Samdani Art Award 2026

Established in 2012, the Samdani Art Award supports emerging Bangladesh-based artists by creating opportunities for international visibility, professional exchange, residencies, and long-term artistic development. For the 2026 edition, eight artists were selected as finalists: Akib Akram, Dinar Sultana, Jinnatun Jannat, Mery Chakma, Pulak K. Sarkar, Riturupa Talukder, Ruposhree Hajong, and Sadia Sharmin.
 

The 2026 edition marks a new partnership between Samdani Art Foundation and Kunsthalle Basel, with the finalists presenting their work at Kunsthalle Basel as part of Regionale 27, alongside 16 artists selected through the Regionale open call in the tri-national region around Basel, encompassing Switzerland, France, and Germany. The exhibition brings together artists from Bangladesh and the wider Basel region without geographical division, exploring the idea of a region as a space shaped by connections, relationships, and shared contexts.
 

The Bangladeshi finalists were selected through an open call that received approximately 200 applications. The exhibition is curated by Diana Campbell, Founding Artistic Director of Samdani Art Foundation, and Mohamed Almusibli, Director and Chief Curator of Kunsthalle Basel, with Yana Kadykova, Curatorial Assistant, Kunsthalle Basel; Ruxmini Reckvana Q Choudhury, Curator, Samdani Art Foundation; and Swilin Haque, Curatorial Assistant, Samdani Art Foundation.
 

The exhibition opens on 28 November 2026 and runs through 3 January 2027 as part of Regionale 27.
 

The Samdani Art Award 2026 winner will be selected and announced during the opening of the exhibition by an international jury board.