Goethe Institut Bangladesh awards ‘Futures beyond the Self’ grant

Initiated by Goethe Institut Bangladesh, 'Futures beyond the Self' grant will be given to eleven winners in 2020. The initiative seeks to provide a space for new ideas to flourish for continued societal and collective engagement. It seeks to support both individuals and collectives in their endeavour to reflect, critique, and suggest alternative futures and pathways of 'being in the world'.

The awardees are Priyanka Chowdhury (research), Arifur Rahman (short film), Karkhana Collective (music), Murshed Jahangir (visual art), Parsa Sanjana Sajid (research), Emran Sohel (visual art), Samsul Alam Helal (photography), Sumana Akter (visual art), Shahla Islam (short film), Tahia Farhin Haque (visual art) and Tehai Interdisciplinary Art Initiative (performance art).

The jury members included Tayeba Begum Lipi, visual artist and Founder of Britto Arts Trust, Dr Meghna Guhathakurta, Executive Director of Research Initiatives Bangladesh (RIB), Tanzim Wahab, Chief Curator, Bengal Arts Programme and Bengal Foundation, Wakilur Rahman, Curator & artist, Kalakendra, two representatives from Goethe-Institut Bangladesh, Dr Kirsten Hackenbroch, Director and K Md Mahmud Hassan, Programme Coordinator.

The awardees will receive up to 70,000 Taka as project grants to implement their respective projects in the coming months. The results came after an in-depth evaluation process led by the panel of juries, who unanimously selected the projects.

The Goethe-Institut Bangladesh invited all Bangladeshi artists, art collectives, cultural activists, and cultural organisations in late September to apply for funding for innovative projects under this initiative.