The Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) is preparing to welcome a new generation of visual artists as the 24th Young Artists’ Art Exhibition opens tomorrow, bringing a renewed curatorial focus to one of the country’s longest-running platforms for emerging talent.
First launched in 1975, the exhibition has been a proving ground for artists who later shaped Bangladesh’s contemporary art scene. This year’s edition places particular emphasis on curated presentations, signalling a shift towards more structured showcases within the national event.
The exhibition will be inaugurated tomorrow at 4:00 pm by Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, Adviser to the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, with Professor Dr Abdus Sattar and Professor Mostafizul Haque attending as special guests. BSA Director General Sheikh Rezauddin Ahmed will preside over the ceremony.
Running from December 11 to 22 across multiple galleries at the National Art Gallery, the event will remain open daily from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm. The Academy highlighted that the first edition featured Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin and Patua Quamrul Hassan, a reminder of the legacy younger artists are stepping into.
This year, 1,393 submissions were received from 681 entrants aged between 21 and 35. From these, 215 works by 191 artists have been selected, spanning painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography, installation, performance and new media.
A major addition for 2025 is Rupantar, a curated segment featuring 12 invited young artists. Led by curator Manzur Ahmed with assistance from three emerging curators, it marks the Academy’s first curated invitational showcase. Alongside this, nine universities and the Bangladesh Academy of Fine Arts have contributed institution-led exhibitions, strengthening the academic presence within the festival.
10 awards will be presented to participating artists, including the Young Artists’ Art Award 2025, which carries a prize of Tk2,00,000 and a gold-coated medal. Second and third prizes will award Tk1,50,000 and Tk1,00,000. Seven honorary awards of Tk75,000 each will also be given.
The selection committee, comprising prominent artists and academics including Professor Naima Haque and artist Tarun Ghosh, oversaw the shortlist. The award jury is chaired by Professor Mostafizul Haque, with artists Reza Asad Al Huda Anupam, Anisuzzaman Shohel, Yasmin Jahan Nupur and Imam Hossain Sumon serving as members.
All selected works have been installed across Galleries 2, 3 and 4 by a display team led by artists Tarun Ghosh, Kaiser Hasan Togor and Jihan Karim.
