4th Dhaka Art Summit to begin on February 2

The nine-day long 4th Dhaka Art Summit is set to begin at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on February 2, with over 300 artists from 35 countries expected to participate. More than 120 speakers will take part in 16 panel discussions and two symposiums of the summit, which is sponsored by the Golden Harvest Group and organized by a public-private partnership between the Samdani Art Foundation and 55 international organizations. Dhaka Art Summit Director Nadia Samdani, also co-founder and president of the Samdani Art Foundation, announced the details during a press conference at the Art Gallery Building of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on Thursday. Nadia added that she hoped attendance at this year’s summit would eclipse the 138,000 visitors seen at the last edition. “A total 11 curators from different countries will participate in the exhibition, which will be led by Chief Curator Diana Campbell Betancourt, also the Samdani Art Foundation’s Artistic Director,” she said. The Dhaka Art Summit director further said that the educational elements of the Dhaka Art Summit 2018 would be streamed live to classrooms and universities across the country as part of a partnership with Microsoft Bangladesh. Meanwhile, Samdani Art Foundation co-founder and trustee Rajeeb Samdani said that critical writing ensembles would be organized on the summit days for the first time at this year’s event, which is also the largest non-commercial research and exhibition platform for South Asian Art. “Moreover, there will be a special segment at this year’s summit where collections of the first five editions of Asian Art Biennale will be exhibited, demonstrating the rich art and cultural heritage we have in the last century,” he added. Rajeeb further said that five out of 11 short listed artists will be awarded at the summit this year, which will have free entry for all as usual. Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Director General Liaquat Ali Lucky said: “The Dhaka Art Summit not only brings art to life for our public, but it also increases interest in Bangladeshi art at the global level by actively involving world renowned curators and leading institutions.” He also said the government has a number of plans and development projects for the fine arts and cultural sectors of Bangladesh in the works. Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy’National Art Gallery Director Md Muniruzzaman said: “Through this kind of initiative, the exchange of art, culture and heritage will enrich us. Besides, foreigners are willingly coming to us to know about our country, art and culture, which is a result of the success of such arrangements.” Golden Harvest Group Director Mohius Samad Choudhury was also in attendance the press conference, among others. The Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Ministry of Information, National Tourism Board and Bangladesh Investment Development Authority are also supporting the summit, which will be organized in association with Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy and Bangladesh National Museum as in previous years. Dhaka Art Summit is hosted every two years at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy by Samdani Art Foundation, in collaboration with the government’s Ministry of Cultural Affairs.