SSAF Summer Residency, 1Shanthiroad
1 – 30 September 2017 | 1 Shanthiroad, Bengaluru
The Summer Residency at 1Shanthiroad, supported by SSAF, was held from 1 to 30 September 2017.
The annual residency at 1Shanthiroad invited applications for projects through an open call around the theme ‘City as Site: Public Art as Social Sculpture’. The artists for the residency were selected by a jury comprising local artists and practitioners from Bengaluru, including Smitha Cariappa, Dimple B. Shah, Amitabh Kumar and Suresh Jayaram. The selected artists for the residency were Aman Kaur, Jagrut Raval, Nidhi Khurana, Shyamli Singbal and Tsering Motup.
This thematic residency programme encouraged the participants to view public art as inspiration, and Bengaluru as an urban site of contradictions both locally and globally. It focused on mapping labour and artisanal traditions, assessing food as a cultural construct, the ever-changing landscape and architecture in flux, displacement and migration, local histories and narratives pertaining to art, culture and science, in order to create a dialogue through public art projects.
The artists had opportunities to connect with their peers, and to create a network for dialogues and discussions about contemporary art practice. The residency encouraged conversations across genres, and facilitated peer-to-peer learning and critique as well as working in a shared studio space.
Suresh Jayaram, visual artist, art historian and educator, and founder-director of 1Shanthiroad, mentored the artists during the residency. The team at 1Shanthiroad introduced the artists to local materials and exposed them to the social and political context of Bangalore and its growth as a modern city that reflects change and conflict in contemporary times.
The residency aimed to make strides in bridging the gap between art and local communities, to cultivate new audiences, and to support artists who have been working in new media and materials in public spaces.
Through the residency, 1Shanthiroad created opportunities for peer-to-peer learning among local practitioners, students and other artists, and fostered collaboration with other organizations working in the space of public art.
The residency programme concluded with an exhibition and an open studio visited by artists, local art students, art educators, collectors and connoisseurs.
1Shanthiroad Studio/Gallery 1Shanthiroad, Bengaluru, is an art space founded by Suresh Jayaram that nurtures creativity and cutting-edge art practice. The studio/gallery provides space for slide lectures, small conferences, installations, performances, screenings and informal gatherings. It is administered by a not-for-profit trust, VAC–Visual Art Collective. Since its inception in 2003, 1Shanthiroad has grown to house artists from diverse countries in its residency programmes.