Being Afloat in Kustia
Binoy PaUl’s Vashan
Art & Deal Correspondent

Binoy Paul used plastic and cloth as his artistic media. He
started a sort of story using patches of a thinly-threaded towel,
locally called gamcha in Bengali, stitched to a plastic frame
shaped like a human. He finished the story by setting the plastic
figure afloat on water. Plastic does not sink in water. The whole
matter has presented us with a multi-dimensional story, which
viewers have judged in countless ways.
In his art works, Binoy reveals the stories of a community of
handloom weavers, who have been professionally involved with
weaving for a long time in the areas around Kustia, as well as their
golden history, now sadly forgotten along with the passage of
time, or well settled in oblivion. No, Kustia’s handloom weaving
industry hasn’t been wiped off completely, yet. However, its
golden days are long gone. Binoy has tried to voice the weavers’
increasing sighs and the depressing tale of a golden chapter in
the history of Bangladeshi arts. This installation by Binoy can
be interpreted as a short summary of the traditional handloom
weaving industry in Bangladesh.