Gallery Experimenter Kokatta, Installation Shot, Show: Premonition, Artists: Raqs Media Collective, 2011.
An Interview with Prateek Raja and Priyanka Raja
It is an interesting and engaging process to have conversations with gallery and museum directors, curators, professors and grass roots initiatives based out of India, that are working within the global and local scale.Reading the perspectives of some of the key players in this particular part of the world, should shed light into the nature of these markets and the ambitions shaping their infrastructure right from the source.
I recently had a "virtual" conversation with Prateek Raja and Priyanka Raja, the founders of Experimenter, a young gallery located in Kolkatta, India. Some of the more critically engaging and intellectually stimulating shows of contemporary art have been a part of the programming at this space. From the conversation I had with them, it's quite apparent that Prateek and Priyanka exude a genuine passion for their work and a well thought out focus that the art scene in India would definitely benefit from. Shows of note at the space have included solos by Raqs Media Collective and The Otolith Group, who was nominated for the tenth Turner Prize Award in 2010.
Thank you both for taking the time out to have this conversation with me. What was the motivation behind setting up the gallery space and why did you choose to open it in Calcutta?
In the years between 2006 – 2008 we were seeing a lot of contemporary art in India that was marked by prolific production and larger and grander scale of exhibition, but most of them had a very flimsy or shallow curatorial depth. Moreover, the artists we were talking to had huge potential but was captivated by other distractions, economics being the most potent. So there was a need to create a program that was more engaging, politically and socially more relevant, and addressing issues that explore the fabric of contemporary society. This was the seed of thought for setting up Experimenter.
Calcutta has probably the most involved and knowledgeable audience in the entire country with ability to cross-reference easily, have discussions and re-visit the exhibitions several times over. Culturally, it’s the best place to do something. There are far more takers for a cultural enterprise and people have their opinions and hence there is scope for dialogue. Some of the key things that made us open in Calcutta. Also we belong to the city and felt the art scene in Calcutta was rather staid and needed to be shaken up, which luckily we have been able to do.
Could you elaborate a little bit on the kind of programming Experimenter is focused on?
Experimenter’s program, as I said earlier is based on producing exhibitions that are socially relevant and stimulate dialogue, and help question the boundaries we have set ourselves within. It is as much a space for experimentation with new forms of art as it is an incubator of new ideas that attempt to give a new point of view.
It is definitely a highly political program, and the artists we show are all in some way or the other politically charged. Experimenter’s program is about asking questions. A lot of questions.
You’ve worked with individuals and collectives that are doing some of the most critically engaging work today like Raqs Media Collective and more recently The Otolith Group. How do you usually go about in selecting the artists you want to work with?
We spend a lot of time reading and researching artists. And we do studio visits and meet artists a lot. The fun bit about work is we get to meet such fantastic minds and have such stimulating conversations. It’s probably one of the few professions in the world that enriches you as a person and when we feel that feeling, we want to work with those artists. Essentially it’s a lot of time spent in reading and talking.
Experimenter has worked with a lot of artists whose works are more conceptual. Do you think it’s hard to show conceptual or what we call “alternative” work in India? Are most galleries tuned more towards what the market dictates which means more tangible “object” based works by artists? Is curating more often than not also being dictated by what can sell?
Yes and no. Yes its much more tougher to show conceptual work in India because you are expecting the person to come equipped with some knowledge about the work or the practice before he/she sees the work which is tough given India’s situation as of now. No because we enjoy rattling things up a bit. For us showing challenging work is as important as selling. I have to constantly throw challenges at my viewers and the work has to keep challenging us when we have it installed. It’s a wonderful feeling to keep peeling new meanings from work after seeing it over time. That is something that “pretty” saleable works cannot do.
And yes, we have to all survive in the market by selling. Just because we show edgy stuff does not mean we can have the leeway or the sympathy of being commercially unviable. We sell most of what we show and our program is thankfully completely self-sufficient. We try to raise funds by collaborating with suitable partners for say hospitality or equipment, which reduces our overheads a bit, we sell and make money. It’s an important part of being in the market. And we get support from private and institutional collectors.
In our case, we discuss price last. We think of work and its content and even installation first. But that does not mean we do not concentrate on selling “object” and non object based work. It’s a lot more hard work, but its possible. But you are right. Its expensive to produce shows and curators often concentrate on sellable work.
What would you say about Collectors in India? What are they collecting – is it focused more on Indian art?
Few collectors have the bandwidth or the knowledge to actively pursue international art with a non-glitzy all names sort of way. I’m not interested in the minds of collectors who are buying Damien Hirst or Anish Kapoor for they are following a trend, a product that the west has validated and is pretty to that extent. I am interested in how I can engage them further to buy work that impacts them at a far deeper level. I am interested in those collectors in India who are buying say, Walid Raad or Shahryar Nashat…. And there are a few of them. Maybe 2 or 3 people.
There seems to be a lot of patronage by private collectors in setting up foundations of their collection that are accessible to the public. Is there more private patronage for the arts in India than government based support?
Yes clearly there is. Even the first contemporary museum was private. The museum coming up at Kolkata is a public-private JV. The private has played an important role so far, but the government is rapidly rising to the occasion and soon we should see more govt support.
What is your opinion of the art industry in India? Do you think that there’s a history to art in India, specifically that of contemporary practice, that is separate from that of the West? That it’s probably not wise to merely construct contexts and talk of contemporary practice in India in relation to western histories. Hmmmm. We have a history of contemporary practice that was to an extent influenced by western art history, but now it’s a balance between the two. It will still take us some more time before we have a history of our own in contemporary practice. But artists are quickly finding their own language and although a lot of them are heavily influenced by the west even as a sense of validation of their practice, it is going to be important for Indian contemporary art to have its own language and eventually its own history. Now we need the history of western contemporary art to develop our own distinctive history. It is necessary to be informed of what has been done and how things have moved rather than construct contexts in their relation. There are enough contexts to create in the Indian context.
Experimenter has worked with artists based in India as well as International artists including those who are commonly referred to as the Diaspora. How has the reception both critically as well as that of the public been to artists of Indian heritage showing work in India? I’m just curious to know how the work translates to an Indian audience.
Sometimes it’s not easy to make that connect. But for most times, the artists we work with have a kind of global language if not a glo-cal language. Their work would be relevant in the west as well as here. A lot of times work by the Diaspora are met with added curiosity but at the end its always the content of the work that speaks to the audience, not necessarily from where he belongs.
Where do you think India is at in terms of infrastructure and resources to support the growth of artists, writers, curators and other players within the art field? Where do you see Experimenter in this context?
The Indian art scene is at a very nascent stage and needs nurture and nourishment to develop at this moment. Infrastructure, funding, production support, private giving, public art commissions are only some of the things needed. We are almost in education mode right now. Experimenter would like to be a catalyst in the development of the art scene in India and the region. It has already to an extent and will hopefully continue to lead the way in thought behind contemporary art in India.
What was your experience like showing work at International art fairs like Frieze? I loved Sanchayan Ghosh’s “Doosra”. Can you tell us a little bit more about his work as well as Naeem Mohaimen’s? I believe you represent these two artists in India?
Showing at venues like Frieze, open out a whole new world to you. The curators, institutions, collectors are all looking at you and your work. Its almost overwhelming to an extent when your work gets appreciated across the board. It ups the ante for us and we have to keep striving to do better and more relevant exhibitions. We got great homes for both Naeem’s & Sanchayan’s work. Sanchayan’s work that you like so much was bought by a collector in Malaga, Spain and will be installed in her farm this summer. We are so excited about such kind of collections that come to us only on platforms like Frieze. So its been great being there from all angles. I will attach a note on the two artists and their work separately. Yes we represent them in India.
What is your opinion on Art Education in India? There are a few institutions MSU and J J School of Arts as well as Shristi in Bangalore, which has a program that’s focused on Art, Design and Technology. Do you think there’s a need to inject a change in the way Art is taught not only at the Undergrad or Graduate level but in schools as well? Do you think its already taking place?
It absolutely needs to be part of school curriculum. Not just drawing class but cultural appreciation. Not just visual arts and fine arts but even performing arts, classical and other music, should be given as much importance as other aspects of the curriculum.
For our shows we tie up with schools to send high school students to our exhibitions. Also we have young graduate school students in colleges who are big supporters and drive walk-ins and bring new viewers all the time. Its already started I believe but in an un-organized sporadic manner as of now. Its needs more concentrated effort.
Any artists/collectives whose work you find intriguing/interesting that we should look out for?
I recently saw the work of this French-Indian artist Gyan Panchal who’s work I found to be very exciting. We love the work of the artists we show. Raqs, Sanchayan, Naeem… We also like the work of Ashok Sukumaran and their collective CAMP. Kiran Subbaiah, Nikhil Copra, Shilpa Gupta & Bani Abidi are other artists I would look out for.
What is in store in the future for Experimenter? Shows, Art fairs and more?
Lots of exhibitions, yes art fairs as that’s an important way for us to expand our collector base and meet new people with whom we can place our artists. Institutional shows for the artists are on the anvil. Also going ahead, Experimenter will attempt to activate the public space and are trying to involve the common man on the street more. Talks are already on with the government and policy level decision makers to include in their budgets for all new building commissions, a budget for art. Soon we will be able to have more thought provoking art.
Gallery Experimenter Kokatta, Installation Shot, Show: Say Everything, Group Show, 2010.
Gallery Experimenter Kokatta, Installation Shot, Show: In the Year 2103, Artist: The Otolith group, 2011.