Bengal Foundation

Bengal Foundation
Name	Bengal Foundation
Founded	1986
Founder	Abul Khair Litu
Type	Non-profit cultural organization
Headquarters	Dhaka
Area served	Bangladesh and international
Key people	Abul Khair Litu
Focus	Arts, culture, heritage

Bengal Foundation Bengal Foundation is a private cultural organization based in Dhaka established to promote contemporary and traditional arts, literature, and cultural heritage in Bangladesh and beyond. It sponsors exhibitions, publications, festivals, and educational programs that engage artists, writers, curators, and cultural institutions across South Asia, Southeast Asia, and global networks. Over decades it has collaborated with museums, galleries, universities, and international cultural councils to position Dhaka as a vibrant cultural hub.

History

Founded in 1986 by Abul Khair Litu, the organization emerged amid post-independence cultural reconstruction in Bangladesh and regional initiatives such as the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation cultural exchanges. Early activities included patronage of visual arts and literary festivals, inspired by predecessors like the Bulbul Academy of Fine Arts and contemporary movements associated with the Dhaka Art Summit and the Chobi Mela photographic festival. In the 1990s and 2000s it expanded through partnerships with institutions such as the British Council, Asia Art Archive, and the Smithsonian Institution, while responding to national milestones like the Ekushey Book Fair and commemorations of the Language Movement.

Mission and Activities

The foundation’s mission emphasizes preservation of heritage, promotion of modernist and folk practices, and creation of platforms for cross-border dialogue involving institutions like the University of Dhaka, National Museum of Bangladesh, and international partners including the Korean Cultural Centre and Goethe-Institut. Its activities range from curatorial production and artist residencies connected to the Dhaka Art Summit to archival initiatives aligned with entities like the International Council on Monuments and Sites and the Asian Cultural Council. The organization engages in capacity building with museum studies departments at universities and collaborates on exhibitions with galleries such as the Dhaka Gallery and private collectors linked to the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

Programs and Projects

Major programs include large-scale exhibitions and biennial events that have involved artists who have participated in forums such as the Venice Biennale, Documenta, and the Biennale of Sydney. Projects often integrate work with cultural preservation projects near sites like Sonargaon and the Sundarbans, and involve media partners such as the Daily Star and academic presses like the University Press Limited. International exchange projects have connected practitioners and curators from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Japan, and France, through residencies modeled on programs at the Asia-Pacific Triennial and collaborative catalogues co-published with the Tate Modern and the National Gallery of Singapore.

Arts and Cultural Initiatives

Initiatives span visual arts, performing arts, crafts, and music, featuring practitioners linked to movements such as the Bengali modernism tradition and folk forms associated with regions like Sylhet and Chittagong. The foundation has hosted exhibitions showcasing artists whose work intersects with curatorial projects at the Museum of Modern Art, thematic shows about the Partition of India and postcolonial memory, and performances in partnership with ensembles rooted in Baul and Rabindra Sangeet traditions. Collaborative festivals have included international poets and writers connected to the Hay Festival circuit and academic symposia with departments from the Jadavpur University and the Australian National University.

Publications and Research

The organization produces monographs, exhibition catalogues, and periodicals featuring scholarship by critics and historians affiliated with institutions such as the National University of Singapore, Columbia University, and the School of Oriental and African Studies. Publications document archival research related to manuscript traditions, textile studies involving artisans from Natore and Tangail, and critical essays on artists featured at events like the Lumbini International Research Conference. Catalogues have been co-published with presses such as the Skira editore and feature contributors who have written for journals like the Journal of Asian Studies.

Governance and Funding

Governance has centered on a board chaired by the founder and includes trustees drawn from business and cultural sectors who liaise with organizations such as the Bangladesh Bank cultural committees and private philanthropists associated with the A K Khan & Company legacy. Funding sources combine corporate patronage from industrial groups, private endowments, and project-based grants linked to international cultural bodies such as the Asia-Europe Foundation and the Ford Foundation. Financial stewardship aligns with reporting practices observed by major cultural NGOs and foundations collaborating with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on heritage initiatives.

Awards and Recognition

The foundation and its programs have received recognition from national awards connected to the Bangla Academy and international cultural prizes shortlisted by panels including representatives from the International Association of Art Critics and the Prince Claus Fund. Its exhibitions and publications have been cited in curated lists by museums like the Asian Art Museum and academic honors awarded by universities such as the University of Cambridge and Jawaharlal Nehru University for contributions to South Asian art history and cultural preservation.

Category:Non-profit organisations based in Bangladesh Category:Arts organisations based in Bangladesh