Eight local artists will be taking part in the 55th edition of the Venice Art Biennale to be held at Venice in Italy in next June.
Bangladesh pavilion in the world’s oldest and one of the largest art expo will feature artworks by Lala Rukh Selim, Uttom Kumar Karmokar, Dhali Al Mamoon, Yeasmin Jahan Nupur, Mokhlesur Rahman, Mahbub Zamal, AKM Zahidul Mustafa and Ashok Karmokar.Editor of Shilparup Dr. Nilima Afrin will also accompany the team as an art critic. A painting created by five children from a Jessore based art organisation called Charupath, will also be displayed at the six-month Biennale.
To brief the press about the details of Bangladesh’s participation in Venice biennale a press conference was organised at the press information department on Wednesday. Cultural affairs minister Abul Kalam Azad, secretary of the ministry Dr Ranajit Kumar Biswas, director general of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Liaquat Ali Lucky, among others were present at the conference.
The theme of the Bangladeshi artworks for the Biennale is ‘supernatural’. The pavilion has been dedicated to noted artist MS Sultan and will be curated by professor Dr. Francesco Elisei.
Bangladesh participated at the Biennale for the first time in its 54th edition in 2001.
The artist will begin displaying their artworks from May 25 and will also take preparation for the inauguration programme on June 1. The biennale will be open till November 24 for everybody.
This year 88 countries from across the world will participate in the Venice Art Biennale, the prestigious international art exhibition organised every two years
Most of the artists will leave Dhaka for Venice today.
‘It is definitely a great honour for any artist to participate in the Venice Art Biennale,’ expressed sculptor Lala Rukh Selim who is also the associate professor of the sculpture department at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Dhaka University.
Selim also informed that she will take her sculpture titled Life on the Delta at the Biennale. ‘It is a large sculpture demonstrating the condition of women in the country,’ Selim shared regarding her particular work.
‘I didn’t have much time to create new artworks for the biennale so I will display some artworks from my series called Apponayon (Elimination in English) there,’ said Dhali Al Mamoon who is also thrilled to become a part of this event.
Participation at the Venice Art Biennale is exciting and at the same time fearsome for artist Yeasmin Jahan Nupur.
‘The responsibility to represent my country is huge and honestly I feel a bit nervous,’ said Nupur to New Age. Nupur also informed that she will display a 19 feet long fabric artwork at the exhibition, along with an audiovisual.
-With New Age input
