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BRITTO ARTS TRUST

BRITTO ARTS TRUST is the first artists’ run non- profit collective in Bangladesh with a global reach founded in 2002 by 6 artists and permanently located at Green Road, Dhaka but works extensively in different locations across the country.

Britto Arts Trust is an expansive and sustainable non- commercial contemporary art environment and culture that seeds and promotes multiple interdisciplinary practitioners, groups and networks. As a catalyst it provides a platform for the development of professional artists, a place where they can meet, discuss and upgrade their skills on their own terms.

Britto Arts Trust is part of Triangle Network and is already have connected with a number of organisations/ institutions from the globe. We also belong to a South Asian Network for Art (SANA) that includes Khoj Delhi, VASL Karachi and Theertha Colombo.

In partnership with Bengal Foundation, Bangladesh and Gervasuti Foundation Venice/ London, Britto Arts Trust initiated its footprint at the Venice Biennale as the first national participation of Bangladesh in 2011.

A number of projects including 5 International workshops (usually includes 10 overseas +10 local artists) in 2003, 2005, 2008, 2010 & 2012, several residencies and workshops using various mediums, events, talks, public art projects, and screenings were organised in Bangladesh and abroad.   Few ambitious large scale projects such as ‘Off the Beaten Path’ a South Asian Artists’ exhibition in 2008, Britto New Media Festival in 2009 and the largest public Art project ‘1mile² Dhaka’ in various venues in old Dhaka in 2009 and 2014 were done. A series of projects titled ‘Prantiker Prakritajon’ (people living in the margins) with different communities living in the margins of Bangladesh and several collaborative projects with artisans and makers were also organised over the years. An unique project ‘No Man’s Land’ at the borderline between India and Bangladesh with artists from both countries meeting without passport and visa was organised in 2014. Since 2017 to date alongside of the counterparts from India Britto has been working on a project ‘Counter Enclave’ travelling through the small enclaves in India and Bangladesh that were fighting for 68 years until 2015 for their own identities.

Britto has also partnered Dhaka Art Summit 2014, Chobi Mela 2015 & 2017 and Asian Curatorial Forum 2017 with Bengal Foundation and Kuandu Museum of Art, Taiwan.

The past experiences of Britto Arts Trust in the ground of collaborations and partnerships and exchanges with organisations in UK are British Council, Gasworks London, White Chapel Art Gallery, Commonwealth Foundation, Arts Council England, Visiting Arts, UK, HAT UK, Victoria & Albert Museum of Childhood UK and CCA Derry.

USA based Ford Foundation & fFAI; Unseen Co-Op Amsterdam, Mondrian Foundation, KUNSTVALAAI: INexactly THIS 2012, Arts Collaboratory & Prince Claus Fund from the Netherlands, Bengal Foundation Bangladesh, Arts Network Asia, Sala 1 Rome, Alliance Francaise & Goethe-Institut Dhaka, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Nijera Kori Bangladesh, Future Generation Art Prize, Shelter Promotion Council India, ACC South Korea and many more partners, supporters and collaborators worked with Britto in past.

Members of Britto