With artists constantly coming up with unorthodox techniques and mediums, how we see and perceive art has changed significantly over the years. Due to all the social media rave, artists have also switched up how they choose to portray their artworks. Since Instagram has an astounding 1 billion monthly users, it is no surprise the platform has been weaving its way through the artworld as artists’ choice of online expression.

For our May segment, we decided to bring into spotlight 5 versatile Instagram based artists of Dhaka- Nuzhat Tabassum, Salbhi Sumaiya, Istela Imam, Arup Pancratius Gomes and Navid Newage. 5 young individuals creating art with their unique touch and making waves through self-expression. By meticulously curating the squares of Instagram, they have been endeared by their followers, reached out by national and international brands alike. Most importantly, they chose not to resist change and take control of their artistic narratives. Read along to discover their blend of vivid imaginations and much more.

Istela Imam

Istela Imam (istelaillustrated) is a graphic designer + illustrator with a passion for typography. She initiated the first ever street art project that shed light on women issues in Bangladesh under the name Invisibellas in 2016. She is also the co-founder of The Milkshake Collective, which is a platform for young budding artists to showcase and sell their work in Dhaka through yearly events. She has worked both local and internationally on brand identities, designed books, and social campaigns. Her own illustration work draws inspiration from the noise and chaos of Dhaka, her love of music & matters of the heart and mind.

What does art mean to you?
When creating, it’s about making decisions, sticking to your guns and taking risks. It’s being in a “constant state of play”, it’s my escape and it keeps me grounded.

How do you approach your work?
I like to mix and match different techniques, mediums and incorporating text/typography in most of my work.

Why did you choose Instagram as your medium of choice?
At a glance you can get a feel of an artist’s work, process, progress, and who the artist is as a person. You can follow their journey and see them evolve as an artist which is a much more intimate experience. And no matter what your style is, you find your audience spread all across the globe.

Do you think artists can utilize Instagram as a platform to promote and sell their artworks?
Most definitely! Not just instagram, twitter, and even tiktok (oh I know) works as great platforms to share, showcase and connect with your audience.

Navid Newage

I am Navid Newage (artefiece_), an artist and a thinker. I am always enamoured with various ideas in my head and I try my best to lay them on a canvas; as flawlessly as I see them in my head. I have yet to find my stroke and so I keep continuing with various painting style. If I were to describe my current work I’d say, I do acrylic painting with vivid and contrasting colours in varying formats, with a sense of mismatched collage-esque structure in some paintings that leans towards surrealism. I maintain an alias “A r t e f i e c é” on Facebook and Instagram where I share my artworks.

What does art mean to you?
My art is my self-identity. Through art only have I been able to express myself; let anyone have a peek into what I see in my mind.

How do you approach your work?
I simply make notes whenever I get an Idea. And When I get the chance to pick up my brush, I make a mess. And from that mess I slowly build the artwork.

Why did you choose Instagram to promote and sell your artworks?
It is so very easy to connect with artists that resonate with you. Thereby, Instagram not only makes me feel that I can express myself more openly but also keeps me inspired when I can’t express myself.

In this age of technology and globalization, how can Bangladeshi artists go global through their works?
First and foremost, I believe young artists need patrons. Not just in the form of material support but encouragement. We have to let Bangladeshi artists keep making amazing art and help them share their work as much as possible.

Nuzhat Tabassum

Nuzhat Tabassum (nuz.art) is an artist based in Dhaka who, simply put, is in a relationship with colors. Psychedelic art being her forte, she likes to be experimental. Her love for nature often reflects in her work, especially the offerings she makes out of flowers, seeds, shells, and other things found in nature. She calls it her meditation. Her non conventional canvases range from leaves to even cigarettes. She loves to create, and spread love in the process.

What does Art mean to you?
Art for me is a language. Where words fail .. art prevails.. it is ones truest expression. It’s a journey of the soul. It’s a meditation. It’s divine connection. It’s a portal. It is everything. Everything is art and art is everything.
How do you approach your work?
I speak in forms, shapes and colours through my psychedelic works of art. I also call it my meditation through which I connect to the divine. I never somehow call my work my own but sees myself as a medium though which the universe expresses itself. I’m simply a dot in the equation. Hence I almost never sign my artworks.

Why did you choose Instagram as your medium of choice?
Instagram I feel is an excellent medium for showcasing art. It almost acts as an artists personal gallery. Every artists Instagram is an ongoing exhibition which is completely under the artists control. It’s a great tool!

Do you think artists can utilize Instagram as a platform to promote and sell their artworks?
Definitely. The app itself is designed as such which makes it much easier to connect with people both local and international. It’s an excellent platform to promote work.

Pancratius Arup Gomes

I am Pancratius Arup Gomes (huebird), a self-taught artist still delving into different styles and exploring mediums to find my forte. So far in my journey I’ve come to feel most at home with surrealistic styles of presenting ideas into the canvas. Currently I mostly use Photoshop and Coral Painter to carry out pieces. Art has always been my solace. It is how I feel the most in my element. What started off with me casually painting my friends in real time during a class break has now turned into my full time career pursuit.

What does art mean to you?
Art is a medium that reflects my deepest thoughts and emotions.

How do you approach your work?
Thinking about composition and studying the values beforehand is the way to go for me.

Why did you choose Instagram to promote and sell your artworks?
Instagram has a wide scope of art lovers and it also preserves high quality of my artwork, so potential buyers can get a better preview.

In this age of technology and globalization, how can Bangladeshi artists go global through their works?
Bangladeshi Artists can participate in International Competitions and can also use platforms like reddit to gain access to a wider audience.

Salbhi Sumaiya

Salbhi Sumaiya (merakistudio.art) is a Conceptual & Visual Artist based in Toronto and Dhaka. Recently, she has won Royal Bank of Canada’s RBC Awards & Grants from Toronto Art Foundation and Ontario Art Council, amongst others. Currently, she is spreading her footprint globally through exhibitions in Poland, Japan, Bangladesh, etc. She is an innovative conduit for social & political change, her themes are usually based on raising awareness on the various contemporary issues faced in today’s world such as the mass extinction of animals caused by human interference & the calamities faced by Myanmar’s atrocities against the Rohingya population, to name a few.

What does Art mean to you?
I have always been connected to art in some way. Maybe because my mother is creative and artistic in her own way, or maybe because somehow, whenever I fail to express myself through words, art finds me. In an ever-busy schedule, art is an escape from the constant chaos and pressure. Art itself is a remedy and therapeutic.

How do you approach your work?
I try to be as determined and goal oriented as possible. All though it is not always fun and games, especially when you get on an artist block. I remind myself to set discrete, doable tasks for myself and then make sure I am held accountable when I am slacking.

Why did you choose Instagram as your medium of choice?
Having my fair share of activities on various platforms, I believe it is safe to say Instagram posts have higher engagement rates than other social networks as it has an ever growing, active audience base. Moreover, it is also a place where I can interact with other professionals and paid partnerships flow in with my feed serving as my portfolio.

Do you think artists can utilize Instagram as a platform to promote and sell their artworks?
100%. The crowd on IG has a huge and varied palette of taste and many have highly disposable incomes, making it one of the most valued choices for promoting art. Also, one of the primary advantages of selling online on IG is the collectors and other procurers’ ability in finding new art that they otherwise would never find in a physical space.

These 5 talented individuals have rigorously honed their skills and the result is in front of us all to spectate. Thanks to Instagram, there is no middle man between the originator of artworks and the audience. This helps to establish a more authentic connection and build better rapport among the artists and their audiences. In a way, creating art is their way of venting their thoughts and ideas, just in colors. Through sharing not just their artwork but the entire creative process, they inspire more people to pick up their own tools and have a go at expressing themselves through art. It in many ways, humanizes the entire artistic process, that venturing into the art world isn’t just limited to seasoned players of the game- it’s for everyone.

Disclaimer: This article is subject to copyright and owned by Preema’s Atelier.