The term Ex Officina which translates from Latin as ‘from the workshop of…’ was sometimes added on printed works in previous centuries to certify their provenance, and thus their quality. Alluding to this ancient practice, Ex Officina Nostra, or ‘from our workshop’, is an exhibition of printed artworks made at the Safiuddin Bengal Printmaking Studio. Bengal Foundation opened the facility in 2012 to propose to artists an easy access to a professional equipment, with the aim to develop the highest standards of quality in the printmaking practice in Bangladesh. It has over the years assembled a significant stock of artworks from local and international artists, of which parts have been shown in dedicated exhibitions in the past.

The latest in that series of exhibitions, Ex Officina Nostra proposes to the viewer a whole range of recently printed works by artists of established reputation, along the ones of lesser known names but of similar quality. The subtle monochromes of Ashit Mitra, the bright colors of Jogen Chowdhury, the variations on religious symbols of Shimul Saha or the mysterious three-eyed face by Sukhamoy Majumder: although visually very different, the prints displayed in this exhibition all share a common vibrancy. A window on the vitality of the printmaking practice in Bangladesh, Ex Officina Nostra proposes to the viewer to chart new territories.

Hadrien Diez
Bengal Art Lounge

Date: 14/06/2015 – 11/07/2015
Entry condition: open to all