Md Tokon’s odyssey of dreaming the painting and painting the dream

A collection of hauntingly beautiful abstract paintings of New York-based Bangladeshi artist Md Tokon is open for exhibition at the Edge Gallery in Gulshan. His work is heavily influenced by colour, light, darkness and space, but more importantly by his memories and dreams. 

While talking about the title of his solo exhibition, Tokon said, "The name 'The Odyssey: Crossroads of Dreams and Memories' is about my journey, my storytelling. I am a survivor. Many times, I could have lost myself, but I survived. And I am in the process of taking my work to the next level.

"Sometimes people ask me how long it's gonna take for a painting to be finished. My answer is always 44 years because I am 44 now. It does not matter how long it takes for the work to be finished, what matters is how long you have been thinking about the painting, and how long you relate to the painting — with your childhood or different memories," he added.

Memories and dreams sit at the centre of Tokon's work. His paintings are evocative and nostalgic, like romantic poems. And that is by design. 

"I cannot dream without memories and cannot create memories without dreams. It's like they are attached, stuck with each other at a crossroads. And I paint what I dream," the artist explained.

And maybe you are curious about what exactly Md Tokon dreams of. His answer to that query is simple enough — of a better world. A world where people can be more at peace with themselves, where they will be able to breathe a bit more freely in their everyday lives. And to achieve that effect, Tokon creates art that is highly evocative of individual feelings and emotions. 

Tokon's art style is reminiscent of American Abstract Expressionism with a blend of Eastern and Western elements. This blend makes the appeal of his art universal. 

He believes that every good artist paints themselves. He too paints who he is. Each of his artworks is, therefore, a window to his soul — his emotions, his memories, his dreams and his fears. But though you see and feel the artist in their painting, the feelings and emotions also come from the person who is looking at the art. And herein lies the success of Tokon's works. His paintings feel like dance performances of light and darkness, of poetry and song lyrics with his broad strokes. There is a stillness in his art that arrests and overwhelms the thoughts of his onlookers by evoking powerful emotions. 

Tokon was born in a village called Rajnagar, Jhenaidah in 1978. Nature and childhood memories played a very important role in his journey as a painter. He was fascinated by the Padma River and the play of light and darkness in the bamboo groves while growing up. Another inspiration for him was the texture of the mud walls of his house. All of his inspiration and imagination found their way into his 20-year-long career as an abstract painter. 

In 1998, Tokon enrolled in the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Dhaka. But two years into his graduation, he moved to the US after availing the Diversity Visa. There, he pursued a degree in Art and Communication Design from the City University of New York in 2007. 

When he was a full-time student, he used to work for two or three days a week. He could not buy materials for paintings because they were expensive, so he used cheap house paint for a while. He did not have any space to paint at home either. So he started attending another non-credit weekend school called the Art Students League of New York. There he worked under the mentorship of Ronnie Landfield, an abstract painter represented by the David Whitney Gallery and the André Emmerich Gallery. 

Before The Odyssey, Md Tokon did two other solo exhibitions in Bangladesh. In 2012, his artworks were exhibited at the Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts. The exhibition was titled Silent Spaces. In 2015, he did another exhibition, "Light / Dark / Space", in the Bengal Art Lounge. Besides these solo exhibitions in Bangladesh, his works were exhibited in nine solo and group exhibitions in the US. 

Asked what he dreams for himself when he thinks about the future, Tokon said, "I always feel my works fit in with the museums of modern arts." He does not want his art to remain only in people's living rooms. He wants them to be exhibited in museums. "Maybe it will happen, maybe not. But I am working very hard each moment to take my art to the next level."

Tokon believes that every artist makes good and bad works. And though the idea of good and bad is very subjective, he feels that among all of his paintings, the ones that no one likes or feels like taking home are genuinely good works. 

He explained, "I like to believe that the art piece that no one wants to take home is for the museum. Some art is just a solid background and nothing else. Maybe that represents my childhood memory of working in a field, or maybe it is about coming home in the middle of the night. But people sometimes can't relate to that. Maybe they feel like it's too dark, or nothing is there. But I love simplicity. Simple is more beautiful. And simple is more difficult to attain in art."

The solo exhibition of Md Tokon, titled Odyssey: Crossroads of Dreams and Memories, started on 21 January and will continue till 16 February 2023, from 10am to 10pm. 

TBS Picks: A selection of artworks with a description from the artist

A Rose is a Rose

I usually do not make paintings that have a clear, recognisable subject. But I dreamt of painting a rose piece for four years. My imagination went to the point that even if I was not in the studio or when I was on the train, I would dream of it and talk to myself about painting it.

 In my dream, I used to see myself walking around in a rose garden. While painting this particular piece, I could easily make the roses more beautiful and well-defined, but I did not. I was more interested in making the roses more abstract so that it can touch your innermost feelings. 

Mystic River 2 

This painting is directly inspired by my childhood. When the farmers plough the land, you can feel the texture of the surface of the land. That inspired this painting.

 If you take a look at it from a distance, you may get the feeling that the river, the village or the lights all of these are coming together in this painting. 

Untitled 1

This is one of my recent works. This represents freedom — creative freedom of an artist, freedom for our country, freedom for the self and the society, or anything really. I don't quite know what I want to do with this freedom, but I want it.

Some people ask me why it is called Untitled 1. I quite like the question! Because when my audience stands in front of my art and they try to understand and relate to them, I feel like I have succeeded as an artist right there.