SPECIAL PROJECT

URONTO

Artist Community

Uronto artist community is an open creative platform in Bangladesh, set up by artist curator Sadya Mizan in 2012. It is a pioneering and innovative art initiative which focuses on heritage conservation through artistic interventions and provides an organic platform for creative practitioners and researchers to collaborate and enhance their transdisciplinary works beyond the conventional diaspora. Working locally, nationally and internationally Uronto runs pop-up residencies and artist exchange programmes, undertakes research, and delivers exhibitions, workshops and events. With particular interest in heritage, they work through interdisciplinary and contemporary art interventions together with artists, communities and expert artisans. URONTO initiated the ‘Residential Art Exchange program’ as a major yearly program over a decade ago completing 9 episodes so far in 7 different locations around Bangladesh involving approximate 135 local and international artists and contributors. Through creative story-telling artists empower the communities, bridge art with history and heritage, create a global network of solidarity to generate new ideas and enrich resources for future scholars and practitioners. The process culminates in an open studio day on site as an exhibit for the community also gets archived in the website of Uronto.

Tanmoy Nandi: The cooling window, Pratya Parno

Anupam Saikia: The soul subsists in a silent breath from there to here

Mansi Trivedi: Protect the Last Pieces

Abhimanyu Dalui : The Ownership

Nisha Rachel: The Missing Limb

Elodie Guignard, Reminences

You can find out more about Uronto Artist Community on their website:

urontoart.org

About Sadya Mizan:

Sadya Mizan A pioneering curator, researcher and arts administrator in Bangladesh, she is one of the first in the country to start such an independent initiative like Uronto and achieve groundbreaking responses. A well-recognized researcher in both local and international circles, she has contributed as a member, fellow, lecturer, facilitator, and partner to a range of distinguished institutions and organizations including the Samdani Art Foundation, Asia Art Archive, Edinburgh University, University of Amsterdam, Visva Barhati Shantiniketan, Savvy Contemporary - Berlin, the Office for Contemporary Art - Norway, as well as UN migration wing IOM and the British Council, amongst others. Her curatorial interest is in decentralized creative practices and distribute networks beyond conventional infrastructures to investigate the disruptions in contemporary creative thinking. She is dedicated to advocate for the preservation of cultural histories and to motivate experimental responsible creative practices.