Eleven international artists: 6 from Bangladesh, 1 from Turkey/Germany and 4 local Venetians will meet and work in Venice at a residency to be held at Combo culminating with their final exhibition to be presented on August 3rd.
Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation is honoured to present the first edition of Majhi International Art Residency Programme which will take place in Venice, Italy, from July 20th to August 4th and will present the artists’ final exhibition opening on August 3rd.
The programme is organised in collaboration with Lightbox and will feature eleven international artists with their origins divided between Bangladesh, Turkey/Germany and Italy. Their production during the residency will investigate compelling issues in current lines of discourse around contemporary art.
The artists are invited to reflect upon the open question “Does life in these uncertain times of crisis and turmoil, make art more interesting?” inspired by the title of the 58th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, curated by Ralph Rugoff “May You Live in Interesting Times”.
Majhi will provide the artists with accommodation, production support and exhibition facilities, while they will be advised over their stay by a guest curator. The Venice-based project will provide artists with the chance to enter into contact with the European artistic scene, especially the Venetian professionals and reality initiating a mutually beneficial cultural exchange.
The eleven participating artists include: Dhali Al Mamoon, Noor Ahmed Gelal, Dilara Begum Jolly, Uttam Kumar Karmaker, Rajaul Islam Lovelu and Kamruzzaman Shadhin from
Bangladesh; the Turkish/German Umut Yasat and David Dalla Venezia, Cosima Montavoci, Andrea Morucchio and Chiara Tubia from Venice. The artists will be joined by the curator Caterina Corni and the cataloguer and recorder Laura Ammann.
From July 20th to August 3rd, 2019, the chosen artists will live and work at Combo: at the end of the residency there will be a group exhibition for which the artists will have to choose a title as the result of their experience and the outcome of their collaboration. Inaugurating this August 3rd, 2019, the showcase will be open to the public from August 4th-11th, 2019 in the same location.
Majhi International Art Residency Programme presents the first instalment of a series of brief artistic residencies to be promoted year round, choosing Venice as its first location. Each of the initiatives will revolve around a diverse chosen theme each year, involving different international artists. The aim of Majhi International Art Residency Programme is to develop an international platform for artists to promote creative connections and cultural exchange between the east and the west. The programme gathers international artists in order to foster mutual understanding and cooperation and open a dialogue between professionals from different corners of the world with those of the South Asian artistic scene.
A comprehensive catalogue published by Lightbox will be issued after the show, collecting together interviews and work by the participating artists.
The promoter of Majhi International Art Residency Programme, Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation (DBF – http://www.durjoybangladesh.org/), was initiated as a private foundation by Durjoy Rahman in 2018 with the aim to support artistic development and art practices throughout the Global South, holding a special focus on Diaspora artists or part of European communities of migrants, to draw attention to their work in Europe. To do so, the foundation promotes projects and research programmes featuring artists from these geographical regions.
Combo, the location chosen for the residency and the exhibition is located in the historic former Convento dei Crociferi – just few steps away from the centre of the city. The location offers quiet accommodation for students and tourists alike and also welcomes guests and locals, with a restaurant and bar and a varied programme of cultural events, exhibitions and concerts.
Residency Programme: July 20th – August 4th,
2019 Exhibition Opening: August 3rd,
2019 Exhibition Dates: August 4th-11th, 2019, 11am-7pm
Venue: Combo, Campo dei Gesuiti, Cannaregio 4878, 30121, Venice, Italy
Participating artists:
Chiara Tubia (Venice, Italy) chiaratubia.com
Cosima Montavoci (Venice, Italy) www.cosimamontavoci.com
Andrea Morucchio (Venice, Italy) www.morucchio.com
David Dalla Venezia (Venice, Italy) www.daviddallavenezia.com
Dilara Begum Jolly (Chittagong, Bangladesh) dilarajolly.blogspot.com
Dhali Al-Mamoon (Chandpur, Bangladesh) dhalialmamoon.wordpress.com
Rajaul Islam Lovelu (Bangladesh)
Noor Ahmed Gelal (Dhaka, Bangladesh) noorgelal.photo/
Uttam Kumar Karmaker (Bangladesh) kk2uttam.wixsite.com/website
Kamruzzaman Shadhin (Thakurgaon, Bangladesh) www.kamruzzamanshadhin.com
Umut Yasat (Turkey/Germany) www.umutyasat.de/
Curator: Caterina Corni (Italy)
Cataloguer and Recorder : Laura Amman (Berlin, Germany)
For information:
majhi.org
Press office:
Lightbox +39 041 2411265
Alessandra Bellomo, +39 3331833446
alessandra@lightboxgroup.net
www.lightboxgroup.net
