Bengal Stream: The Vibrant Architecture Scene of Bangladesh at Swiss Architecture Museum in Basel

Fri 1 Dec - Sun 24 Jun' 18

The first ever exhibition dedicated to the architecture of Bangladesh opened at the Swiss Architecture Museum in Basel, Switzerland

The story of Bangladeshi architecture is now ready to be told to a worldwide audience. With increasing international recognition and publications, the works of Bangladeshi architects are now receiving wide international attention. For the first time, an exhibition on selected, exemplary works in architecture is going to be displayed in Europe. The Swiss Architecture Museum or S AM, in association with Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes and Settlements, organised the exhibition titled, Bengal Stream: The Vibrant Architecture Scene of Bangladesh.

The aim of the exhibition is to promote the architectural scene of Bangladesh to the European audience. The exhibition will highlight the diverse work of Bangladeshi architects, working in dense conditions such as urban context as well as rural communities and fragile landscapes. Works by Muzharul Islam, Louis Kahn and Paul Rudolph, as well as thirty other renowned contemporary architects in Bangladesh will also be on display at the exhibition. For the opening ceremony of the exhibition, Abul Khair, Chairman of Bengal Foundation and Kazi Khaleed Ashraf, Director General of Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes and Settlements will travel to Basel, Switzerland. Additionally, some of the leading architects of the country whose works will be exhibited, including Jalal Ahmad, Salauddin Ahmed, Rafiq Azam, Kashef Mahboob Chowdhury, Bashirul Haque, Saif Ul Haque, Zarina Hossain, Ehsan Khan, Marina Tabassum, Shamsul Wares and others, will also be in attendance.

Curated by Swiss architect Niklaus Graber, the exhibition promises to show the intensity of the stream that was initiated in the 1980s and is continuing today as a strong current.

Following the opening at Basel, the exhibition traveled to Bordeaux, France at the “Arc en Rêve, Centre d’architecture.” The exhibition opened at its third destination on 6th June 2019 at the DAM Deutsches Architekturmuseum, Frankfurt, Germany, and ran until 20th October, 2019.

Check out more information on the exhibition at Bordeaux and Frankfurt.

THE EXHIBITION

Dates:
Exhibition opening: 1st December, 2017, 19:00.
Ran until: 24th June, 2018

Place:
S AM Swiss Architecture Museum
Steinenberg 7, CH – 4051, Basel, Switzerland

OPENING PROGRAM

Vernissage “Bengal Stream”
Date: 1st December, 2017
Time: 19:00
With a greeting from Elisabeth Ackermann, District President of the Canton of Basel-Stadt, and Abul Khair, Chairman of the Bengal Foundation

ACCOMPANYING PROGRAM

Public Tours
Dates: 14th December, 2017, 25th January, 8th February, 8th March, 19th April, 3rd May, 2018
Time: 18:00

As part of the opening of the exhibition “Bengal Stream: The Vibrant Architecture Scene of Bangladesh,” the Swiss Architecture Museum organized a symposium titled “When the Jamuna meets the Rhine” on December 2, 2017. Ten prominent architects from Bangladesh were invited to present and participate in discussions. Kazi Khaleed Ashraf gave the introductory lecture at the opening of the symposium.

Symposium: When the Jamuna meets the Rhine – Learning from Recent Architecture of Bangladesh
Date: 2nd December, 2017
Location: Alte Universität Basel, Rheinsprung 9/11, 4051 Basel

Speakers:

KAZI KHALEED ASHRAF, Director – General, Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes and Settlements, Dhaka
BASHIRUL HAQ, Principal of Bashirul Haq Architects, Dhaka
EHSAN KHAN, Principal of Ehsan Khan Architects, Dhaka
SALAUDDIN AHMED, Principal of Atelier Robin Architects, Dhaka
JUBAIR HASSAN, Partner at Archeground, Dhaka
AFROZA AHMED, Director at J.A Architects Ltd., Dhaka
SAIF UL HAQUE, Principal at Saif Ul Haque Sthapati, Dhaka
KASHEF CHOWDHURY, Principal at URBANA, Dhaka