Aloptogin Tushar's Journey: A solo exhibition, 19 years in the making

Aloptogin Tushar is perhaps one of the more prominent artists of our time. A soft-spoken and somewhat of a recluse, he has devoted his life to art and invented his own style of sending a message through it. 

But of course, he has his own theme – themes from his brushes that never fail to warm the heart of any art enthusiast. His paintings and artworks have been displayed in 55 art exhibitions so far. Yet, "Journey" is Professor Aloptogin Tushar's first solo art exhibition. It was a long-awaited feat for him to achieve, until very recently.

Journey was inaugurated by artist Hashem Khan on 5 May at Galleri Kaya in Uttara. The essence of the exhibition is to show the artist's journey through the years.

The exhibition showcases 87 curated artworks by Aloptogin, who is also the Chairman of the Department of Fine Arts at Jagannath University. 

The 87 artworks were made using pencils, charcoal, ink, glass marker, watercolour, acrylic paints, oil pastels, soft pastels, lithographs and mixed media.

"I have had a keen interest in painting since I was a kid. I have been painting pictures since I was two and a half or three years of age. I have worked on Catharsis, Metamorphosis and Light and Dark. The exhibition showcases 87 of the artworks created through various media," said Aloptogin.

He has been working on the paintings displayed in the exhibition since 2004. Artwork from recent years is also a part of the showcase. He received various awards nationally and from India and Japan as well for his artwork.

"Everything that happens for the first time always feels good. This is the fruit of many years of preparation. It feels great to see so many enjoying this exhibition and appreciating me for my work. It will inspire me to do new things. My goal is to always transform my thoughts into artwork. 

I do not pay much attention to success and failure. I just want to keep on working," Aloptogin Tusha said about his first solo exhibition. 

The artist had received various national awards and also won recognition and accolades from India and Japan as well for his artwork.

The exhibition will be open to all till 19 May from 11 am to 8 pm every day.

TBS Picks

Light and Dark-2 | Acrylic on plywood and cloth

I started working on the painting titled 'Light and Dark' back in 2004 while studying in Japan, taking me two years to complete it. The universe has a process of balancing between light and dark, black and white, positive and negative, day and night. Everyone lives through this process so ordained by the universe.

Human beings want to see the light while they encircle the light and dark, the good and the bad, white and black, day and night. People always seek the light. They always seek goodness. In the midst of the urge for goodness and ascension from the worse, there exists a grey light. Goodness exists within the bad and something bad can exist in goodness. Not everyone can reach for the light. This is my philosophy behind this artwork.

Bull-3 | Charcoal on paper

In 'Bull,' I painted a silhouette. A bull does not always get angry but they do sometimes. I portrayed a bull right before it started chasing something with incredible force and with a foaming mouth. It is a portrayal of the fact that everything and everyone has an animalistic side. This piece was painted in early 2023.

Still Life-9 | Acrylic on canvas

'Still Life' is academic in nature. It was painted to portray the formation of light and dark, the mixture of colours, the various grades of tones and the accuracy of a drawing, with perfection and realism.

Sikta-2 | Soft pastel on paper

In 'Sikta' I depicted the beauty of the female anatomy. Some portions are visible, while some are not. How a wet cloth becomes transparent with the body, the flesh and blood, the light and dark and the softness were the subject of this painting.