Opening night for RECIPROCATION: American Artists and India Connections was a lovely event. This exhibition, on view at Ojas Art in Delhi, India, Nov 12–Dec. 15, 2021, curated by Kathryn Myers, is a celebration of the United States–India Educational Foundation’s 70th anniversary and coincides with the Fulbright program’s 75th anniversary. Yes, a dual celebration!
The exhibition showcases the work of ten American Fulbright alumni artists who have nurtured their connections with Indian artists through new and ongoing creative projects, collaborations, and dialogue. Each American artist was invited to select an Indian artist for the exhibition.
Originally scheduled to open in March 2020, this show was a long-awaited event. Happily, the pandemic has subsided to now permit its exhibition and public opening. Pictured above from left to right are Anubhav Nath, Director of Ojas Art; Misha Pradosh, Professor and Head of History of Art Department at Banaras Hindu University; and Adam Grotsky, Executive Director of USIEF.
Celebrating the successful ongoing cultural exchange of Fulbright and USIEF included attendance by the US Ambassador and local officials in a lovely outdoor, candle-lit gathering.
Of course, I myself wished I could have gone to the event in India! I am thrilled to see photos of how well-attended it was.
With generous support from the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, the exhibiting artist pairs include Alan Teller & Jerri Zibral with Prabir Purkayastha, Annu Palakunnathu Matthew with Adira Thekkuveettil, Christine Rogers with Cop Shiva, Eva Lee with Karma Sichoe, Kathryn Myers with Rajesh Sagara, Marcia Neblett with Lakshmi Priya Daniel, Margaret Lanzetta with Gigi Scaria, Michael Richardson with Priti Samyuktha, Pawel Wojtasik with Gautam Chaterje, and Tanya Gill with Priya Ravish Mehra. This unique exhibition presents paintings, photography, video art and print making.
My Fulbright research on Indo-Tibetan mandalas, conducted in 2013-2014, examined the roots of Himalayan Buddhist art, from its Indian beginnings through its Tibetan transmission. I was interested in how mandalas function today as a guide for meditation and mental training based on a Buddhist philosophy of mind. I observed and visually archived the interiors of 10th to 11th century monasteries in Spiti, Lahaul, and Ladakh regions. As a result, I created a new experimental animation and six documentaries. Included here in this exhibition are two examples.
Above is an installation view of my videos Betwixt and Tabo Monastery paired with Karma Sichoe’s paintings.
I chose Karma for this exhibition because our deeper connection as artists was really made possible by Fulbright. The grant allowed me to spend extended time in Dharmsala where he is based. Karma and I have stayed in touch online and in-person. We have seen each other in the United States when he travelled there as an artist-in-residence, and most recently we saw each other in India during my travels in December 2019.
Adam Grotsky, Executive Director of the United States India Educational Foundation (USIEF) shares, “The Fulbright Scholarship Program has played a significant role in fostering artistic exchanges between the U.S. and India over the last 70 years. I am thrilled to see the result of Kathryn’s brilliant curatorial skills at Ojas Art Gallery, bringing forth the best of talent from these two countries.”
For further information, visit:
RECIPROCATION: American Fulbright Artists and India Connections
@1AQ near Qutab Minar
Mehrauli, Delhi, INDIA