Dhaka Art Summit ঢাকা অা সামিট Seismic Movements সারণ Bharti Kher Intermediaries, 2018 Mud, paint, and bamboo armature Courtesy of the artist and Thailand Biennale The new sculpture Yes No (2020) from the Intermediaries series at DAS is made possible through the generosity of Nature Morte, Galerie Perrotin and Samdani Art Foundation Dhaka Art Summit Seismic Movements সারণ 7–15 February 2020 www.dhakaartsummit.org #DhakaArtSummit2020 #SeismicMovements ii 1 Editors Dhaka Art Summit Team Diana Campbell Betancourt Nadia Samdani, Director and Co-Founder 5 Introductory Letters Teresa Albor Diana Campbell Betancourt, Chief Curator Teresa Albor, Director of Cultural Affairs 9 Thinking at the Edges of Language Copyeditor Mohammad Sazzad Hossain, Head of Administration Philip Baber Ruxmini Reckvana Q Choudhury, Assistant Curator Eve Lemesle, Associate Producer 11 Curatorial Notation Artist and Collective Entries Tanzila Reza, Manager of Communications Azizee Fawmi Khan Nawreen Ahmed, Manager of Communications 13 Geological Movements Bipul Mallick Farry Noreen Rowshan, Manager Travel Desk Diana Campbell Betancourt Adam Ondak, Curatorial Assistant Kathryn Weir Lucia Zubalova, Curatorial Assistant 19 Colonial Movements Kehkasha Sabah Alyesha Khalil Choudhury, Intern Lucia Zubalova Asifur Rahman, Architect and Project Manager 35 Independence Movements Ruxmini Reckvana Q Choudhury Md. Mobinul Haque, Engineer Sumon Wahed Md. Sirajul Islam, Logistics Teresa Albor Md. Mazidur Rahman, Accounts 41 Seismography of Struggles Zannatun Nahar Nippon Express Logistics Partner 43 Social Movements and Feminist Futures Curatorial Texts Dhaka Art Summit Organising Committee Anjalika Sagar and Kodwo Eshun (The Otolith Group) Farooq Sohban (Chairman) Antonia Alampi, Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, Dr. Abu Hena Mustafa Kamal 51 Collective Movements Olani Ewunnet (SAVVY Contemporary) Julia Niblett Bishwajit Goswami Kirsten Hackenbroch 55 Stepping Out of Line (CR4) Diana Campbell Betancourt Liaquat Ali Lucky Dulcie Abrahams Altass, Koyo Kouoh, Maya Barolo-Rizvi Marie Helene Pereira (RAW Material Company) Olivier Dintinger 57 Stitching Collective Gudskul Rajeeb Samdani Iftikhar Dadi 58 The Collective Body Kathryn Weir (with Diana Campbell Betancourt) Samdani Art Award Jury Mustafa Zaman Aaron Cezar (Chair) Nina Paim (for Srijan-Abartan) Adrián Villar Rojas 62 DAS 2020 Collectives Platform Participants Philippe Pirotte Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev Sean Anderson (with Diana Campbell Betancourt) Eungie Joo 83 Nobody Told Me There’d Be Days Like These Julie Mehretu Publisher Samdani Art Foundation ISBN 978-0-578-63165-3 87 Spatial Movements Shanta Western Tower Level 5, Suite 501 & 502 Published on the occasion 91 On Muzharul Islam: Surfacing Intention 186 Gulshan, Tejgaon Link Road Tejgaon 1/A of the Dhaka Art Summit 2020 Dhaka, 1208 Bangladesh 7–15 February 2020 [email protected] © 2020 by Samdani Art Foundation 109 Geographies of Imagination Graphic Identity All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication 110 Roots Fraser Muggeridge studio may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, Design mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without 144 Srijan-Abartan Fraser Muggeridge studio the written permission of the publisher and the editor. The Publisher has made every effort to contact the 149 Moving Image Distributor copyright holders of the materials included in this Samdani Art Foundation book. However, if there are omissions or mistakes in stating the correct name, please let us know 161 Modern Movements (MAHASSA) Coordination ([email protected]) and further editions Mohammad Sazzad Hossain will be amended. 181 Samdani Art Award Printers and Binder Sun Press 190 Team Biographies 196 Credits 206 Partners Dhaka Art Summit has grown from an inkling of an idea in 2012 into a globally respected platform five editions later – a platform where we are able to come together and see the world outside of ‘narrow domestic Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high walls’ and to find new ways to connect with each other through the power Where knowledge is free of art. Rajeeb and I have long been inspired by the work of Rabindranath Where the world has not been broken up into fragments Tagore (and other Bengali intellectuals) in the way that they were able By narrow domestic walls to share their words and creativity with the world and refused to be seen Where words come out from the depth of truth as inferior to the imperial powers dominating the world they created their Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection work in. Similarly, today – we feel that the art produced in Bangladesh, Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way and also in South and Southeast Asia, Central and South America, Africa, Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit Oceania, the Arab World (i.e. the global majority world – more people Where the mind is led forward by thee live here than in Europe or North America) is incredibly powerful, yet Into ever-widening thought and action the world lacks enough platforms outside of commercial or soft-power Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake. channels to make this work visible to audiences that have so much to learn from it. This is where DAS comes in: together with our team, Where the Mind is Without Fear, Rabindranath Tagore the artists, curators, scholars, and our partners – we have proudly built a truly public event where anyone can engage with the excellent exhibitions and public programme and feel welcome to ask questions and engage with the ideas through our arts mediation and education initiatives. We work tirelessly to keep this event free and ticketless so that there are no walls of class coming between art and its ability to touch all people. We are proud of all of the talented creative visionaries and scholars who have given their time and unique insight into the world to all of us enjoying this platform in Bangladesh. ‘Ever-widening in thought and action’, as Tagore put it, DAS changes and evolves from edition to edition and we look forward to watching DAS deepen in meaning locally and internationally in the years to come. Rajeeb and I are proud to have founded DAS which is primarily an event for the people of Bangladesh, and we are grateful to the hard work and sacrifices that people made before us to give us the freedom to envision such an initiative in our home country. Our country is celebrating the 100th birth anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who led Bangladesh to freedom and founded the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy which has hosted DAS since its inception, and Centre for Research and Information (CRI), ICT Division, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs are presenting a new look into his journey in its lounge which we hope will inspire other people to take action to make the world a better place. Best wishes, Nadia Director, Dhaka Art Summit Co-Founder and President, Samdani Art Foundation 4 S 5 Dear Visitor, A Warm Welcome to the 5th edition of Dhaka Art Summit! It has been my pleasure to chair the organising committee of Dhaka It has been a great honour and privilege to have been working alongside Art Summit since its inception, and to see it grow and become more the Samdani Art Foundation since hosting the first DAS in 2012, watching impactful from edition to edition. This is our fifth edition of this globally the art and culture of Bangladesh thrive not only in our own country, celebrated research platform, and it is one where we put mobility but all over the world through our many initiatives at the Bangladesh at the core of our thinking. We wanted to bring people to Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. We look forward to seeing our building come whose ideas could have deep resonance here, but who might not to life as it does every two years in February at DAS through its varied have otherwise had the opportunity to come to our wonderful country. and enthusiastic audience of arts professionals, art lovers, and students We have participants from as far as Mali, Zambia, Argentina, Barbados, from across the full spectrum of Bangladesh’s education system. and New Zealand (naming only a few examples) and many other Bangladesh was built through creativity, generosity, hard work, and countries with contexts that resonate with the challenges we face a commitment to culture, fueled by many layers of collaboration across in Bangladesh – and I greatly look forward to seeing what will be born the country and the world. The success of Dhaka Art Summit can be from the incredible meeting of minds that we will experience in February found through these qualities as well and we could not be more proud 2020 at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. I would like to thank the of our 5th collaboration with the Samdani Art Foundation to produce Ministry of Foreign Affairs and our missions abroad for facilitating visas this event that is so loved by our people. for the participants who come from much more diverse geographies than they have in the past. South Asia remains the core of our platform – Since its inception, the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy has striven but we know that we have much to learn from other regions and to promote, and to be involved in different endeavours that highlight we want them to be inspired by what we have built here together the creative work of our country including painting, sculpture, graphic in Dhaka, Bangladesh. arts, pottery, photography, theatre, music, etc. We support these creative practices through our facilities and programming. Out of Dhaka Art Summit is a beautiful example of a private/public partnership the many activities of the Academy such as organising workshops, and what is possible when private foundations with a public mandate seminars, short-term specialised training, providing financial grants (such as the Samdani Art Foundation) come together with the Ministry for talented artists, and hosting competitions in the various fields of Cultural Affairs, ICT Division and Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.