Novera Ahmed, a name surrounded by many myths and curiosity was was the pioneer of modern sculpting in Bangladesh. Her distinctive works are inspired by western, folk, indigenous, and Buddhist themes to reflect the experiences of women.
Her sculpture reflects her forward-looking and progressive mentality and takes us into the whimsical reality of hers. Her sculpture screams confidence yet, holds the mystery very carefully. Her bold and brilliant work with cement is her way of leaving her signature behind.
Artist Profile
Novera Ahmed
Novera Ahmed was a modern sculptor of Bangladesh. Born on 29 March 1939, in Sundarbans in the then Bengal Presidency, British India, she studied in Calcutta and Comilla. In 1955 she was awarded a diploma in Design in the Modeling and Sculpture course from Camberwell College of Arts in London. At Camberwell, she studied under the British sculptor Jacob Epstein and Karel Vogel of Czechoslovakia. In 1966, she met Danish artist Asger Jorn in Paris. She studied European sculpture under the sculptor Venturino Venturi in Florence and later in Vienna. She was influenced by many western modern sculptors such as Henry Moore. Ahmed jointly worked with Hamidur Rahman on the original design of the Shaheed Minar, Dhaka. During 1956–1960, she had done about 100 sculptures in Dhaka. Out of her 100 sculptures, 33 sculptures are currently in Bangladesh National Museum. Ahmed’s first exhibition was held at the University of Dhaka in 1960. Another exhibition of her works was held in Lahore in 1961. She started living in France in the 1970s. Her last exhibition was also held in Paris in July 1973. She was awarded Ekushey Padak by the Government of Bangladesh in 1997. Ahmed suffered a stroke in 2010 and she was in a wheelchair since then. She died on 6 May 2015 at a hospital in Paris, France.
LA BALEINE
Le Heron
Le Heron is a 1982 sculpture by Novera Ahmed. She sculpted the Heron bird using cement and iron and brought it to life with her expert workmanship and love for the craft. The heron bird, often associated with beauty, symbolizes stillness and tranquility, and how these two things are needed to recognize opportunities. It signifies determination and his drive for life. Through this, she reveals her inner self, her independence, and growth. Her heron is black yet it radiates a thousand rays of hope and possibility.
Icaros
Icaros, a 1996 metal sculpture by prominent sculptor Novera Ahmed. She captured the mythological character Icaros, the son of the son of the famous craftsman Daedalus in it. She reminisced the age-old tale of their captive days and how they tried to escape but lost to the over-enthusiasm of freedom. Her depiction might be mythological by her inspiration was her time, her society when people were easily blinded by their success to see the whole picture or truth.
Her sculpture is her way of protest in a world full of chaos and self-centered people. She urges everyone to know themselves and act according to be free from the invisible cage of society.
Artist Art Style
Novera Ahmed’s early works resembled geometrical forms made by stones and concrete and anthropomorphic forms – mixing the human figure and animals. Then she used iron and steel and later bronze. She began sprays paintings, using plane crash remains from the US army (1964–1969). After her bad accident, her drawings included shapes and figures of a meditative character: space, island, birds in the sky, phoenix, flowers, water, sunshine, and the moon, minimalist landscapes, human figures turned toward a new horizon, and others.