Introduction 

Bangladesh has a long history of Bengali arts and culture, dating back to the 2nd century BC. The contemporary art movement in Bangladesh has its origins in the early twentieth century when numerous art movements emerged. Events such as the Dhaka Art Summit initiated by the Samdani Art Foundation, established in the early 2010s, have played an important role in transforming the contemporary art scene and culture of Bangladesh. There are currently numerous such organizations and galleries in Bangladesh that are working hard to showcase Bangladesh’s emerging talents of Bangladesh on a national and international platform. Despite the fact that many artists have relocated in quest of financial success, the country’s art scene has thrived in recent years, with several local artists obtaining international acclaim. This article will look at the art institutions and galleries that have been promoting Bangladeshi art. 

The Expansion of Contemporary Art Scene in Bangladesh Capital 

Bangladesh’s modern arts sector has evolved in the 20 years since the liberation war of 1971. More artists have graduated from arts schools and colleges during the 1990s, and new art venues for art have opened up. Despite the city’s traffic congestion, art openings are now held on a weekly basis at Dhaka’s galleries, especially in Dhanmondi. Regardless of the progress, artists and art patrons continue to push modern art beyond traditional concepts and to forge an identity distinct from the sad themes associated with Bangladesh. Contemporary art in Bangladesh is making a resurgence, with new galleries opening alongside existing ones and due to benchmark events such as the Dhaka Art Summit and Asian Art Biennial.

Important Institutions and Galleries in Bangladesh Promoting and Patronizing Contemporary Art and Artists  

Bengal Foundation 

The Bengal Foundation, established in 1986, is Dhaka’s first private art institution, hosting exhibits, concerts, and cultural events in the Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts in Dhanmondi and the Bengal Art Lounge in Gulshan. The foundation aspires to present a culturally rich Bangladesh, elevating the country above clichéd portraits of a flood-ravaged country. The Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts, a subsidiary of the organization, was founded in 2000 to encourage indigenous art in Bangladesh, and it has collaborated with art organizations in Tokyo, Toronto, and New York. The gallery is housed in a recently renovated structure surrounded by a peaceful garden. Recent exhibitions include “Eternal Japan” by Monzurul Huq and “Shilpacharya and His Outer World of Art” celebrating the birth centenary of Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin.

Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy 

Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, https://globalinch.org/

Bangladesh’s National Academy of Fine and Performing Arts was founded in 1974 as a statutory entity under the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. It was revised in 1989 and has been led by a Director General. The general direction of the academy is supplied by an Executive Council (Shilpakala Academy Parishad), which is chaired by the Minister in charge of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. The academy, founded by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, strives to practice, expand, and maintain Bangladesh’s rich culture. However, the growth of anti-liberation war-power following Bangabandhu’s killing complicated its efforts. However, the academy’s activities have subsequently grown across the country, supporting cultural practice, the preservation of traditional culture, and the introduction of Bangladeshi culture to the worldwide community. The Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy has become a cultural paradise, functioning as a meeting place for cultural figures and artists. It is a source of pride and a beacon of hope for Bangladesh.

Drik Gallery

Alam’s images have been exhibited at the New York Museum of Modern Art and the Pompidou Center in Paris. Alam discovered photography while travelling across the United States with a borrowed Nikon after receiving a degree in chemistry from the University of London. In 1984, he returned to Bangladesh and established Drik in his parents’ house in Dhanmondi. The agency, archives, book publisher, multimedia initiatives, and galleries are now housed in Drik’s three-story structure. Drik, as well as Pathshala, a photography school created in 1998, have helped to place Bangladesh on the map for photography. Hundreds of Bangladeshi photographers, including award-winning photojournalists, have been trained by Pathshala. Drik has held Chobi Mela, Asia’s largest modern photography event, since 2000. 130 renowned photographers gathered in Dhaka in 2013 for a week of discussions and exhibitions. 

Drik Gallery, Drik, Bangladesh, 2 March 2011, Image Credit: Mahbub Alam Khan, https://chulie.wordpress.com/

Drik Gallery, Bangladesh’s largest privately owned gallery, has been in existence for over twenty years, exhibiting successful shows such as’ Tragedi Noi Hottakando’ and ‘Silent Miracle’. Drik has helped to place Bangladesh on the map for photography. Drik has held Chobi Mela, Asia’s largest modern photography event, since 2000. 130 renowned photographers gathered in Dhaka in 2013 for a week of discussions and exhibitions. Despite Drik’s importance, art in Bangladesh has always been connected with painting. For 30 years, the Asian Art Biennale has been hosted in the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in Dhaka, however, images are still not admitted.

Opening Ceremony of ‘Chobi Mela’ VI International Festival of Photography, Dhaka Bangladesh, 21 January 2011, Image Credit: Saikat Mojumder,https://chulie.wordpress.com/

Department of Contemporary Art and World Civilization at Bangladesh National Museum

The Department of Contemporary Art and World Civilization, established in 1975, has seven galleries of current Bangladeshi art, as well as artefacts from other civilizations. The section includes works by Quamrul Hassan and S.M. Sultan, as well as a gallery devoted to Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin, widely regarded as the founder of contemporary Bangladeshi art. In addition, the department conducts regular exhibits and plays an important role in the Asian Art Biennale, which promotes Asian art to foreign audiences.

Dhaka Art Center

The Dhaka Art Centre, founded in 2010, is a non-profit organization fostering modern visual art in Dhanmondi, Bangladesh. It contains the Department of Contemporary Art and World Civilisation, one of the Bangladesh National Museum’s four curatorial departments. The department has seven galleries with paintings, sculptures, and tapestries depicting modern Bangladeshi art, as well as artefacts from other civilizations such as the United States, China, and Egypt. The centre also conducts regular exhibits and is an important part of the Asian Art Biennale, a national event that promotes Asian art to foreign audiences. The centre has six gallery rooms for displaying paintings, sculptures, videos, and other types of visual art, as well as an auditorium for film and video screenings. Mashiul Chowdhury’s ‘Hidden Canvas: Impression of Urban Life’ and Raihan’s ’71’, which included photographs from the Bangladesh Liberation War, are some of the preceding exhibitions.

Dhaka Art Center, https://archive.thedailystar.net/

Samadani Foundation

The Samdani Art Foundation (SAF) is a private arts foundation created in 2011 by Nadia and Rajeeb Samdani in Dhaka, Bangladesh. SAF aspires to broaden the audience for contemporary art in Bangladesh while also increasing worldwide visibility for the country’s artists and architects. Through production grants, residencies, education programs, and exhibits, it helps Bangladeshi artists and architects develop their creative horizons. Through official relationships with the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, People’s Republic of Bangladesh, and the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, SAF works with the Bangladeshi government. The Dhaka Art Summit (DAS), which it launched in 2012 and continues to produce, is a major endeavour. DAS ignores the typical biennale framework in order to foster a more creative environment for art and exchange. SAF has provided funding for curators from Tate Modern, Centre Pompidou, Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum to travel. To formalize this endeavour and promote artistic research in Bangladesh throughout the year, SAF has just developed the new DAS Research Fellows program. The Samdani Art Award, given biannually in collaboration with the Delfina Foundation, has provided a globally known venue at the DAS to expose the work of young Bangladeshi artists to a worldwide audience. Many of the artists that were shortlisted went on to exhibit in international exhibits and institutes.SAF introduced the Samdani Architecture in 2018, inviting architecture students in Bangladesh to submit designs for DAS 2018’s Education Pavilion. The winning entry will be built to host DAS’s extensive educational activities. The Samdani Seminars are an annual free lecture and workshop program that allows collaboration between globally famous arts practitioners and local communities across Bangladesh through interactive artworks, lectures, and workshops. The Samdani Artist-Led Projects Forum acknowledges and promotes the relevance of independently formed and self-funded art projects in Bangladesh. SAF’s collection now includes around 2,000 works of modern and contemporary art, which are routinely loaned to institutions and festivals across the world. 

Installation view with works of Anish Kapoor, Zarina Hashmi, Prabhavathi Meppayil, and floor piece by Daniel Steegman Mangrane,https://whataboutart.net/

Britto Art Trust 

Britto Arts Trust is a Bangladeshi art organization that supports multidisciplinary practitioners, organizations, and networks for the country’s art scene. It was created in 2002 as a non-profit network. Britto, Bangladesh’s first of its kind, has become a significant alternative forum for artists, fostering innovation and supporting budding artists. It has brought Bangladeshi art to wider international forums, including the 54th Venice Biennial and Documenta Fifteen. Because Bangladesh lacks a specialized museum for visual art and a formal archive, the Trust has spent the last three years organizing its own archive to preserve its history. The Trust has played an important part in the development of Bangladesh’s contemporary art scene. 

Britto Arts Trust, Rongbaaz, Contemporary artists in collaboration with Rikshaw and Cinema Banner painters, Britto Space Dhaka, 2020, Image Credit: Mohosin Kabir Himalaya,https://documenta-fifteen.de/

 Britto has grown in popularity since its inception, conducting seminars for local and international artists and opening a new arts facility near Dhanmondi. Britto assisted in the production of 1mile2, a one-square-mile exhibition of films, public art, and installations concentrating on ecology in Old Dhaka, the capital’s tumultuous old quarter, in 2009. A life-size recreation of a traditional wooden boat constructed of empty plastic bottles and a picture installation representing Dhaka’s wild urban monkeys were among the pieces on display by 40 artists. With 15,000 people watching the performance in a single day, the Trust has managed to create awareness and appreciation for the environmental and urban deterioration in Old Dhaka.

ছায়াছবি Chayachobi– mural project on Bangla cinema, 2021- 2022, acrylic on canvas & wall, http://brittoartstrust.org/

The Challenges of the Contemporaries

In spite of thriving contemporary art in Dhaka, challenges persist. Fine arts academies and universities in Bangladesh tend to ignore teaching the subject matter, while older, traditional artists are still held in higher regard. “No one wants young people to get recognition,” Mr. Samdani of the Dhaka Art Summit remarked. Patrons of the arts spoke of a fractured and splintered artistic world in a country known for its harsh politics. “It’s a pity,” remarked Giorgio Guglielmino, the Italian ambassador to Bangladesh and a modern art lecturer. “If you want the country’s art to emerge, they should put together forces.” Bangladesh’s visual arts landscape has recently undergone swift and drastic transformations. As a result, a strong local curatorial practice is required to harness and maximize this growth.

Role of Art Galleries and Art Institutions in Nurturing the Contemporary Art and Artists 

The emergence of cultural institutions and galleries in Bangladesh has substantially enhanced the country’s creative scene, with an emphasis on reflecting the country’s younger generation of artists who employ experimental techniques and materials to break through old barriers. Events are being organized by top universities and gallery platforms to promote current artistic practices. ‘The Asian Curatorial Forum’ was conducted in 2017, presenting new insights on shared concerns in Asian art curating. The discussion centred on the shifting responsibilities of curators in various institutional systems, including public, private, non-profit, and commercial. The forum intended to rethink curators’ roles in order to better handle uncertainties in these systems. The conference was intended to improve the integrated ecology of the continent’s visual arts industry. Biennials showcasing art are becoming more common, and public and private art organizations are rethinking their forms and functions. Curators’ spheres of action expand beyond exhibition-making to developing discourse and knowledge in previously non-existent sectors, and artist-run venues disturb the art dialogue. These developments necessitate a thorough debate in order to identify innovative answers.

Asian Curatorial Forum, February 2017, https://www.bengalarts.org/

Art galleries and exhibitions encourage artists and spectators to engage more closely, raising knowledge of visual art and community visual culture. Art galleries and foundations, for example, play an important part in this process. Art events bring people from all walks of life together to debate, see, and appreciate art that represents culture and documents current affairs. These encounters foster creative intelligence by boosting knowledge about the importance of art and instilling values for various art disciplines. 

“When I get any time I try to go there, Day by day, I myself feel devotion.”

Says 35-year-old banker- Sazzad Islam while admiring the paintings of artist Rafiqun Nabi at Dhaka Art Center. Mr. Sazad – a graduate in accounting admits that his fondness for art has grown by visiting Dhaka’s galleries. 

References 

Online Articles:

• “5 Boundary pushing practitioners at the Helm of Bangladesh’s Contemporary Art Scene, 10the September 2020, Something curated
• Yee, Amy, “In Bangladesh, a vibrant contemporary scene”, 13th March 2014, The New York Times

Websites :

• Art South Asia Project
• Bengal Arts Programme
• Offroad Bangladesh
• The Culture Trip
• Samdani Art Foundation

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