Storyboard Artist Nazir Hossain, popularly known as TIGER NAZIR, is a folk artist who lives in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Educated at the University of Dhaka, Nazir has had several solo exhibitions of his work, including at the Bangladesh National Museum; Museum of Independence (Dhaka); Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts (Dhaka); the Setouchi International Art Festival of Japan; and the Alliance Française. Nazir has also participated in many group exhibitions, including in Bangladesh, China, India and Japan.
Tiger Nazir's artwork primarily features tigers. Nazir says, "The word 'tiger' is used to describe something heroic – like Sher-e-Bangla (Tiger of Bangla) aka Fazlul Huq – who was a great statesman, a self-sacrificing patriot, and a spokesman of truth and justice in our country. Here 'Sher' means tiger."
Pattachitra (scroll painting) is a traditional form of storytelling. About his art-making, Tiger Nazir says, "I have tried to portray the thousand-year-old heritage of pattachitra with my brush on the canvases in my own style… Once when there were no electronic media, such as television, radio like today, at that time, the only way of entertainment was when potua (artists) did different types of drawings on various issues to provide pure entertainment to the villagers. They were the soul of joy to the general people, visiting villages, fields, markets to entertain people."
