Sadya Mizan is a curator, researcher, and cultural practitioner whose work focuses on community engagement, contemporary art, and heritage. She is the founder and director of URONTO Artist Community, a platform for site-responsive and socially engaged art practices across Bangladesh involving international and local artists. Sadya’s projects often explore ideas of memory, displacement, and cultural sustainability, working closely with global and local artists communities to create shared narratives through creative action.
She holds a Master’s degree in Fine Arts from the University of Dhaka and is currently completing an MLitt in Museum Studies at the University of Aberdeen. Over the past decade, Sadya has curated and led exhibitions in her country and internationally, including her recent archival visual exhibition ‘36 July’ in Germany on student revolution in Bangladesh, Desertification at Kunstverein Neuhausen (Germany) and Tipping Point at Oberwelt (Germany) on climate crisis and environmental ecosystems, Heart/Earth-fullness in Pondicherry (India), ‘Recollected’ on the oral heritage narrative from north east of Bangladesh, and multiple projects at the Dhaka Art Summit etc. Her curatorial methodologies have been presented through institutions like Asia Art Archive America, Künstlerhaus Bethanien Berlin, and LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore, University of Amsterdam, University of Edinburgh, Laiden University and many more.
Alongside curatorial practice, Sadya has been actively involved in cultural leadership roles with organizations such as the British Council, Manchester Museum, and IOM-UN Migration, where she helped develop large-scale community-centered heritage projects with youth, refugees and minor communities. Her approach often bridges art, archive, education, environmental issues, ecology and advocacy, with a strong focus on inclusivity, youth engagement and responsible creative practices.Sadya has been recognized internationally being a Fellow at Akademie Schloss Solitude, Germany (2024), a recipient of the Art Think South Asia Fellowship (2018), and curatorial fellowships with OCA Oslo, Autumn School of Curating, and Pro-Helvetia Swiss Arts Council. She has delivered lectures and talks across leading institutions, including Manchester University, the University of Edinburgh, Amsterdam University, the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts in Sofia, Witz University in South Africa, and many more reputed art organizations in the UK, Europe, South Asia, South Africa, Norway, USA and beyond. Mizan has also contributed to key research initiatives like the Anthology of Art Infrastructure and the Bibliography Project of Bengali Art Writing with Asia Art Archive, highlighting her commitment to documenting and reshaping art histories.
Across all her work, Sadya is committed to expanding how art and heritage can create meaningful connections between people, places, and histories — emphasizing collaboration, people care, earth care and creative resilience. She is known for her strategic vision, interdisciplinary knowledge, commitment to democratizing cultural narratives, and brings an exceptional blend of curatorial expertise, leadership, and global perspective.