blog – Cosmos Group | Technology for Empowerment

Gallery Cosmos hosts ‘Art Against Fake News’ exhibition

admin — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 10:40:51 +0000

Dhaka, Apr 6 (UNB)- With a view to promoting arts to reduce the spread of misinformation and fake news, a group exhibition was held on Saturday showcasing works of renowned artists.

The exhibition, ‘Art Against Fake News’, arranged by Gallery Cosmos at Cosmos Atelier71 in city’s Malibagh as part of Cosmos Dialogue on fake news and hate speech arranged by Cosmos Foundation earlier Saturday.

It featured 30 artworks by 24 artists.Prominent artist Mustafa Monwar inaugurated the exhibition as the chief guest while artists Samarjit Roy Chowdhury and Rafiqun Nabi were present as the special guests.

Monwar lauded Gallery Cosmos for such a timely endeavour against this menace. “Artists are always against the spread of fake news,” he said.

Samarjit said the country’s artists will spread positive vibes through artworks to prevent the spread of hate speech. Rafiqun Nabi said that cartoon is the best medium to speak against fake news.

President of Association for Accountability and Internet Democracy (AAID) Dan Shefet highlighted the contributions of artists to society. He congratulated the participating artists and appreciated the initiative for such a brave step in today’s world where people are afraid of not being politically correct.

“Artists are the heroes who will take the society forward,” he added.

Enayetullah Khan, Chairman of Gallery Cosmos, said he wishes to use the artists’ platform to highlight all the challenges of life.

“The problem is not country specific. It doesn’t respect border. It goes beyond the question of borderlines,” he said about the spread of fake news. “This challenge (against fake news) will bring all the people of the world on one platform.”

United News of Bangladesh (UNB) Chairman Amanullah Khan, alongside artists Biren Shome, Shahabuddin Ahmed, Sourav Chowdhury and Toshihiko Ikeda were present at the inauguration.

The Participating Artists are: Abdul Gaffar Babu, Abdus Shakoor Shah, Alakesh Ghosh, Anisuzzaman Anis, Biren Shome, Bishwajit Goswami, Devdas Malakar, Hamiduzzaman Khan, Kalidas Karmakar, Kanak Chanpa Chakma, Maksuda Iqbal Nipa, Monirul Islam, Mustafa Monowar, Nagarbasi Barman, Nasir Ali Mamun, Nazia Andaleeb Preema, Prashanta Karmakar, Qayyum Chowdhury, Rafiqun Nabi, Rokeya Sultana, Samarjit Roy Chowdhury, Shahabuddin Ahmed, Sourav Chowdhury and Toshihiko Ikeda.

Cosmos-Atelier71 Printmaking Studio upgraded for art lovers

admin — Fri, 20 Sep 2019 11:20:18 +0000

Cosmos-Atelier71 Printmaking Studio upgraded for art lovers

Dhaka, September 4 (UNB) – The country’s premier printmaking studio, Cosmos-Atelier71, was formally re-launched on Tuesday after renovation works, in an effort to make it an international standard art studio.

It was inaugurated by Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor, who was the programme’s chief guest, while special guests included observers of the ongoing 18th Asian Art Biennale, Professor Emeritus Tetsuya Noda and Dr Marek Bartelik, famed artists Jogen Chowdhury, Kalidas Karmakar, Bishwajit Goswami and Chairman of Cosmos-Atelier71 Enayetullah Khan.

Chairman of Cosmos-Atelier71 Enayetullah Khan welcomed the foreign dignitaries from the Asian Art Biennale and thanked everyone for attending the inauguration ceremony of the studio.

He said that the studio is an excellent place to collaborate and share knowledge between artists.

Asaduzzaman Noor thanked everyone for making this event a success and wished to see quality outputs from the studio in the next Biennale.

Artist Jogen Chowdhury thanked Enayetullah Khan and those behind Cosmos-Atelier71 for setting up a studio aiming to elevate the passion of artists rather than keeping it for commercial purposes.

In ten years, he anticipated great outputs from the studio and stressed that the society needs more people like the studio authorities for the greater good.

Biennale observer and Professor Emeritus of Tokyo University Tetsuya Noda heard previously only heard about the studio but was amazed to see it for the first time in person.

Fellow observer and art critic Dr Marek Bartelik said that the studio will remain as a standout achievement for printmaking in Bangladesh in the years to come.

Kalidas Karmakar, who is in charge of Cosmos-Atelier71, urged all artists to try out the studio as it will help them attain better knowledge about printmaking and other genres of art.

The event was attended by eminent Bangladeshi artists such as Syed Jahangir, Biren Shome, Alakesh Ghosh, Abdus Shakoor Shah, as well as international artists whose works are currently exhibiting at the Asian Art Biennale.

They were all later taken on a tour throughout the revamped studio, to have a look at the upgraded facilities and equipments Cosmos-Atelier71 has to offer to artists.

With the objective of upholding international standards, Cosmos Atelier71 is an integral part of the artistic vision Cosmos Group seeks to serve, in the form of a printmaking studio housing state-of-the-art equipment that is extremely rare in Bangladesh.

It aims to break new grounds by acting as an incubator for the emergence of the graphical arts in Bangladesh.

They also offer residency programme for leading artists from around the world where they can experiment with alternative methods and materials.

This combination of residency programme, Gallery Cosmos and their printmaking facilities makes Cosmos Atelier71 one of the most desirable destinations for contemporary arts in South Asia.

Group art exhibition ‘Life 2019’ begins at Gallery Cosmos

admin — Sat, 23 Mar 2019 11:59:07 +0000

Group art exhibition ‘Life 2019’ begins at Gallery Cosmos

Dhaka, Mar 25 (UNB) – A group art exhibition titled ‘Life 2019’ featuring 39 women artists will begin at Gallery Cosmos in the city’s Mohakhali New DOHS area on Tuesday.

The exhibition, dedicated to all the women of the world, will showcase 39 artworks of the 39 women artists.

Australian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Julia Niblett will inaugurate the show at Villa de Anjuman, House 115, Lane 6 of New DOHS, Mohakhali as the chief guest at 6pm while Cornelia Gautschi Holenstein will be present as a special guest.

The participating artists are Afrozaa Jamil Konka, Antara Mehrukh Azad, Asma Akber, Atia Islam Anne, Bipasha Hayat, Dilara Begum Jolly, Dilruba Latif, Elham Huq (Khuku), Fahmida Enam Kakoli, Fahmida Khatun, Fareha Zeba, Farida Zaman, Farzana Rahman Bobby, Ferdowsi Priobhashini, Halide Salam, Hazvineyi Bridget Mutasa, Ivy Zaman, Kanak Chanpa Chakma, Kuhu Plamandan, Maksuda Iqbal Nipa, Mini Karim, Nargis Poly, Nasima Haque Quenee, Nasreen Begum, Preema Nazia Andaleeb, Rahima Afroz, Rebeka Sultana, Rokeya Sultana, Rubina Akhter, Samina Nafies, Shantwana Shahrin, Shameem Subrana, Sharbari Roy Choudhury, Shulekha Chaudhury, Sohana Shahreen, Soma Surovi Jannat, Shruti Gupta Kasana, Surovi Akhter and Vinita Karim.

The exhibition will remain open from 12 noon to 8 pm every day till April 9.

‘Highways of Life’ takes top prize as 8th Liberation DocFest concludes

admin — Fri, 18 Jan 2019 13:48:37 +0000

South Asia’s first virtual film festival, the “8th Liberation DocFest Bangladesh-2020” concluded on Saturday having drawn a great response from film lovers at home and abroad by providing a breathing space for all amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The five-day-long festival, organised annually by the Liberation War Museum, wrapped up with a concluding and award-giving ceremony via Zoom.

The closing ceremony was attended in virtual space by legendary thespian and former Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor MP, Ministry of Liberation War Affairs Secretary Aminul Islam Khan, President of International Theatre Institute (ITI) and noted theatre personality Ramendu Majumdar, cultural personality and Chairman of Dhaka DocLab Nasiruddin Yusuf Bacchu, media partner United News of Bangladesh’s Director Nahar Khan, festival director Tareq Ahmed and Liberation War Museum Trustee Mofidul Hoque, very much the driving force behind the organization, along with participating filmmakers, jury board members and the organizers.

“The 8th Liberation DocFest-2020 has generated a new idea on how to consolidate our strength in this unfortunate time of the ongoing global pandemic. This was a tremendous festival organised by the Liberation War Museum with its main focus on our Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as ‘Bangabandhu: the Liberator’ and other great leaders – and I believe when the crisis ends in future, we will meet again and celebrate new ideas and films,” Noor said commenting on the festival.

Secretary to the Liberation War Affairs Ministry Aminul Islam Khan appreciated the participants and the organizers from home and abroad, saying, “Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman said “Nothing can stop us from doing good things” – and throughout the festival, this was proven by all the enthusiastic filmmakers-viewers and organizers.”

He said it was a pleasure to see a huge number of young and energetic minds take part in this year’s DocFest showing great enthusiasm for the history of Bangladesh.

Speakers and organisers expressed their heartiest gratitude to the festival’s organizing partner Cosmos Foundation and media partner United News of Bangladesh (UNB) for their support in both the arrangement and operation of this year’s festival.

Nahar Khan, Director of UNB and Vice President of Cosmos Group said, “It was truly a wonderful opportunity for UNB and Cosmos Foundation to provide support as the Media and Technology Partner respectively, and work in collaboration with the Liberation War Museum for the first of its kind virtual DocFest in South Asia.”

Festival Director Tareq Ahmed said that a total of 1800 films were submitted in the 8th DocFest till late March and 200 were selected from the list till last April. And finally a total of 83 films were screened throughout the five-day festival.

Concluding the ceremony and the 8th edition of the Liberation DocFest-2020, Trustee of Liberation war Museum Mofidul Hoque thanked all participating filmmakers who came with the determination to overcome the challenge of life through bringing hope in the darkness.

“Filmmakers from more than 50 countries joined in this first-ever virtually hosted film festival in South Asia – which is a very significant achievement for us all. In this unprecedented and unthinkable time of the ongoing global pandemic of COVID-19, the festival became an international example that will carry forward the solidarity of the world,” he said.

Thanking the Cosmos Foundation and UNB, Hoque said Cosmos Foundation and UNB always come forward to support the Liberation War Museum and because of their tremendous support, the festival became an international standard festival of documentary films.

Hoque also mentioned that the festival was part of the birth centenary celebrations of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and next year it will be celebrating the 50 years anniversary of Bangladesh’s Independence.

Award recipients:

Noted Bangladeshi filmmaker Aka Reza Galib, Jury Member of the National Competition announced ‘Khunti (Road to Roots)’, a Bangladesh/India joint collaboration as the winner in the ‘National Competition’ category. The director of the film, Md Zahirul Hassan, will receive Tk One Lakh, a crest and a certificate.

Kim Young Woo (Programmer and Chair at the DMZ DOCS festival, South Korea), Jury Member of the International Competition announced ‘Highways of Life’, a film from India by director Amar Maibam as the winner in the ‘International Competition’ section. Amar will receive 1,000 USD, a crest and a certificate.

Apart from these two major awards, two Youth Jury Awards were announced in the ceremony. ‘True False & A Revolution’ by Farid Ahmad won the Youth Jury Award in the ‘National Competition’ and ‘BUTTERFLIES IN BERLIN – Diary of a Soul split in two’ by Italian filmmaker Monica Manganelli won as part of the ‘International Competition’ section.

Nepalese filmmaker Subina Shrestha announced ‘GALENA’ by Ezzatollah Parvazeh of Iran as the Special Mention in the ‘International Competition’ category.