The second season of 'Urban Hours', a public project on site specific art works, was held at Curzon Hall area at Dhaka University on Friday.
The event was hosted by a group of artists under the banner of 'Back Art' with a view to sensitizing the city dwellers about their glorious past and present frustration in existentialist daily life.
The public exhibition was held from 11:00am to 6:00pm with the art works of twenty artists including two foreigners- Frederico Evaristo (Brazil) and Chiranton Mukhopadhya (India)- Bangladeshi artists Shopno Samudra, Abdul    Gaffar Babu, Arpita Singha Lopa, Ashim Haider Sagor, Biplab Biprodas, Emran Sohel, Fahim Hossain, Hasanur Rahman Reaz, Jewel A Rob, Lutfun Nahar Liza, Mahbubur Rahman, Nowsher Roman, Sanad Kumar Biswas, Sanjid Mahmud, Sharker Nasrin Toontoon, Shubho Saha, Sohorab Rabbi and Uma Mandal.
All the artists exhibit their artworks including installations, video arts and performing arts.
About the exhibition, Shopno Samudra, one of the participants, said, "The exhibition was organized to exhibit urban life and difference between habituations and nature. Apart from this, it was also a protest."
While asking about her artwork titled 'Violencia De Curzon Toppo', Samudra said, "After a century if one day all of a sudden people know that the historic Curzon Hall will be handed over to Developer Company to rebuild or smash, that will be a shock. My artwork will make them feel to experience such shocking moments."
Artist Shuvo Saha said, "We are used to with urbanization in our daily life in Dhaka. But the urbanisation isn't the proper solution actually. So we are facing traffic jams, lack of proper building code, backdated sewerage system design, political instability, air pollution, inadequacy of job and drinking water, load shedding, crimes, corruption and so many problems every day. So, we organised a site specific art to feel the city dwellers about such problem through our art works."
Sanad Kumar Biswas said, "Dhaka has its own history with glory and honor. One of the most significant buildings of that glorious time is Curzon Hall. This public art project offers the general and community people a suggestion or an inspiration through artist's art works. Sometime it may refer to the history."
Jewel A Rob said, "The relationship between artists and artworks depict the image of urban living style and the frustration, in comparison with the past glorious time. All the artworks reflect our old heritage and modern urbanization. The videos, site-specific installations or performances proposed by "Urban Hours" all revolve around the same analysis: urban "development" - a term itself charged with contradiction - has gone out of control."
Apart from these installations, few artists were staged their performing arts including Ashim Hawlader Sagar, Sanjid Mahmud and Sanad Kumar Biswash.
Alam Bhuyan, Xion and Himu also exhibited their artworks though they have no professional degrees.