By Taskina Yeasmin (Dhaka Bureau)
A special exhibition showcasing the artworks of Novera Ahmed, a globally acclaimed pioneer of modern sculpture from Bangladesh, is currently underway at the Nalini Kanta Bhattasali Gallery of the Bangladesh National Museum. Running from July 4 to July 21, this exhibition is more than just a collection of an artist’s lifework; it is a profound encounter with a suppressed, neglected, and iconoclastic chapter in the history of South Asian modern art.
Organized in collaboration with the art patron organization ‘Durjoy Foundation Bangladesh,’ the exhibition features Novera’s timeless abstract sculptures in stone, wood, and bronze, alongside rare photographs of her personal life, watercolor paintings, and a documentary on her life journey. The core essence of the exhibition is perfectly captured by art researcher Shikoqa Nazneen: ‘Novera is not just a sculptor, but a mark of inquiry into modern South Asian sculptural thought: a radical rewriting.’
The exhibition features aspects of Novera’s personal life and artworks, as well as documentaries made about her. Photo- Collected.
Historical Erasure and a Deep-Seated Estrangement
The very mention of Novera Ahmed evokes the image of a mysterious, non-conformist, and disenfranchised revolutionary artist in the minds of art enthusiasts. Alongside artist Hamidur Rahman, Novera Ahmed co-designed the historic ‘Central Shaheed Minar’ (Language Martyr’s Monument)- an inseparable symbol of Bangladesh’s national identity and liberation spirit. Yet, through some invisible systemic bias within a deeply patriarchal and bureaucratic framework, her name was completely erased and ignored in official state recognitions.
Carrying the heavy burden of this profound institutional neglect and devaluation, the fiery artist left her homeland in the late 1960s. She chose never to return to her motherland, living a long life of self-imposed exile in France. Over time, her absence was so absolute that the public assumed she had passed away. It was only in 1998 that reports surfaced revealing she was alive and living in France.
In the documentary on Novera, Matiur Rahman, the editor of Prothom Alo, said, ‘During the period from 1980 to 1990, many poems, plays, and articles were written about Novera. At that time, it was widely assumed that she had passed away. Later, in 1998, Aminul Islam informed us that she was alive and residing in France. I was working at Bhorer Kagoj back then, and it was in that newspaper that the news of her being alive was published for the first time.’
Reflecting on Novera’s lifelong resistance, Durjoy Rahman, the founder of Durjoy Foundation, notes in the documentary: ‘Feminists might say Novera did not receive recognition because she was a woman in the contemporary art circle. But to me, feminism means fighting for your own space where none is given.’ And Novera fought that exact battle through her art.
From War Debris to Messages of Peace: A Global Wanderer
Novera Ahmed’s oeuvre is characterized by abstraction, the depiction of voids, nature, and human forms, particularly themes of mothers, children, and womanhood. However, one of the most revolutionary aspects of her art was her aesthetic protest against war and violence. During her travels through Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, and Laos in 1968, she witnessed the horrors of the Vietnam War. Consequently, for a 1970 exhibition in Bangkok, she constructed 11 monumental sculptures using aluminum scraps from crashed US military warplanes. This process of transforming instruments of destruction into expressions of creativity carried a profound non-violent and pacifist message.
According to historical records, Novera was born on March 29, 1939. She pursued higher education in London and received rigorous hands-on training under the renowned Italian sculptor Venturino Venturi. Returning to Dhaka, she held her first solo exhibition in 1960, which featured 40 sculptures, sent shockwaves through the conservative society of the time, and earned her the National Prize in 1961. She subsequently traveled extensively through India, Myanmar, Thailand, Hong Kong, France, Greece, Italy, and Switzerland, bridging South Asian heritage with global avant-garde art movements.
The Final Days and Legacy
In 1975, Novera survived a severe road accident in Paris that left her with permanent leg injuries, causing her to walk with a limp for the rest of her life. She suffered a stroke in 2013 and passed away in a Paris hospital on May 6, 2015.
Though largely marginalized during her active years, the state eventually recognized her undeniable contribution. The Government of Bangladesh posthumously awarded her the ‘Ekushey Padak’ in 1999 and the ‘Independence Award’ (the country’s highest civilian honor) in 2019.
The ongoing exhibition at the National Museum serves as a poignant reminder that while institutions may temporarily erase an artist, the power of authentic, transformative art can never be suppressed. The revolution Novera Ahmed carved into stone and wood continues to be an eternal source of inspiration for today’s youth and progressive artists worldwide.
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The Writer:
Taskina Yeasmin: Senior Reporter, Pressenza- Dhaka Bureau.
