Bangladeshi art spotlighted in 'world-first' project
The Ashmolean Museum, in Oxford, say a new partnership will highlight artwork from Bangladesh.
**Bangladeshi art to be highlighted in 'world-first' project**
A new partnership is due to shine a light on Bangladeshi art at the world’s oldest free-to-enter public museum.
The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford said it is joining forces with the Samdani Art Foundation to showcase work from the country.
The University of Oxford museum said the initiative is the first "sustained initiative" backing Bangladeshi artists at any major museum anywhere in the world.
Under the new scheme, a visiting artist will be brought to Oxford every year, and a dedicated collection of Bangladeshi art will also be assembled.
The first of those visiting artists, Munem Wasif, arrived in Oxford from Dhaka earlier this month.
Describing his earlier work, he said much of it "returned to the colonial history" of Bengal - a region shared by modern-day India and Bangladesh.
He said a visit to the Ashmolean "gives me a chance to look at this history more closely, through the Museum's collections and archives".
"I'm interested in encountering objects and artworks firsthand, and seeing how they might connect with questions I have been exploring through photography, prints, and textiles," he added.
In addition to the visiting artist programme, the Ashmolean - which opened in 1683 as the world's first free public museum - will also build a collection of contemporary Bangladeshi art.
Mallica Kumbera Landrus, curator of Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian art at the museum, said she was "thrilled" by the new partnership.
"The Museum has remarkable collections from across South Asia, and this partnership gives us an exciting opportunity to develop that story through contemporary Bangladeshi art and artists," she said.
Established in 2011, the Samdani Art Foundation works with artists, architects, curators and writers to promote Bangladeshi culture.
Its co-founder and president, Nadia Samdani, said the partnership with the museum was a "natural extension" of the foundation's vision "to create lasting cultural bridges between Bangladesh and the world".
"We are proud to see this vision take shape at a world-leading institution, and deeply grateful to the Ashmolean for joining us in making it possible," she added.