The art of the matter

Slickly dressed, Rajeeb Samdani, 38, could pass as a collector of sports cars. In fact, he is the managing director of one of Bangladesh’s large corporations, the $1 billion (Rs 5,365 crore) Golden Harvest Group. He talks business with the best, but really lights up when discussing art, the reason he’s in India. With his wife Nadia, he founded the Samdani Art Foundation in 2011. The foundation’s mandate is to bring Bangladesh to prominence in the art world; tired of the ‘developing country’ tag, they are promoting its vibrant art scene.

The foundation identifies, nurtures, and supports young contemporary artists from Bangladesh financially and provides global visibility. In its first year, the foundation showcased works by Bangladeshi artists at major events, including the Venice Biennale and the 14th edition of OPEN: the International Exhibition of Sculptures and Installations, in the same city.

In 2012, inspired by the hype surrounding the Indian Art Fair, the couple launched the Dhaka Art Summit, a biennial art fair intended to draw global attention towards Bangladesh’s contemporary art. The first of its kind in the country, in both style and scale, the four-day event featured the works of 249 artists and was attended by more than 50,000, including global curators and collectors. In 2012, a work of Bangladesh artist Taiyyeba Begum Lipi, first displayed at the Dhaka Art Summit, was acquired by New York’s Guggenheim Museum. Later that year, Samdani was appointed as a founding member of the South Asian acquisition committee of the Tate Modern in London.

Samdani was in Delhi recently to attend the India Art Fair 2013 (where a highlight was an installation by Mahbubur Rahman, a protégé of the Samdani Foundation). He spoke to Fortune India about his journey as a purveyor of Bangladeshi art and his de facto role as his country’s ‘aura ambassador’. Edited excerpts:

How do you work with artists in Bangladesh?

We promote younger artists. We cover their production costs, organise talks, bring in curators, and give an annual award of 10 lakh taka (Rs 6.7 lakh) for young artists.

So what brings you to The India Art Fair?

India is a great platform. Pakistani art used India as a platform. It’s difficult for us to directly land in Europe or the U.S.; coming through India will help.

Also, the markets are down there…

Because of an economic shift, the market has moved to Asia. India is a strong part of this. Globally, art is also an investment. What’s it like in Bangladesh? Our foreign minister has an annual budget of almost 10 crore taka to buy art. [The paintings are hung in Bangladeshi embassies.] There are institutional collectors who weren’t there 10 years ago, and other local collectors. But I am not sure how many people in Bangladesh are buying art just as an investment. Our art scene is not strong enough for people to invest.

What about foreign investors?

Companies such as Telenor have built a good collection of Bangladeshi art. But I won’t say they did it as an investment. You know, the secondary market is not there. We don’t have auction houses, or art dealers coming.

Seen differently, doesn't art improve your profile?

Obviously. As collectors of international art, people are always showing interest in Bangladesh. I was moved by Pakistan’s art scene and how India gave them a platform. The only positive news you hear about Pakistan is their art. So art is a very strong medium for a country to create a positive view about it. I think culturally we are very rich and that is the main reason we are trying to highlight this.

Say 10 years from now, when Bangladesh Art and Samdani Art Foundation are almost synonymous, do you see it invigorating your business interests?

I’ll give you an example. We have just acquired over 100 acres [in Sylhet, in northeastern Bangladesh], and we are setting up an industrial park for our future businesses, as well as a sculpture studio and sculpture park.
When we started our foundation, our main concept was, to some extent, keep it non-commercial. But art is a very strong platform. We meet people from all over the world. When we hosted the Dhaka Art Summit, American Express was the main sponsor and Golden Harvest was a sponsor. Obviously, that kick has to be there.

Do you see this as an extension of Golden Harvest’s corporate social responsibility programme?

We have a good CSR programme where we run a hospital. I am also the Secretary General of the Bangladesh Human Rights Foundation. As a business house, you give back to society. We support this and we are promoting art as our social responsibility. When it comes to Samdani Art Foundation, Bangladesh’s contemporary art has become synonymous with Golden Harvest