Abu Jafar
‘Hope@ On My Way’ 'Hope@ On My Way’ frames the simplicity of its colour scheme with its painstaking inner message. It took more than nineteen years to paint. The painting is an internal log, each stroke a coloured entry into the artist’s diary. It reflects his own encounters and achievements. It also mirrors those of every immigrant who has landed on foreign shores.
Emerald green bathes the bottom half of the painting . The top is like a rosy sunset, in shades of orange and red with streaks of yellow. This bright haze rises like an abstract column of hope. It pushes the mauve, purple and blue skies apart and even echoes the lighter shade of green below. The deep green at the bottom partners with the gauzy purple haze at the top. The central red-tinged section adds lightness to the lower half but remains the main focus of the world we gaze upon.
There are few symbols to make the story easy to decipher. Yet one cannot miss the three taut lines across the width of the painting. These stretch and bind the body of the work. They have the spiked and ragged metal edge of barbed wire. This lends an edge of pain to an otherwise compassionate and tender vision. It is a warning to avoid delusion. While our desires can be visible, one may need to overcome many barriers in our journey to the promised land.
Light streaks of blue fall from the top. These may be cosmic scratches of water, an almost invisible English rain, or the end of a Bangladeshi one. It evokes scenes glimpsed through a passing window. This subtle barrier makes us spectators more than actors. This mural will reflect many issues. These include the history of Brick Lane. It has been a melting pot of immigrant experiences and their struggle. This is particularly true of the Bangladeshi community. Millions of people have arrived in the United Kingdom, dreaming of a new life!
50 years of Bangladesh is a story of success. We celebrate Brick Lane and this story of success in 'Hope@ On My Way’.
About Abu Jafar:
Abu Jafar (Visual Artist / Sculptor) is an acclaimed leading British international artist and philosopher of the arts. He is living and working in the United Kingdom.
Born on March 21, 1968 in a small village called Jhilna, Patuakhali, Bangladesh.
He studied Philosophy of Arts at the Open University 1997, Art and Art History at Goldsmiths College University of London in 1991/92, Master Drawing of the Human Figure - Guildhall University London in 1989/90 and Fine Arts, Painting and Drawing at the Institute of Fine Arts University of Dhaka Bangladesh 1984/89.
In 2021 he become a member of the Visual Artist Association, in 2011 he become a Fellow of Digswell Arts Trust. In 2008 he become a member of the Sculpture Network and in 2007 an Associates Member of the Royal British Society of Sculptors.
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