Kanak Chanpa Chakma (born 6 May 1963) is a
Bangladeshi Chakma artist who has won national and international awards, and is renowned for her paintings depicting the lives of Bangladeshi ethnic minorities, focusing on the lives of women,
and their daily lives combining semi realistic and abstract in the same frame.
Biography
Kanak was born in 1963 in the Rangamati Hill Tracts, in a small town named Tabal Chari, a remote hill area. She is a member of the
Chakma people
The Chakma people ( ccp, 𑄌𑄋𑄴𑄟𑄳𑄦; ) are a tribal group from the eastern-most regions of the Indian subcontinent. They are the largest ethnic group in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region of southeastern Bangladesh, and the se ...
. Her father is a retired businessman and her mother is a textile designer and weaver who has twice won national awards for her work.
She attended the School of Art,
University of Dhaka
The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...
in Bangladesh and received her Master of Fine Arts degree in 1986. Later she studied art at
Pennsylvania State University in the United States from 1993 to 1994, where she received the Mid-American Arts Alliance Fellowship. She returned to Bangladesh after successful completion of her course.
Her husband,
Khalid Mahmood Mithu
Khalid Mahmood Mithu (1960 – March 7, 2016) was a Bangladeshi film director and painter. He won Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Director for his direction of the film '' Gohine Shobdo'' (2010).
Background and career
Mithu was born in ...
, is an artist and filmmaker, and her two children are also artists and musicians. She cites her family as the "first viewers" of any of her finished paintings.
In her solo exhibition, Life is Here, held in 2014 at Bengal Art Lounge in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Kanak paid tribute to her own community, the Chakmas, with 80 paintings.
Art work
Kanak's works often focus upon women, with men appearing only to stress the subjectivity and centrality of women. She explains her focus upon women in her paintings thus: "In plains and in hills, women are similarly cornered, even though they often contribute more than men to their families. I therefore prefer to centralise women in my works."
She cites the "vivid colours of indigenous attire, the hills, forests, ‘jhum’ cultivation, pristine blue waterfalls, dance and music; in other words, anything that defines life in the hilly areas of Bangladesh" as major inspirations for her work,
and says she has also been inspired by the Impressionist movement.
Her paintings have been featured in over 100 exhibitions both at home and abroad, including Australia, India, the United States, Germany, France and England. Her source of inspiration is the daily life of the
Chakma people
The Chakma people ( ccp, 𑄌𑄋𑄴𑄟𑄳𑄦; ) are a tribal group from the eastern-most regions of the Indian subcontinent. They are the largest ethnic group in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region of southeastern Bangladesh, and the se ...
and the natural beauty of her birthplace, Rangamati, and focuses on the representation of ethnic minorities in her work.
A selection of her published works can be seen on her website.
Exhibitions
*2009: ''Appointment 2009'' (group)
*2010: ''Journey to Peace'' (solo)
*2010: ''Rooted Creativity-3'' (group)
*2011: ''Colorful Yunnan'' (group)
*2012: ''15th Beijing International Art Expo'' (group)
*2012: ''Drawing Exhibition'' (group)
*2012: ''Saju's Grand Group Art Exhibition'' (group)
*2012: ''Dreams-Sowing'' (solo)
*2013: ''Colours Across the Bangla Delta'' (group)
*2013: ''Amader Kotha'' (group)
*2014: ''Life Is Here'' (solo)
*2014: ''Then and Now'' (group)
*2015: ''Life 2'' (group)
Awards
*2014:
*2008: Olympic Fine Arts Medal, Beijing, China.
*2006: Best of The show, Museum of Americas, Florida, United States
*2003: Diploma Award from 2nd International Tashkent Biennale. Uzbekistan
*2003: Grand Award, Latin American Art Museum, Miami, Florida, United States
*1999: Honourable Mention Award, Silver Jubilee of Saju Art Gallery, Dhaka, Bangladesh
*1993–94: Mid-American Arts Alliance Fellowship Award, United States
**Master Zainul Abedin Memorial Award, Cultural Reporter Association of Bangladesh
*2003: Best Personalities in Art, by Arabians Fashion beyond imagination, Dhaka
*2002: National Award, Best Painting, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy
*1994: "TOP TEN" Best woman Personalities in Bangladesh, Life Time achievement, Anonna Award
*1992: 2nd Award on Modern Painting, International Miniature Art Contest, Florida, United States
Notes/Further reading
* Kanak Chanpa Chakma book, published in 2005
See also
*
Women Artists of Bangladesh
The wife or daughter of the Bengali kumar or potter creates all products which do not involve the use of the wheel. They also paint all the products that are painted in the potter's family workshop, the ghata, sara or pot cover, dolls etc. In the ...
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chakma, Kanak Chanpa
21st-century women artists
1963 births
Bangladeshi Buddhists
Bangladeshi costume designers
Bangladeshi painters
Best Costume Design National Film Award (Bangladesh) winners
Chakma people
Living people
People from Rangamati District