Kasauli Art Centre 1976–1991

An exhibition of artworks, prints and archival documents

21 September – 23 November 2024
Arthshila Santiniketan
Plot No. 424, Mouza-Shyambati
(behind Kristi Guest House)
Santiniketan, Bolpur, West Bengal

 

The Kasauli Art Centre was founded by Vivan Sundaram at his family home, ‘Ivy Lodge’ in the Kasauli Hills, that was bequeathed by his mother Indira Sher-Gil Sundaram to him and his sister Navina Sundaram.  From 1976 until 1991, the Kasauli Art Centre held artists’ workshops, seminars and symposia on film and critical theory, and experiments in theatre-making, all of which underlined Vivan’s belief in interdisciplinary exchange as well as art-making as a practice of collectivity and dialogue. Artists, academics and cultural practitioners lived and worked on the premises of Ivy Lodge, in what was perhaps one of the first experiments in artists’ residencies in the country. The Kasauli Art Centre was imbued with an ethos of hospitality: the domestic spaces of the home were transformed with bedrooms and study rooms doubling as artists’ studios while the living and dining rooms hosted conversations, discussions and screenings. The exterior areas provided space for theatre-making experiments and performances.

 

The exhibition consists of artworks, photographs, artists’ correspondence, catalogues and hitherto unseen archival material from the Estate of Vivan Sundaram. The display is arranged non-chronologically: thematic strands in each gallery explore different facets of the Kasauli Art Centre and chart its evolution through individual and collective praxis.

 

The first iteration of this exhibition was displayed at the Museum of Fine Arts, Panjab University, Chandigarh from October to December 2023. Vivan Sundaram was involved with all aspects of the project until February 2023.

 

This exhibition has been produced by the Sher-Gil Sundaram Arts Foundation and is presented in collaboration with Arthshila Santiniketan. It is curated by Latika Gupta, with graphic design & production by Sourav Sil, logistics & accounts by Santosh Sahni, additional research by Malavika Madgulkar and exhibition assistance by Maithili Bavkar.