The four-day Dhaka Art Summit was inaugurated on Thursday in the presence of art representatives, artists, art critics and gallery owners from across the world and from Bangladesh as well.
Organised by Samdani Art Foundation, the opening ceremony was held at the National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. Describing the DAS as a pioneer initiative presenting the art of Bangladesh abroad, finance minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith declared the summit opened. Internationally acclaimed artist Shahabuddin Ahmed, also the trustee chairman of Samdani Art Foundation, Farooq Sobhan, chairman of the advisory committee of DAS and trustee of SAF, Nadia Samdani, director of SAF, and K Mahmood Sattar, managing director of City Bank, spoke at the function.
The inauguration was followed by a mega exhibition featuring 249 diverse artworks by prominent and promising artists of Bangladesh. In the name of Bangladeshi Master Artists Exhibition, an art show will begin today noon at the Bangladesh National Museum. Additionally, 19 exhibitions at different private galleries including Bengal Gallery of Fine Art, Dhaka Art Centre, Gallery Chitrak, Britto Space are also going on as part of the summit. Around eight sessions on arts are being held at the National Music and Dance Centre auditorium of Shilpakala Academy.
Eminent artist Syed Jahangir shared his feeling with New Age and said ‘DAS has expedited the take-off period of Bangladeshi art and such a comprehensive summit has come to us at the right time.’
Artist Afrozaa Jamil Konka, whose acrylic work ‘Birangana 71’ is on display at the show said ‘we, the artists, and our art as a whole will be greatly benefited from the summit. We will continue to pay all our moral support for the SAF for arranging it biennially for branding Bangladesh internationally’.
Dr Amin Jaffer, director of Christie’s international art auction house, told New Age ‘This summit is an exciting and comprehensive initiative. I find it commendable and the artwork will help rethink Bangladeshi artists and its rich art scene. The undertaking should continue.’
Fabio Rossi, director of Rossi and Rossi Galley of UK, for the first time visited Bangladesh, said ‘the DAS is a commendable effort by the organisers and it’s a good start.’ Curator of International Art at Tate Modern, Kyla McDonald, art historian, curator and critic Deepak Ananth, art exponent Dr Deepanjana Klein, editor and publisher of Art Asia Pacific, Elaine W Ng are also present at the summit.
The DAS is organised by SAF in association with Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy and Bangladesh National Museum. City Bank American Express is the title sponsor of the summit.
The exhibition is taking place at the National Art Gallery, comprising of its three floors. The exhibition will remain open from 11:00am to 8:00pm till the evening April 15.
-With New Age input
