The Samdani Art Award, Bangladesh's premier art award, has created an internationally recognised platform to showcase the work of young Bangladeshi Artists to an audience of international arts professionals. Soma Surovi Jannat b. 1990 in Dhaka, lives and works in Dhaka, Bangladesh WINNER Soma Surovi Jannat works with illustration, drawing and painting. Her work bridges different stimuli from her surroundings, aiming to depict what often are grim circumstances through an optimistic lens. Jannat transforms her two-dimensional works into installations, developing a visual language that allows the viewer to perceive the presence and correlation of different elements across varied circumstances. Numerous facets with individual storylines are joined to present a dominant narrative, which allows for the experience of a complex visual illusion. Interaction, collaboration and social engagement are characteristic of her working process. Samdani Art Award 2020 The 2020 Samdani Art Award was curated by Philippe Pirotte, supported by Goethe Institut. The winner was selected by a jury chaired by Aaron Cezar of Delfina Foundation with Adrián Villar Rojas, Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, Julie Mehretu, and Sunjung Kim. The 2020 Samdani Art Award was curated by Philippe Pirrote and the winner was Soma Surovi Jannat. This was also the first time a Jury Award was provided to Promiti Hossain. Promiti Hossain b. 1991 in Dhaka, lives and works between Dhaka, Bangladesh and Shantiniketon, India JURY AWARD WINNER Promiti Hossain’s artistic practice is comprised of drawing, painting and collage. Her work addresses her private experience as well as the subjectivity of gender. The constant news stories of gender-based violence against women and children, which she comes across daily, inspire her to draw attention to the struggles women face in the world. Her anatomic-style ink drawings of insects, flowers, and the female body allow marks and mistakes to represent the challenges women face in society. SAMDANI ART AWARD 2020 SHORTLIST Zihan Karim Zihan Karim, Last Five Minutes of Xiluo Theatre, 2016–2020, video Installation b. 1984 in Chattogram, lives and works in Chattogram, Bangladesh Tahia Farhin Haque ahia Farhin Haque, Shadows of A Wooden House, 2019–ongoing, photography. b. 1996 in Dhaka, lives and works in Dhaka, Bangladesh Sumana Akter Sumana Akhter, Look Back – Part 2, 2018–2020, clay b. 1983 in Narayanganj, lives and works in Narayanganj, Bangladesh Sounak Das Networking Realm, 2018–2020. mixed media installation b. 1993 in Dhaka, lives and works in Dhaka, Bangladesh Palash Bhattacharjee Palash Bhattacharjee, Pass, 2019 Two channel video, installation b. 1983 in Chattogram, lives and works in Chattogram, Bangladesh Najmun Nahar Keya Najmun Nahar Keya, The Spell Song, 2019, handwoven Tangail Sari b. 1980 in Dhaka, lives and works in Dhaka, Bangladesh Habiba Nowrose Habiba Nowrose, Life of Venus, 2019–ongoing, photography b. 1989 in Sirajganj, lives and works in Dhaka, Bangladesh Faiham Ebna Sharif Faiham Ebna Sharif, Cha Chakra: Tea Tales Of Bangladesh, 2016–ongoing, photography b. 1985 in Dhaka, lives and works in Dhaka, Bangladesh Ashfika Rahman Ashfika Rahman, Redeem, 2019, mixed media installation b.1988, Dhaka, lives and works in Dhaka, Bangladesh Ariful Kabir Ariful Kabir, 3.5 seconds, 2020, performance and installation, mixed media b. 1990 in Chattogram, lives and works in Besancon, France 2023 2020 2018 2016 2014 2012 Award Archive

The Dhaka Art Summit (DAS) is an international, non-commercial research and exhibition platform for art and architecture related to South Asia. With a core focus on Bangladesh, DAS re-examines how we think about these forms of art in both a regional and an international context. Upcoming DAS Our curators and art mediators have been dreaming up the 7th edition of DAS - TONDRA. In TONDRA we will float between dreams and reality. The meaning of the word TONDRA in Bangla can be described as a state of existence where reality and dreams collide; a lucid dream that captivates the soul. The Dhaka Art Summit (DAS) is an international, non-commercial research and exhibition platform for art and architecture related to South Asia. With a core focus on Bangladesh, DAS re-examines how we think about these forms of art in both a regional and an international context. The meaning of the word TONDRA in Bangla can be described as a state of existence where reality and dreams collide; a lucid dream that captivates the soul. TONDRA is also a common female name in Bangladesh, which became popular during the mid 1990s-2000s for a character named Tondra in a novel by the Bangladeshi author Humayun Ahmed. Our story of TONDRA emerged from heartbreak expressed by a young visitor at DAS 2023, who wrote messages for a woman named TONDRA on the walls of our exhibition such as “Everyone is here, but you are missing from my life”. His writing style ranged from graffiti to poetry, referring to his Tondra as ‘a cloudy day’ and other beautiful metaphors that connected his deepest personal feelings for his beloved to the stories and films of Humayun Ahmed. We see this visitor as an emerging artist who found the need to express the feelings inside of him in a public cultural forum, transforming the delirious state of heartbreak into something others can connect to, as we do with some of our favourite love songs. TONDRA is a journey through the landscapes of emotions, where the line between what we feel, what we see and what we imagine becomes blurry. We want to draw the visitor into a TONDRA state inside of the exhibition so they can awaken to the realities of the world and dream the world differently outside. Every edition of DAS is new, but builds on ideas we introduced in previous editions. TONDRA encapsulates the liminal space where we also find Dilbar, a Bangladeshi migrant worker in the UAE whose name means "full of heart", balancing on the edge of sleep and consciousness, where the impossible becomes a possibility. This captivating film by Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Chai Siris showcased at DAS 2018, carries the story of Dilbar, existing in a dream state, navigating between an under construction museum and his labour camp. In dreams, the wildest things are possible, and Dhaka Art Summit is napping to be wide awake for our next edition. Images: 1. Aishwarya Arumbakkam, Untitled 2016, photography. Courtesy of the artist. 2. Photograph of a message left behind for a girl named Tondra by the young visitor during the 2023 Dhaka Art Summit. 3. Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Chai Siris, Dilbar (2013), Single-Channel Video Installation. The film was initially commissioned by Sharjah Art Foundation and we are grateful to be able to partner with the foundation to showcase Dilbar in DAS 2018. Courtesy of the artist and Sharjah Art Foundation. TONDRA has now taken on a new shape. Explore the project in detail and see how it’s unfolding: [link]

ALL PROJECTS Safina Radio project With the subtitle Not as Far as it Seems, the Dhaka edition of Safina Radio Project took questions of belonging and home as its departure point. Responding to the practices, curatorial premises and work on show at the Dhaka Art Summit 2016, Safina explored common grounds within historical contexts, providing a cross-section of origins and their interpretations. Preprogrammed and commissioned pieces opened up a broad cultural context for Dhaka; literature, architecture, art, and music content brought to the fore the rich cultural undercurrents of one of Asia’s most complex cities, drawing listeners closer to Dhaka as a centre for cultural discourse. From 5–8 February, Safina Radio Project broadcasted conversations and performative pieces created with artists, writers, and curators during their time at the summit, drawing on their encounters with the city. safinaradioproject.org Contributors include: Shumon Ahmed Nabil Rahman Ronni Ahmmed Mustafa Zaman Ayesha Sultana Yasmin Jahan Nupur Sarker Protick Munem Wasif Reetu Sattar Mehreen Murtaza Rahel Aima Kashef Chowdhury Mariam Ghani Chitra Ganesh Sharmini Pereira Belinder Dhanoa Safina Radio Project Quinn Latimer Salima Hashmi Paul B. Preciado Katya García-Antón Firoz Mahmud Lynda Benglis Director: Anabelle de Gersigny Commissioned by Alserkal Avenue

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