Contemporary art provides an opportunity for artists to discuss issues that are relevant to modern day society and engage in dialogue. In order to push the boundaries further and allow artists to experiment with their form, city-based arts platform, TIFA Working Studios, has hosted ten artists for its unique residency program, Artel. This program aims for artists to create original works that are in symphony with their inspiration from the city as well as the theme, ‘Futures of the Past’.
Trishla Talera, Creative Director at TIFA, explains that this is the only art residency in Pune and that all the artists have been chosen from interdisciplinary forms, “Five artists are from India whereas the other five are from countries like Taiwan, Korea, America and England. They work with various forms like dance, graphic design, film, painting and photography. The artists are hosted for four weeks and get a chance to explore the historic and modern aspects of Pune. During their time here, they have worked on an idea and gone through the rigorous process of materialising that idea. We also have a critic-in-residence with whom the artists have regular discussions and get direct feedback about their ongoing work.”
A quick tour of the studio reveals different rooms that are used as work stations by different artists. TIFA is in a building that once functioned as a hotel, so with its unique architecture and quirky tiling, it serves as an inspiration. Skye Arundhati Thomas, the critic-in-residence, speaks about the theme and her role to support and nurture the artists’ work, “The ideas that the artists have developed are activated in the present moment. They are politically charged and have a sense of urgency to them. Jagrut Raval, an artist from Ahmedabad, is working on creating a fictional character called Narad. He is building on that character’s personality through his work. Mumbai-based Mansha Chhatwal is fascinated with old furniture and gathers them as pieces of history. Saubiya Chasmawala plays with the surface of paper through photographs and works on how she can make the fragility of paper more valid. The artists are all very independent but their work has a process. They are free to experiment.”
Both Talera and Thomas stress on the fact that the artists are not creating work for commercial sale, “TIFA is not a commercial gallery. We are not looking for a commercial response from people. The purpose of the residency is so that the artists can have a space to develop their practices and push their ideas forward. It is so important for artists to have a platform wherein they can sit, discuss and critique their work.”
The artists are completing the last week of their residency and will exhibit their work for the public on March 5 at TIFA.
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