10-day art residency programme ends in Ctg

A 10-day residency programme for sculptors and architects, called DAAR recently concluded in Chattogram with an open studio exhibition. The event took place at the Sculpture Center Chattogram located at Fatehabad of the port city. ended on Friday.

AJM Nasir Uddin, general secretary of Chattogram Mohanagar Awami League and former mayor of Chattogram City Corporation, inaugurated the event.

In the afternoon of the day, 15 works by the nine artists participating in the residency were opened to the public. The artists’ works have been installed and displayed at the centre, where they worked.

Speaking on the occasion, AJM Nasir said, “This exhibition has opened my eyes. As an individual or corporate, we all should be responsible and take initiatives to make our beautiful city enriched with art and culture.”

Nine artists and three architects from three countries participated in the 1st edition of International Sculpture Residency DAAR, curated by renowned sculptor Alak Roy and coordinated by Nilufaer Chaman and Aroni Roy.

The participants included four Bangladeshi sculptors Asim Halder Sagor, Bilas Mondal, Parvez Alam, Md Anisul Haque; Indian sculptor Narayanan Chandra Biswas; UAE national sculptor Zahra Jewanjee along with three architects from the country Muhammad Shafayet Hossain, Sumaiya Shireen and Jannatul Bushra.

The founder of Bangladesh Art Week and Heritage Bangladesh Foundation Niharika Momtaz said, “Both Bangladesh Art Week & Heritage Bangladesh Foundation are delighted to present Bangladesh’s first ever collaborative workshop between artists and architects in Chittagong. This will take place annually.”

Curator Alak Roy said, “Architects also work with three-dimensional objects like sculptors. But the difference is that they are related to residence or human work. But architecture has a closeness to sculpture. Artists tried to rediscover that proximity in this residency program.”

The participants were guided by a group of mentors and will have their final works presented in the form of a travelling exhibition soon.