Discussion on Cultural Crosspollination

As part of the 15th Asian Art Biennale 2012, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) organised a two-day (December 2 and 3) seminar titled, “Cultural Crosspollination and Regional Perspectives”. The event was held at the Seminar Room of National Art Gallery, BSA.
At the first session of the first day, Bangladeshi artist and critic Mustafa Zaman presented the keynote paper. He framed his thesis on the concept of post-nationalist identity. Setting aside the modernist framework based on established binaries such as East/West, local/global, traditional/modern, he ventured deep into the very topography of culture. According to the paper, most pre-conceived notions on culture and its formation seem to be based on such dichotomies, which often lead to misconceptions around the nature of cultural productions.
Professor Kaiser Haq of Dhaka University and Nepalese artist and curator Ashmina Ranjit held a discussion on the paper. Eminent architect and art critic Shamsul Wares chaired the programme.
On the second session of the first day, Ashmina Ranjit read out a paper titled, “Glocalization of Art: Crosspollination of Cultures”.
A visual artist, Ranjit, highlighted the chronological aspects of Nepalese art in her paper. The paper was informative and analytical -- addressing the Nepalese conservative society, particularly in the late nineteenth century. During that period, the kingdom of Shahs and the autocratic regime of the Ranas ruthlessly dominated the society; people lost their freedom of expression and lived a confined life. After the 1990s, the history of Nepal entered a new phase. She also discussed different aspects of Asian art, its economic and social development.
Giorgio Guglielmino, Italian Ambassador to Bangladesh, and Takir Hossain discussed on the paper. Hossain also focused on the Western influences on Asian art, and the Bangladeshi art movement from different perspectives in his paper. Professor Masuda M. Rashid Chowdhury, from the Department of Sociology, chaired the programme.