This is the second Dhaka Art summit. How does it compare to the first summit?
LBL: The first time was much smaller than this. They were not experienced organisers before, but it’s safe to say now they are. It also helps that they are genuine art lovers, so it’s beginning to look like such events come easily to them.
RA: It’ll be better than the last time. This time it’s being done on a grand scale. There is going to be an exchange of art and ideas, along with important curators and galleries coming. So by scaling up they have really pushed the envelope. This summit is changing the whole landscape of art in Bangladesh and pushing it years ahead.
What work are you displaying?
LBL: At the last summit I created a large bed made out of razor blades. This time around I’m doing something different. I wanted to trace the journey related to my own body. I had a miscarriage and had to go through a lot because of that. I used that journey as the inspiration behind my installation “A Room of My Own.”
RA: I’m just giving a few paintings this time around, not like my umbrella installation last year. They were selected by Deepak Ananth who is curating the exhibition B/Desh.
Did last year’s summit help you out professionally?
LBL: Of course it did. So many people came and saw my work and then became interested in it. Subsequently one of my pieces was auctioned at Christies in London. The Guggenheim also acquired my piece from the last art summit, and it is now being shown around the world.
RA: Yes, in fact it helped me out a lot. My work was praised by critics – even by one from Paris who often curates Shahabuddin’s work.
Lipi’s solo project for the Dhaka Art Summit, A Room of My Own, inspired by the texts of Virginia Woolf, provides context for the artist’s previous body of work, sharing the artist’s silent journey over the years, fighting her own body and soul in the wish to conceive a child. Lipi takes chronological steps into the special times of her life, sharing black and white photos taken at the time.
Do you think this summit will help new artists, or is it a showcase of already established acts?
LBL: That’s a difficult question to answer. If you go through their stuff you’ll see they have incorporated established artists as an attraction for the summit. But there is also a Samdani Award for the best up-and- coming artists. So I’d say there is a bit of both. Mahbubur Rahman is showcasing a number of new artists in the film and performance category, so I would say they will have a voice at this summit.
RA: Every organization has its own agenda, and through their work they encourage others. It’s an organic process. That being said, I think the summit will help many people in many ways.
Where do you hope to see this summit in 10 years?
LBL: Truthfully I am a little worried about the future. The organisers have put a lot of their own money into this summit, but if they don’t have sponsors helping them out in the future, how tenable will it be? Other people need to step in and help them out. It’s only natural that people get tired, so in my mind the sustainability of this project may require others to assist them.
RA: It’s already touching the sky. I’d say in 10 years I’d like to see people like Anish Kapoor here in Dhaka. A big substantial art event certainly positively affects the aesthetics of the existing art arena. The Dhaka Arts Summit has its own international contemporary voice, which must affect Bangladesh’s art in the future.
