Serendipity Arts announced today the selected residents for the 6th Serendipity Arts Residency programme for 2023-24.
The annual three-month artists' residency programme has acted as a launch pad for many emerging and mid-career artists over the past six years, providing an opportunity for the residents to network, learn, unlearn and showcase their work to a larger audience at the Serendipity Arts Festival in Panjim, Goa, and other outreach initiatives by Serendipity Arts.
The open call for applications was launched in April, inviting artists from various disciplines, including music, dance, theatre, visual practices, movement-based practices, and new-media practices.
This was due to the widening of the scope of the residency, to scale up the support given to the artists across disciplines and creative practices.
The residency aims to provide artists with a conducive environment and resources to develop their practice, work on new projects and engage with the wider art community in New Delhi.
The residents for the programme were selected and interviewed by an external jury panel, consisting of esteemed experts. The jury members included: the jury members included:
Vikram Iyengar: an arts leader who initiated the Pickle Factory Dance Foundation in Calcutta.
Sanchayan Ghosh: an associate professor at the Department of Painting, Kala Bhavan, Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan, with a focus on site-specific art and collaborative practices.
Sumangala Damodaran: a visiting professor, known for her research in economics, development studies, and popular music studies.
Sandeep Sangaru: a multidisciplinary designer and founder of Sangaru Design Studio.
Sahej Rahal: a storyteller and artist who weaves fact and fiction to create counter-mythologies, exploring sculpture, performance, film, painting, installation, and AI programmes.
The jury will guide the practices of the shortlisted residents at various stages in the residency programme. In addition to the six Indian residents, this edition of the residency programme includes a French artist as part of the Villa Swagatam Initiative, in partnership with the French Institute in India.
Through the collaboration, Serendipity Arts aims to strengthen cultural ties between India and France by fostering meaningful cultural exchanges and creative connections between the artistic communities of both countries.
The selected residents for the Serendipity Arts Residency Programme 2023-24 are:
Dileep Chilanka: A versatile artist from Kerala, explores new movement vocabulary inspired by his surroundings and experiences.
Richa Arya: A sculptor from Haryana, Richa has exhibited her work across India and received recognition for her artistic endeavours.
Salman B Baba: A visual practitioner from Srinagar, Salman's work delves into themes of Kashmiri subjecthood and landscapes, exploring violence, memory, and space.
Sewali Deka: Hailing from lower Assam, Sewali's art reflects rural life, indigenous food culture and traditional farming practices.
Pale Blue Dotter AKA Surbhi Mittal: Surbhi merges music and art in her creative practice.
Massandje Sanogo (Villa Swagatam initiative): A multidisciplinary artist based in Montreuil, France, Massandje's work explores themes of identity and discrimination, with a focus on Afro-descendant and queer bodies.
Shivani Kasumra, curator-in-residence: A researcher and writer based in New Delhi, Shivani’s work combines criticism, intellectual history and visual studies, with a particular focus on speculative practices in contemporary art.
Having commenced on July 3, 2023, the residency will conclude with an open studio in the first week of October. The curator-in-residence will contextualise the residency and curate the open studio at the end of the residency.
The artists-in-residence and the curator-in-residence will have the opportunity to regularly engage with each other, discuss their practice, and conceptualise ideas and details about their works for the residency.
Throughout the residency, the selected residents will participate in a diverse range of activities, including peer-to-peer conversations, critique sessions, gallery and studio visits, performances, masterclasses, workshops, artist talks, and presentations.
The programme aims to foster connections, build networks, and provide a platform for artistic growth and exploration.
"We are thrilled to announce the selected residents for the Serendipity Arts Residency programme 2023-24. These artists represent a diverse range of disciplines, and their work promises to be a captivating exploration of creativity. Serendipity Arts is committed to encouraging emerging artists and creating platforms to help develop their practice. We look forward to witnessing the growth and innovation that will emerge from this residency and the meaningful connections that the residents will cultivate within the art community. Congratulations to the selected residents, and we eagerly anticipate the exciting journey that lies ahead for each of them.” – Ms Smriti Rajgarhia, Director, Serendipity Arts Foundation and Festival
Serendipity Arts Residency will offer furnished accommodation, studio space, a monthly per diem for meals, and a production grant to cover materials and additional technical support.
The residency will also provide assistance in project implementation, technical infrastructure, publicity and networking opportunities with curators, critics and gallerists.
To know more about the selected residents, please visit www.serendipityarts.org.