NADIA SAMDANI A LEGACY OF ART

Dhaka-based art curator and philanthropist Nadia Samdani is on a determined mission to put Bangladeshi artists on the global art map

- Aekta Kapoor

The most powerful woman in the world of Bangladeshi art, Nadia Samdani is driven by an overarching vision to promote her country and its artists. The co-founder and president of the Samdani Art Foundation and director of South Asia’s biggest non-commercial art event Dhaka Art Summit, Nadia’s vision is as much about showcasing Bangladeshi artists as it is about promoting Bangladesh to artists and curators from around the world.

Over the past decade, Nadia and her husband Rajeeb Samdani have created a platform that is truly unique, co-opting talented professionals from around South Asia and the world, powered by their own philanthropy. “I’m a collector, yes,” admits Nadia, “but what I enjoy most is being part of the journey of these artists, watching them grow, and seeing their life change once they reach the international platform.”

Her other great pleasure comes a close second: “When we commission works to international artists, they come to Bangladesh, see the country and are inspired to create something for this milieu. It’s exciting for me to be part of the process from ideation to execution,” says the Dhaka-based philanthropist, who is a member of Tate Museum’s South Asia acquisitions committee and on its international council.

One could say that, for Nadia, art runs in her blood. Growing up in UK, she was influenced by her parents, who were collectors of Bangladeshi art. In the 1980s, Nadia’s father became one of the pioneers of Bangladesh’s garment industry, and the family moved from UK to Dhaka in the early 1990s.