Tantibazar, in the heart of Old Dhaka, has been a center of jewelry craftsmanship for generations. Sakra’s Tantibazar, an exhibition curated by SFCP’s Tahmina Shaily at Dhanmondi’s Dwip Gallery, spent two weeks (through October 19) putting the artisans behind that heritage — not just the jewelry itself — in focus.
Shaily, who has worked with Tantibazar’s craftsmen for over a decade, framed the show as a tribute to their resilience as much as their skill: “This exhibition isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s about recognizing the people behind the craft and the stories they’ve passed down through generations.” Veteran jeweler Nazim Ahmed, who returned to Dhaka after years abroad to keep the trade alive, spoke about the shrinking number of young artisans entering the craft as mass-produced jewelry from China, India, and the UAE squeezes the market.
At the opening, bKash CEO Kamal Quadir called the show a reminder that “jewelry reflects a society’s culture and its socio-economic condition,” while United Commercial Bank Vice Chairman Sajjad Hossain pressed for government-backed skills development and financing for clusters like Tantibazar. For Shaily, the stakes are about more than commerce: “We should sell it as a story, not just as a product.”