Najib Tareque (born September 5, 1970, as Abu Najib Mohammed Tareque) is a Bengali artist, printmaker and writer based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He is best known for his new media artworks and being one of the pioneers of online art galleries in Bangladesh. Tareque was the founding member of Jolrong, one of the first online art galleries in South Asia. Since 1987, he has been part of various group and solo exhibitions both in the country and abroad. He has participated in more than twenty individual and joint exhibitions in the country and abroad.
In 1998 he was awarded by the Forest Department of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Early life Abu Najib Mohammad Tareque was born on September 5, 1970, in Borogur Gola, Dinajpur, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). His father was Tamizuddin and mother Nujratun Nisa. Tareque is the fifth among seven siblings. Due to his father's career, his childhood and early life span were in Thakurgaon, Rajshahi and in Dinajpur district.
His early education began in the village's school. After completing his Secondary School Certificate exams at Rajshahi Collegiate School in 1986, he studied at Dinajpur Government College.In 1987, he started studying printmaking in the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Dhaka. He graduated in 1994 and completed post graduate study in 2000 from the faculty. Whilst a student, he acted in the anti-autocracy movement, and for the Nirmul Committee.
Career Tareque worked as a chief artist for national newspapers, including Daily Jugantor from 1999 to 2001 and Daily Janakantha from 2002 to 2004. He also worked with Ekushey Television from 2001 to 2003. From 2004 to 2011, he was appointed as a brand marketing consultant of the Standard Chartered Bank Limited in Dhaka. Besides, he has been appointed as the Information Technology Secretary of the Bangladesh Charushilpi Sangsad.
Works
Tareque is mainly a printmaker. However, he did numerous work in the several mediums including oil, water, and acrylic, but he mostly on the mix-media. Tareque's earlier works highlighted nature, structure, figures, sketches, and portrait became the subject of his paintings. His portraits and figures are considered as semi-realistic and often surrealistic or impressionistic. Most of his paintings have vibrant colours, and the backgrounds feature dominant movement. Initially, a multivariate fragility was noted in his paintings, which often recall the works of Fauvist artists. Paul Klee's painting are often remembered when analyzing the space and intention of Tareque's painting "Antarer Anusandhan" and "Naree Banam Naree". Tareque has often used the Arabic alphabet and the use of words in the art of painting. Tareque has attempted to create his own art form by synthesizing various painting doctrines rather than following a specific one. There is a logical appreciation about the life of artist Tareque in the opening words: "God is amorphous, inactive, and absolute emptiness, religions are the historic events for the human society, which increasingly becoming history. Those who have a lack of knowledge of history are either religious, maybe anti-religious, or antipathetic."
In 1994, two of his solo exhibitions were organized. "Joy Manabata" is his first solo exhibition which was held in May 1994 with Alliance Française in Dhaka. Most of the 42 paintings of the exhibition were the subject matter of the human. Where the human form has been depicted in the form of Durga, Nomad, Ravana, Ullas, etc. Some paintings of Tareque, who believe in the Evolution theory, are found in the resemblance of the non-human face with the human body, through which he has expressed his desire to illustrate the ugly image of the human.
In 2009, he participated in the group exhibition held in Mumbai, India. He got acquainted with the illustration of book covers and literary magazines, fashion design, etc. In Bangladesh, he tried to turn the traditional illustrations of the book covers into modern art.
In 2015, Tareque took the initiative to create an artists' hub and launched a gallery, Studio 6/6, in Mohammadpur, Dhaka, with his daughter, Taiara Farhana Tareque, as co-founder. After its initial launch, the studio has hosted several exhibitions, workshops, and events featuring artists with different talents, such as musicians, painters, and writers.
"Art Makes Us Human"
Online-based conceptual virtual art project Art Makes Us Human starts since July 2015 through the social media Instagram. Later in May 2016, a solo exhibition of the project was organized in the Studio 6/6 Gallery located in Dhaka. It was the first physical exhibition of its kind in the country, featuring approximately 15 prints of digital paintings. As a part of the project, Tareque composed his old and new combination of decoration, using many of his previously drawn illustrations for various books, newspapers and magazines. The colourful artworks mostly used bold strokes, striking colours and enthralling patterns to create human faces and figures, birds and different geometric forms. Since its online launching nearly more than 1500 artworks have been published under the project, in various social media including Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Facebook.
Personal life Najib married Bangladeshi painter Farhana Afroz Bappy. They have a daughter, Taiara Farhana Tareque (born 1994), who is also a young artist, and a son, Farhand Abu Tamjiad. In 2015, the artist family launched Studio 6/6, an art space based in Dhaka.
In April 2017, a joint exhibition of this couple was organized in Dhaka at their own art gallery named Studio 6/6 under the heading "Nirman" ("Construction").
Notable exhibitions Solo exhibition Date Exhibition Venue Ref. May, 1994 Joy Manabata Alliance Française de Dhaka 9–15 September 1994 Joy of Humanity Jojon Art Gallery, Dhaka January, 2003 What is Art Webcity, Dhaka August, 2010 Iqra—A Painter's Salute to Reading Impressions Gallery, Gulshan, Dhaka August, 2011 Ikra and Others Impressions Gallery April, 2011 Story of Story Telling Impressions Gallery 2015 Anybody Can Do It, Please Do It 15–25 May 2016 Art Makes Us Human Studio 6/6, Dhaka 29 November - 10 December 2019 Anybody Can Do It, Please Do It Dwip Gallery, Lalmatia
Joint exhibitions Year Exhibition Venue Co-artists Ref. 1989 Nine Young Artist Goethe-Institut Dhaka 1991 Zainul Utshab 1991 Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka 20 Years of Victory Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka Expression '91 Bangladesh National Museum, Dhaka Exhibition of 101 Artist Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka Greater Dinajpur Artist, Expression 1991 Lokbhaban, Dinajpur 1st Contemporary Young Artist Exhibit 1991 Bangladesh National Museum, Dhaka 1992 Zainul Utshab 1992 Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka 2nd Contemporary Young Artist' Exhibition 1992 Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Dhaka Obsession Group Show Jahangirnagar University Tenth National Artist Show 1992 Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Dhaka 1993 Zainul Utshab 1993 Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka Greater Dinajpur Artist, Expression 1993 Dinajpur High School, Dinajpur National Miniature Art Exhibition 1993 Gallery Tone, Dhaka 6th Asian Art Biennale Bangladesh 1996 Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Dhaka 2016, August 19–31 Art Against Terrorism: Brave Heart Gallery Cosmos, Dhaka 35 individuals 2017, May 6–15 Nirman Studio 6/6, Dhaka Farhana Afroz 2017, May 6–18, Oboyobi Studio 6/6, Dhaka Farhana Afroz 2020, May 8–31, Mrinmoy Art Gallery Online Art Exhibition, Chittagong
Cover illustrations Ghorer Latim Ar Sutar Jaymity Dhaka Tolpet (2010) Bokkhapinjor Bonam Ostho Ar Chokhbondher Kobita (2015) And Those Other Ghosts Of Love (2016) Ishwarer Sontanera (February 2017; Kotha Prakash)
Literary works Apart from composing art, Tareque has studied literature; wrote verse, essay, discussion, etc. In 1996, he wrote Kobitar Chitrayon Proshonge about painting and literature, published under the Young Writer' Project of Bangla Academy. He also published two volume of drawings books for the children.
Bibliography Dhil Mari Tor Tiner Chale (1992) Kobitar Chitrayon Proshonge (1996, Bangla Academy) Maddhomiker Khero Khata (December 2018, Prokriti)
Awards 1995 - National Miniature Art Exhibition 1995 - UN's 50th Anniversary Youth Artist's Art Competition, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy 1997 - 2nd Berger Painting Award Exhibition 1998 - 3rd Berger Painting Award Exhibition 1998 - International Miniature Art Exhibition 1998 - International Ozone Day Department of Forestry, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
See also Studio 6/6 List of Bangladeshi painters
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