Experimenter Gallery Explained

Experimenter Gallery
Established:2009
Location:Hindustan Road, Kolkata
Ballygunge Place, Kolkata
Coordinates:22.5207°N 88.3647°W
22.5275°N 88.3704°W
Type:Contemporary art gallery
Founder:Priyanka & Prateek Raja

Experimenter is a contemporary art gallery co-founded by Priyanka and Prateek Raja in Kolkata.[1] It represents several important artists in the contemporary art scene from across the globe. The gallery functions as an incubator for contemporary art practice spread across various disciplines and media.

The program of the gallery is known for nurturing a space that encourages dialogue, dissent and fearless expression through artistic experiments. In addition to exhibition-making, Experimenter’s programmes encompass a wide range of initiatives that focus on knowledge creation and dissemination through publishing, learning programs, talks, workshops, and performances. Its widely acclaimed annual Experimenter Curator’s Hub brings together curators from across the world to discuss and debate curatorial practices.

In 2016, the gallery launched its publishing wing, Experimenter Books that devotes itself to artist-book publication.[2] The gallery started the Experimenter Learning Program (ELP) in 2018 that facilitates learnings in fields of contemporary and performing arts, curatorship, writing, film and social culture where the audiences actively engage with the gallery beyond passive viewership. On its 10th anniversary in 2019, the gallery started its most recent initiative, Experimenter – Outpost where it moves outside its physical gallery spaces to hold exhibitions in disused spaces as an exploration of the possibility of a renewed life for them.

History

Experimenter was launched in 2009 with a vision to create a platform for the visual arts beyond the conventional white cube format.[3] The co-founders of the gallery had a long-harboured dream to work together and left their corporate careers behind to fulfill the same. They thought of Kolkata, the city they grew up in, as an ideal place to open a gallery that would push boundaries, raise questions and bring to Kolkata a global experience of contemporary art.[4]

The original location of the gallery is its Hindustan Road space that was established in 2009. On 28 February 2018, Experimenter launched its second gallery at Ballygunge Place.[5] Both spaces now run simultaneously, allowing the gallery to build on its multifaceted programmes. Both of these galleries are located in century-old buildings that re-imagine their purpose as contemporary spaces ensconced within heritage structures, in line with the interests of the directors in preserving architectural precincts of the city.

Artists represented

Notable exhibitions

Art fair participation

Experimenter participates in the leading art fairs of the world including Art Basel in Basel (since 2013), Art Basel in Hong Kong (since 2014), Frieze Art Fair in London (since 2010), Frieze Art Fair in New York (since 2012), FIAC Paris (2016–18), Art Dubai (since 2011) and India Art Fair, New Delhi (since 2011).

Publishing

The publishing wing of the gallery, Experimenter Books, was launched in 2016 to function as a publishing partner for its artists. It works towards producing artist-books, monographs and art objects. It also explores the vast creative possibilities of bookmaking, displays particular interest in design and closely collaborates with artists to conceive and envisage each book. One can also find the gallery’s annual catalogues under this initiative alongside the Experimenter Labs Reader, both of which are available for free online access for anyone wanting to give it a read. The Experimenter Labs Reader is a guest-edited anthology of prose, poetry, essays, images by artists, activists, musicians, poets, writers, photographers, philosophers.

Educational and other initiatives

Educational initiatives

Experimenter Curator’s Hub

The Experimenter Curator’s Hub is an annual programme, started by the gallery in 2012.[41] It brings under one roof, the most influential curatorial minds in the contemporary art scene around the world to discuss, debate and create a discourse around curatorial practices.[42] With a lack of institutional discourse formulation around curation, the gallery co-founders decided to launch this initiative to start a much-needed conversation on curatorial practices for artists, curators, critics and audiences to critically engage with and understand curation as a distinctive discipline.[43]

In an interview to the Firstpost, they said, "We both agree that one of the biggest inhibitors to knowledge in our country are our structures of learning and education, and we are deeply interested in breaking these structures even in our limited capacities. We re-evaluate our roles as directors of Experimenter all the time and have been thinking about how we can make a definitive impact to the world we inhabit individually and as directors of our program. We have felt over time, that discourse and conversation lies at the crux of understanding our dystopian contemporary moment and possibly the only way to establish a future of awareness that appreciates plurality and celebrates contradiction and diversity and would like to invite thinkers, writers, curators, artists, philosophers, architects, designers and so on from all over the world."[44]

The hub is open for all to attend and was shifted online in the year 2020 owing to the global pandemic situation.[45] All presentations by curators and panel discussions are archived as video recordings on the gallery’s website as freely accessible resources for those interested in listening to and learning about the various curatorial practices from all over the world. The hub has had participating curators like Leuli Eshraghi, Reem Fadda, Adam Szymczyk, Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, Doryun Chong, Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi, Naomi Beckwith, Natasha Ginwala, Gitanjali Dang, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Abhay Maskara, Raqs Media Collective, Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, Shumon Basar, Pooja Sood, Dayanita Singh and more.[46] [47] [48]

Experimenter Learning Program

The Experimenter Learning Program (ELP) was launched in 2018[49] with the vision of knowledge creation and increased audience engagement in order to make the gallery an active space for dialogue, discussion, debate and learning. It is a long-term education program rooted in visual culture and has a year-long schedule including Experimenter Curator’s Hub, workshops, lecture performances, symposia, salon-style classrooms and Experimenter Juniors’ Program.

Generator - Co-operative art production fund

In April 2020, in the very early stages in the global COVID-19 pandemic, The Generator co-operative art fund was created by Experimenter in collaboration with artists and friends.[50] This collaborative fund awards production grants to aid artists’ projects. It is a decentralized funding framework exclusively meant for artists not represented by the gallery and is open to all visual artists irrespective of medium, age or provenance. The applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year and are reviewed by a rotating jury.[51]

In an interview with Ocula magazine, gallery co-founder Prateek Raja said, "One of our early conversations was with Bani Abidi, who is based in Berlin, about how grant-giving is such a power-disseminating activity, where an organization or a group of patrons decide to give something to the artist, as if you are bestowing upon them this honor. This is a conversation we renewed, because we figured we would be closed for a few months, and very quickly we launched Generator, which came out with other initiatives from the Labs."

Other initiatives

Experimenter Radio

A curated Spotify channel consisting of music and podcasts by artists, writers, thinkers, collaborators, philosophers that brings together an acoustic experience which can be a source of comfort, inspiration and musings.[52]

Filament

Filament is a space for streaming films and video art by a wide range of artists and filmmakers.[53]

Deep Dive Series

A series of in-depth online (sometimes live) conversations of artists with curators, writers, gallerists or other artists and peers who know the artist’s practice and thoughts intimately. These are shared as podcasts, video interviews, live online studio visits, book readings, and more.

Reception

In 2014, Experimenter won the ‘Contemporary Gallery of the Year (Exhibiting young artists)’ award at the Forbes Art Awards 2014.[54]

In 2016, Experimenter won the 'Gallery of the Year' award at the India Today Art Awards 2016.[55]

In 2020, Experimenter co-founders Prateek and Priyanka Raja were named in the ArtReview Power 100 list of the ‘Most influential people in the contemporary art world’.[56]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 12 Years of Experimenter. 2021-05-27. www.platform-mag.com.
  2. Web site: 2021-05-27. Prateek and Priyanka Raja: Gallery as Incubator. 2021-05-27. ocula.com. en.
  3. Web site: 2021-04-09. Experimenter gallery's experiments without end. 2021-05-27. Mintlounge. en.
  4. Web site: 2016-03-21. For Priyanka and Prateek Raja Home Is Where The Art Is Verve Magazine. 2021-05-31. www.vervemagazine.in. en-US.
  5. Web site: 2018-02-24. Kolkata's Experimenter gallery to launch its second branch. 2021-05-31. The Sunday Guardian Live. en-US.
  6. Web site: 2019-08-07. The Decade That Was. 2021-06-07. The Indian Express. en.
  7. Web site: IMPOSTORS OF EVIDENCE. 2021-06-07. www.telegraphindia.com.
  8. Web site: India's Experimenter focuses on the now with RAQS and Kolkata location – an interview with Prateek Raja – ArtRadarJournal.com. 2021-06-07. en-US.
  9. Web site: In Focus: Naeem Mohaiemen's"The Young Man Was". 2021-06-07. Creative Capital. en.
  10. Web site: AN EYE FOR THE ABSURD. 2021-06-07. www.telegraphindia.com.
  11. Web site: Roy. Sourav. 2013-11-06. Dark Matter Hits White Cube: Excavating India's Coal Miners. 2021-06-07. Hyperallergic. en-US.
  12. Web site: 27 June 2013. Our pick of the month. 2021-06-07. India Today. en.
  13. Web site: WAITING FOR THE SATIRIC TOUCH. 2021-06-07. www.telegraphindia.com.
  14. Web site: 2018-08-21. Inside Artist Ayesha Sultana's Mind Verve Magazine. 2021-06-07. www.vervemagazine.in. en-US.
  15. News: Nag. Ashoke. Experimenter gallery presents Bangladesh artist Ayesha Sultana's first solo exhibition. The Economic Times. 2021-06-07.
  16. Web site: Ghoshal. Somak. 2013-12-26. An explosion of red. 2021-06-07. mint. en.
  17. Web site: Ghoshal. Somak. 2014-03-13. Waiting For the Wind Law and disorder. 2021-06-07. mint. en.
  18. Web site: 6 artists contemplate freedom in "Waiting for the Wind" – in pictures – ArtRadarJournal.com. 2021-06-07. en-US.
  19. Web site: 2015-08-07. Edge Of The City Verve Magazine. 2021-06-07. www.vervemagazine.in. en-US.
  20. Web site: Goyal. Sana. From Kashmir to Kolkata: Artist Praneet Soi's exhibition 'Srinagar'. 2021-06-07. Vogue India. 23 April 2015 . en-IN.
  21. Web site: 2016-10-04. Samson Young's Mastery of Language Verve Magazine. 2021-06-07. www.vervemagazine.in. en-US.
  22. Web site: Bhuyan. Avantika. 2016-09-09. Framing the note. 2021-06-07. mint. en.
  23. Web site: 2016-06-15. Krishna Reddy: The Editionmaker Verve Magazine. 2021-06-07. www.vervemagazine.in. en-US.
  24. Web site: "Ground Zero: Site as Witness/Architecture as Evidence": India's Sahil Naik – artist profile – ArtRadarJournal.com. 2021-06-07. en-US.
  25. News: Das. Soumitra. 2017-09-16. The quiet after the storm. en-IN. The Hindu. 2021-06-07. 0971-751X.
  26. Web site: Bani Abidi & Naeem Mohaiemen, I wish to let you fall out of my hands (Chapter 1). 2021-06-07. The White Review. en-US.
  27. Web site: I wish to let you fall out of my hands so that I may catch you again - Chapter II Experimenter Galleries Frieze. 2021-06-07. www.frieze.com.
  28. News: Naughton. Jake. Bose. Soumya Sankar. 2018-01-31. These Dreamlike Portraits Explore L.G.B.T.Q. Identity in India. en-US. The New York Times. 2021-06-07. 0362-4331.
  29. Web site: 2021-06-07. Exhibition 'Drawn from Practice' at Experimenter, Ballygunge Place, Kolkata, India. 2021-06-07. ocula.com. en.
  30. Web site: Bring My Garters / Do Nothing. 2021-06-07. The Caravan. en.
  31. Web site: 2019-09-03. AF talks to Prateek Raja from Experimenter. 2021-06-07. Art Fervour. en.
  32. Web site: In Search of the Unseen: Documenting the jatra art form. 2021-06-07. The New Indian Express.
  33. Web site: Khurana. Chanpreet. How Indian-born artist Krishna Reddy left an indelible mark on printmaking worldwide. 2021-06-07. Scroll.in. en-US.
  34. Web site: 2020-11-12. Spill: A Cascade of Memory, Familiarity, Blood and Water. 2021-06-07. AI Arts Illustrated An Indian based arts and design magazine. en-US.
  35. Web site: Bhandara. Neville. Artist Biraaj Dodiya unveils her debut solo at Experimenter gallery in Kolkata. 2021-06-07. Vogue India. 6 March 2020 . en-IN.
  36. Web site: Filament Part I. 2021-06-07. www.platform-mag.com.
  37. Web site: Saraswat-Satpathy. Kriti. Kolkata: Experimenter showcases 'Nestled' featuring a dialogue between Adip Dutta and Meera Mukherjee's works. 2021-06-07. Architectural Digest India. 8 February 2021 . en-US.
  38. Web site: Sculptor Adip Dutta's tribute to his mentor Meera Mukherjee. 2021-06-07. www.telegraphindia.com.
  39. Web site: A confession, and a cherished conversation with Ayesha Sultana. 2021-06-07. www.stirworld.com. English.
  40. Web site: Garms. Juliette. 2020-04-29. 'Where the Birds Never Sing' by Soumya Sankar Bose. 2021-06-07. Medium. en.
  41. Web site: Art lovers in Kolkata, pay a visit to the Experimenter. 2021-05-31. Elle India. en-US.
  42. Web site: 9th Edition of Experimenter Curators' Hub. 2021-05-31. www.e-flux.com. en.
  43. Web site: Khanna. Jasreen Mayal. Kolkata: The 9th edition of its Experimenter Curators' Hub. 2021-05-31. Architectural Digest India. 10 December 2019 . en-US.
  44. Web site: 2018-07-26. Experimenter gallery's Priyanka and Prateek Raja on how they put together the prestigious Curators' Hub. 2021-05-31. Firstpost.
  45. Web site: Experimenter Curators' Hub goes virtual in its 10th iteration. 2021-05-31. www.telegraphindia.com.
  46. Web site: Experimenter launch 5th edition of Curators' Hub in Kolkata Indiablooms - First Portal on Digital News Management. 2021-05-31. Indiablooms.com. en.
  47. Web site: 2019-11-28. What's on your mind, Curator. 2021-05-31. The Indian Express. en.
  48. Web site: Siganporia. Shahnaz. Why Experimenter Curators' Hub is a must-attend for art lovers. 2021-05-31. Vogue India. 3 August 2017 . en-IN.
  49. Web site: Iyengar. Radhika. 2018-08-17. Curators' classroom. 2021-05-31. mint. en.
  50. Web site: Ayaz. Shaikh. Kolkata: Experimenter starts grant to fund artists' work during the lockdown. 2021-05-31. Architectural Digest India. 15 April 2020 . en-US.
  51. Web site: Experimenter launches a co-operative production fund to support artists in a post-pandemic world. 2021-05-31. www.indulgexpress.com. en.
  52. Web site: Connect with your favourite artistes at Experimenter Radio, hosted by the Kolkata Art Gallery. 2021-05-24. www.indulgexpress.com. en.
  53. Web site: Kolkata's Experimenter sets its first online film programme, Filament, rolling. 2021-05-24. www.indulgexpress.com. en.
  54. Web site: Winners - Art Awards 2014 :: FORBES INDIA. 2021-05-24. www.forbesindia.com.
  55. Web site: 29 January 2016. Srijani. Ganguly/. India Today Art Awards 2016 honours doyens of art world. 2021-05-31. India Today. en.
  56. Web site: Prateek & Priyanka Raja. 2021-05-24. artreview.com. en.

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