Bangladeshi art finds a home in Busan
Twenty-eight Bangladeshi artists showcased their works at the 11th Geoje International Art Festival in Busan, where curator Nazia Andaleeb Preema’s vision of coexistence found a global stage
In the coastal city of Busan, where the sea meets the mountains, a new chapter of Bangladeshi art is quietly unfolding. At the heart of this story stands Nazia Andaleeb Preema—artist, curator, and activist—whose guiding belief, "Coexistence is the only way to exist," has shaped a cross-continental dialogue through art.
As chairperson of the Preema Arte Foundation and juror for the 10th and 11th Geoje International Art Festival in South Korea, Preema has been curating works that speak beyond language and geography. The 2025 edition that took place earlier in October, themed 'Blooming Art: Art Value Development Project,' seeks to remind a fragmented world of art's power to connect and to heal.
In both 2024 and 2025, a total of 28 Bangladeshi artists, spanning generations and styles, were chosen for permanent display at the Haegeumgang Theme Museum in Busan. It is a rare recognition—one that places Bangladesh alongside 60 countries and 341 international artists who took part in what was the world's first virtual jury selection process for a museum collection.
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Among the Bangladeshi participants, Arman Chowdhury won the Best Artist Award for 2025, while Md Kamaluddin and Rubayet received the Artist's Excellence Award. The previous year, Abu Kalam Shamsuddin, Azmeer Hossain, and Sourav Chowdhury earned similar honours for Bangladesh from a pool of 273 submissions worldwide.
The festival also features works by several other acclaimed and emerging names—Rokeya Sultana, Nazia Andaleeb Preema, Vinita Karim, Anukul Mojumder, Ratnashwar Sutradhar, Nagarbashi Bormon, Tahmina Hafiz Lisa, Iqbal Banhar Chy, Mahadi Masud, Arif Bachchu, Tarik Amin, and Farzana Bobby—all of whom now form part of the museum's permanent collection.
The exhibitions, inaugurated on 6 November 2024 and 14 October 2025, transformed Busan into a meeting ground for artists, curators, and gallery directors from across the world. Each Bangladeshi contribution carried its own voice—some social, others mythical or political—but together, they painted a portrait of a nation negotiating identity through creativity.
Preema, who personally curated the collection, sees the project as an opportunity to "brand Bangladesh through art," though her tone remains reflective rather than triumphant.
"We are living in a virtual world where everything is connected," she said. "Technology can cultivate empathy and collaboration. It's a gift—if we use it with purpose, it can serve both humanity and nature."
Her words resonate deeply in a festival that was itself built on digital collaboration. The virtual jury process—a first of its kind—allowed artists from around the world to submit and review works online. For Preema, this was more than convenience; it was a gesture towards a future where creativity can transcend borders without erasing individuality.
An artist's role is to be authentic, pure, and honest—to preserve the traditions, people, and history that will speak for the next generation and beyond.
The Geoje International Art Festival spans multiple venues—the Haegeumgang Theme Museum, Daesan Museum in Busan, and Kim Boseong Art Centre in Seoul—each hosting month-long exhibitions of artists from Japan, Spain, Korea, Italy, Argentina, the Philippines, the USA, China, Norway, Switzerland, the UK, and Denmark, among others.
Preema noted that "South Korea's embrace of technology and art makes it a model for global collaboration." She described the festival as a reminder that even in an era dominated by AI, "human creativity remains irreplaceable."
Beyond the galleries, the visiting curators and judges were offered a seven-day immersion into Korean culture—tours through Busan, Geoje, and Seoul, visits to historical gardens, palaces, and art museums, and of course, introductions to traditional delicacies like kimchi, bulgogi, and bibimbap. They explored woodcarving markets, tried on hanbok, and visited temples and seaside shrines—a cultural exchange as sensory as it was symbolic.
The Haegeumgang Theme Museum, founded in 2005, has long been known for its collection spanning Korean, European, and maritime history, as well as modern and contemporary art. The inclusion of Bangladeshi works in its permanent exhibition marks an important milestone in the country's growing international presence in visual arts.
Preema's involvement extends beyond curation. She currently serves as chairperson (2025–2026) of the Digital Art Committee under the International Culture and Art Federation in Busan. For her work in cultural exchange, she received recognition from the Mayor of Jeongeup City and the foundation's director, Ya Cheon-Eob.
The festival's international jury, led by Norwegian artist Heidi Fosli, played a crucial role in facilitating participation from hundreds of artists across continents—a testament to art's continuing power to connect even in virtual spaces.
Preema's reflections often return to a sense of moral and creative responsibility. "An artist's role," she said quietly, "is to be authentic, pure, and honest—to preserve the traditions, people, and history that will speak for the next generation and beyond."
Her words linger as the exhibitions continue in Busan and Seoul—a reminder that in a world increasingly defined by algorithms and artificial intelligence, the human impulse to create and connect remains the truest measure of progress.
For the Bangladeshi artists who now share a home in the halls of the Haegeumgang Theme Museum, it is not just an accolade but an affirmation—that their stories, colours, and visions have become part of a larger, shared narrative of coexistence.
