National Network

National Network

A significant marker of the success of KHOJ has been the interest expressed by artists in sites across India to develop the workshop project under the aegis of what is the KHOJ Project.

By facilitating workshops outside of Delhi i.e. in Mysore, Bangalore and Mumbai respectively, KHOJ has involved many artists at an all India level. The workshops have provided an impetus to the local scenario of the hosting city, spawning informal networks amongst the artists, throwing up new ideas about contemporary art practice and energising students and audiences alike.

What has also emerged out of activity across the country is the realisation of the possibility of facilitating and supporting a loosely structured network composed of discrete workshops/projects across the country on an ongoing basis. It is envisaged that each workshop/nodal point would further build capacity and develop its own locally engaged projects with the potential to be a catalytic point for artists in smaller cities in and around the larger city while spawning its own connections within south Asia and abroad.

These projects act as vehicles in the development of several autonomous , professional self organising groups within the country which will enliven and stimulate art practice in places that are ready for change. Intended to create a fluid alternative to the current entrenched establishment of government and the commercial institutions which today dominate the art scenario. Given the current frenzy of the art market, spaces for intellectual discourse and radical experimentation which are the strength of any culture have been even further reduced - and we believe, are therefore even more urgently required.

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Desire Machine Collective @ KHOJ Guwahati

Mrignaka Madhukaillya and Sonal Jain participated in a month long residency in April 2005 at the KHOJ studio. Over several conversations and an active understanding of the way in which KHOJ functions, the idea of a project based forum in Gawahati was seeded.

The objective of the project is to create a temporary nomadic E- lab for creative practitioners on a ferry on the river Brahamaputra, the most important river in the region flowing through, China, Tibet, India, Bangladesh and into the Bay of Bengal. A site-specific event on and about the river and its network will be conceptualised.

A residency space will be created on the ferry for artists from South and Southeast Asian countries ( i.e. from Bangladesh, Nepal, Burma, South West China, Tibet, Bhutan, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia.) and Indian artists who have interpreted and interrogated the notion of borders in their artistic practice. It would also include artists from other countries having a special interest in the imagination of the river as it translocates between different nation states. Talks, symposia, colloquia and publications (research reports and creative publications) will be organised in the public realm to foster critical debate. The ferry space would function as a Tea bar and a gallery space for local artists.

CAMP + KHOJ ,Mumbai

Shaina Anand participated in an associate residency programme in April 2006 at the KHOJ studios.
The need for a truly alternative space within the commercialised art world in Mumbai was articulated and a lab for Critical Art and Media Practice ( CAMP) was suggested as a way forward.

The initiative proposes to

1. Analyse the slippery ground between art/ media and public culture, towards seeding a range of 'critical art and media practices' in the city. This is through seminars/ colloquiums, hands-on workshops and informal discussions about practical, technical, economic and on-the-ground strategies for this kind of practice.
2. Generate actual prototypes, engagements, 'public works' in the city that embody some of the ideas that are central to our definition of criticality: autonomy from the market, awareness of social/physical location, public participation, awareness of technological contexts, technical experimentation, peer learning.
3. Documents and quickly disseminates information from the above, such that it acts as a feedback loop that can enrich the ongoing experiment.
The above order is not always followed. That is, the actual engagements may precede the analysis, for example, to provide a more grounded understanding of the issues in question.

1 Shanti Road + KHOJ , Bangalore :

Two workshops were held in 2002 and 2003 in Mysore and Bangalore respectively with working groups of artists in Bangalore and Mysore. For a variety of reasons including lack of funding and human resource, continuity was not maintained.

However the members are keen to enliven Khoj once again. The studio space 1 Shanti Road which already runs as an alternative public space hosting visiting international artists and other exhibitions is keen to institute an international residency programme focussing on interaction with south Asia/Asia. Despite the proximity to Sri Lanka and /or Indonesia their connections with artists from the region in minimal . Over three years, KHOJ , Delhi will facilitate 2 six week long residencies in Bangalore with 3 artists each ( one south Asian, one Indian and one International) thereby developing independent networks within the region.

Key to the residencies will be outreach and interaction with students of the various art colleges in Bangalore and Mysore as also the research and inclusion of artists from adjoining States. 1 shanti road will organise a series of lectures, artists talks and presentations for a wider audience A thrust towards pubic art projects and a forum for an exchange of ideas will be taken forward.

All the 3 projects of the Khoj National Network is supported by NRTT ( Navajbai Ratan Tata Trust ).
Desire Machine Collective @ KHOJ Guwahati
is also supported by ANA (Arts Network Asia)