The third edition of Dhaka Art Summit, largest non-commercial research and exhibition platform for South Asian Art around the globe, has begun on the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy premises on Friday.
Golden Harvest and the Samdani Art Foundation have sponsored the grand cultural programme.
As the chief guest, Finance Minister AMA Muhith inaugurated the four-day event in the morning while the special guests, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon and Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor, were along with him.
Photo: Syed Zakir Hossain
Muhith said: “This is the greatest art event in Asia and we feel proud that recently our artists have transformed it into a new shape.” Afterwards he assured of helping to arrange such cultural event in the future.
Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor said: “It is a big initiative taking place in the country. The event has become a platform of gathering for artists from local and abroad and their interaction will enrich arts.”
In the inauguration speech, Chairman of the Dhaka Art Summit organising committee Farooq Sobhan and Samdani Art Foundation President Nadia Samdani thanked the art lovers for their presence there.
Director General of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Liaquat Ali was also present among others.
Photo: Syed Zakir Hossain
Nadia Samdani, president and co-Founder of Samdani Art Foundation, welcomed and thanked all the participants and highlighted the Summit schedule in her speech.
She said: “It has been an exciting journey.. After successful edition of the Dhaka Art Summit in 2012 and in 2014, we are excited and happy to present the third edition of the Dhaka Art Summit."
"We are proud to invite and host over 300 participating artists, writers and many other art professionals as well as the general audiences to give the summit a unique look and thrill," she said in her opening speech.
Nadia said Dhaka Art Summit includes curated exhibitions, architectural exhibitions, folk performances, book launches and also an historical exhibition.
“Being the world largest South Asian Art platform, Dhaka Art Summit highlighted Bangladesh positively towards the globe," she added.
Photo: Syed Zakir Hossain
Echoing the similar sentiment, Farooq Sobhan, chairman of the summit's organising committee, said: “This summit will perhaps set a new record in terms of participation from abroad.
"After the success of previous two summits, we decided to organise the third summit on a much larger scale."
“As Nadia mentioned, this summit has already figured prominently on the global art world as a must-attend event," Sobhan added.
Dhaka Art Summit (DAS) provides a unique opportunity for the public to view the works of nearly 300 artists from the South Asia region right in the centre of Dhaka free of charge.
The four-day exhibition is being complemented by talks and seminars with prominent artists and curators from the world’s leading art galleries and museums, including Centre Pompidou in Paris, London’s Tate, New Yorks’ Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Harvard South Asia Institute.
Photo: Syed Zakir Hossain
As can be seen by the appreciative crowds drawn by its previous editions, the organisers of DAS are proving increasingly successful in presenting the variety and wealth of South Asia’s rich artistic heritage and culture to large Bangladeshi audiences.
Not only does this bring art to life for our public, but it increases interest in South Asian art at a global level by actively involving world renowned curators and leading institutions.
The Dhaka Art Summit sets a tremendous example for private philanthropy in our country through its ambition and year round partnerships with leading world institutions. This goes beyond simply playing an important function by nurturing art in a country where public funding is scarce to helping South Asian art and culture attract the international attention it truly deserves.
We hope DAS will help increase public interest and support for the arts in our region and inspire an increasing number of talented Bangladeshi artists to make their mark on the world stage.