Art summit in Bangladesh showcases works of South Asian artists

The art summit in Bangladesh, which aims to bridge the cultural gap between nations, showcased contemporary works of artists from South Asia and drew visitors, enthusiasts and critics from all over the world.

The second edition of Dhaka Art Summit, the world's largest platform for South Asian Art, has been on since February 7.

Bangladesh Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, inaugurated the summit, which witnessed participation by more than 250 artists to support the development of South Asian art.

The founder and director of Dhaka Art Summit and president of Samdani Art Foundation, Nadia Samdani, said that eight countries including Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, Maldives and Afghanistan participated in the summit.

"This time we are focusing on South Asian artists and it's a South Asian event. We have covered countries from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, Maldives, Afghanistan, so, we have covered eight countries," said Samdani.

The three-day show exhibited solo projects, an ambitious public art project, a talk series, performances, experimental film screenings, and presentations by 33 local and international galleries.

An artist from India's financial capital, Mumbai, Rina Kallat, said that the summit provided a platform to the artists from across the world to exhibit their work.

"This is an incredible opportunity to have a whole delegation of artists, curators, collectors and a wonderful confluence of people from all over the world to be part of this incredible summit," said Kallat.

The main idea of the event was to promote the contemporary art of Bangladesh to the international arena.

An artist from Pakistan, Sakira Masood, was delighted as her work was being appreciated on a wide scale.

"It absolutely has a great future and we hope to keep coming back and it will be a great place to work. Recognition is brilliant," said Masood.

The art summit comes after the recent polls in which Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League ended with more than two-thirds of seats in a contest that was shunned by international observers as flawed and derided as a farce by the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).