What challenges do people face in Bangladesh, to be an artist? What about the role of art and culture in a country like Bangladesh?

Sweet Travels talked to Abir, Julhaz and Ali – three young artists from Porapara Space for Artists, and to Alam Khorshed – the founding director of Bistaar Arts Complex, both located in Chittagong in the south-east of Bangladesh.

Abir, Julhaz and Ali say that „we need to develop real infrastructure and facilities to enable the potential of the visual arts in Bangladesh. We know that contemporary art around the world is flourishing with conceptual intelligence and creative exploration. As a South Asian developing country we want to be a part of this movement. Despite our obvious limitations of huge poverty, high population and capacity for natural disasters, we believe we can use our local experiences positively as a catalyst for artistic development.“

Porapara Space for Artists is an artist-run initiative with a mission to provide basic logistical, mediation and production support for emerging artists since the year of foundation in 2004. The Space has run some participatory based community projects with local people as well as with artists from home and abroad.

Link: Porapara Space for Artists

Bistaar Arts Complex is a self-sustained, multidisciplinary and multifaceted arts facility, and the place is also a contemporary venue for performing arts and culture.

Link: Bistaar Arts Complex on facebook

At Sweet Travels today, we also talk about being a female artist in Bangladesh. This is a completely different topic, compared to being a male artist. One of the pioneers for educated women was Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, commonly known as Begum Rokeya. She was a Bengal feminist thinker, educator and political activist from British India. She is widely regarded as a pioneer of women’s liberation in South Asia.