Dhaka to host its first ever art summit

ARTS. Dhaka, Bangladesh, is about to open its first ever art fair, the Daily Star reports. The event, a collaboration by Art Foundation (SAF), Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) and Bangladesh National Museum (BNM), is called Dhaka Art Summit (DAS) and continues through April 15.

Sponsored by City Bank and American Express, the main venues of the summit will be Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy and Bangladesh National Museum. Several other venues will host exhibitions, curatorial shows, seminars, presentations, the paper reports.

In a blog post, the Wall Street Journal reports that, for once, Bangladesh’s artists will be competing with neighbouring India for attention: “The Dhaka Art Summit will be a rare chance for collectors and art enthusiasts to see a wide range of work – from video installations to folk art – produced by the country’s artists under the same roof”, WSJ.com reports.

The summit will be spread over 19 art galleries in Dhaka. The participating galleries are “Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts, Bengal Art Lounge, Britto Arts Trust, Dhaka Art Centre, Drik Gallery, Gallery Chitrak, Gallery Cosmos, Gallery Jolrong, Galleri Kaya, Haque Art Gallery, Porapara Space for Artists, Radius Centre, Saju Art Gallery, Tivoli Art Gallery, Santaran Art Organisation and Interior Depot”, according to the Daily Star.