Explaining the raison d'etre of the display Nafisa Mehboob, co-ordinator Cubic School of Fine Art, says, " Mask making helps to develop creative and practical skills so that the artistes can get a better world view of the arts and appreciate diverse arts and crafts."

Demand for masks has picked up, says Nafisa, with the Pahela Baishakh season here. "Such exhibitions can go a long way in promoting the art," she says. The 33 masks are predominantly made by the students of the Institute of Fine Arts and are fashioned out of wood, metal and cloth. One of the artists is Jagadish Chandra Roy who has crafted a metal mask of a human face. Then there is IFA Professor Faruk Ahamad's wooden mask of a woman. This work stands apart from others because it has no frame and the structures are intricate. Then there is an appliqué mask of a tiger, which has a spectrum of colours: orange, red, black, cloth, wool with beads on the whiskers.

One upbeat student of IFA is Asaduzzaman Sohel who has created a metal mask of a demon. In his words, "People are beginning to understand and appreciate mask making and it is an integral part of our heritage also."

According to Sohel, mask making is rooted in folk traditions such as pata (scroll) painting, Lokkhi Shora (decorated clay lid of a pot) and Shital Pati (a kind of mat made from natural fibres).

The Cubic School of Fine Art now has plans to promote other handicrafts such as folk toys. In the meanwhile, masks seem set for a welcome resurgence. The exhibition's sponsor is Alien Properties.