The curatorial research grant has the long-term goal of fostering cultural exchange with India and a deeper understanding of Indian contemporary artists and institutions.
The Saat Saath initiative bestows international curators with the resources to extend their research into India and offers special itineraries designed to fit individual research interests offer curators unprecedented opportunities to be introduced to artists, curators, writers and thinkers in India.
Grant recipients will benefit from special access to private collections and archives that are not commonly available through traditional channels or research from abroad.
Each itinerary is formulated with the combined expertise of Saat Saath Arts founder, philanthropist Aparajita Jain, and Diana Campbell Betancourt, Founding Advisor of the Saat Saath Curatorial Research Grant. Jain has worked together with Betancourt since 2010 to coordinate research trips for curators from leading international institutions such as the New Museum, New York; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Pompidou Centre, Paris; and Creative Time, New York.
“The Saat Saath Curatorial Research Grant was born from hours of conversation with leading art authorities all over the world, trying to find a solution to increase global understanding and informed exhibitions including Indian contemporary art,” said philanthropist and founder Aparajita Jain. “Saat Saath Arts is founded to support, complement and highlight the art scene that is already flourishing in India.”
Given the lack of governmental support, it is the acquired responsibility of private patrons to make a difference, and through Saat Saath Arts I can help build bridges between the West and the East.
International curators are selected on an annual basis for demonstrating a forward-thinking approach and engagement with art practices across the world. The Grant has a uniquely open-ended approach and encourages curators to further their understanding of Indian art in the wider geographical context of South Asia, without working with an agenda or towards a specific event or exhibition.
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Reena Saini Kallat, Woven Chronicle (detail), 2015, circuit boards, speakers, electrical wires and fittings
