菲罗兹・马哈茂德

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