What a celebration to have Reciprocation: American Fulbright Artists and India Connections finally on view at Ojas Art in Delhi, India! This exhibition features American and Indian artists, highlighting how the Fulbright Program has fostered enduring friendships and collaborations. Curated by Kathryn Myers, it is an art show that coincides with Fulbright’s 75th Anniversary and celebrates United States-India Educational Foundation’s 70th Anniversary, on view Nov 12 – Dec 8, 2021, at 1AQ near Qutab Minar, Mehrauli, Delhi, with opening reception on Friday, Nov 12, 2021, 6pm-9pm.
I feel honored to be part of this celebration. On view is my experimental video Betwixt and Tabo Monastery Tsug Lhakhang, one of 6 documentaries I created from my Fulbright time in India (learn more here). International exchange is so vital. I am grateful for the positive ways it has changed my life. The friends I have made in India continue to enrich my outlook on the world.
One such friend is Karma Sichoe, who also has artwork in Reciprocation. Karma is a Thangka painter and contemporary artist who lives in Dharamsala, India. Born an orphan-refugee, Karma was raised and educated in Tibetan Children’s Village School in Dharamsala. He received his formal thangka painting training at the Centre for Tibetan Arts and Crafts in Dharamshala (now part of Norbulingka Cultural Institute) under the guidance of renowned thangka painter master Rinzin Paljor, who was one of the main Potala court painters in Tibet, and while in exile continued working directly for His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Participating artists in Reciprocation: American Fulbright Artists and India Connections include Alan Teller & Jerri Zbiral, Prabir Purkayastha, Annu Palakunnathu Matthew, Adira Thekkuveettil, Christine Rogers, Cop Shiva, Eva Lee, Karma Sichoe, Kathryn Myers, Rajesh Sagara, Marcia Neblett, Lakshmi Priya Daniel, Margart Lanzetta, Gigi Scaria, Michael Richardson, Priti Samyuktha, Pawel Wojtasik, Gautam Chatterjee, Tanya Gill, Priya Ravish Mehra. With generous support from the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi.