India / Contemporary Photographic and New Media Art

The FotoFest 2018 Biennial concluded April 22, after six-weeks of exhibitions and programs around the theme of India. The central exhibition, INDIA / Contemporary Photographic and New Media Art, has been recognized as the largest presentation of contemporary Indian photography ever presented in the United States, and has been hailed for “bringing a refreshing perspective to the shifting notions of Indian identity.” The exhibition and associated programs were curated by Sunil Gupta, a London and Delhi-based artist, curator and researcher, and Steven Evans, FotoFest Executive Director.

The exhibition was an unprecedented opportunity to engage with art from a region outside of the Western canon. “It’s very important for the medium to stop limiting its history and understanding to Europe and America,” says Gupta. “Work by Indians, both from India and the diaspora, is virtually unknown in America.” Steven Evans adds, “FotoFest is known for discovery and bringing recognition to regions that have been underserved. This year was about creating a platform for Indian artists to articulate their own creativity and concerns.”

The Biennial’s 47 photographers and New Media artists, presented a wide view of the Sub-Continent and the diaspora, addressing issues as varied as caste and class, gender and sexuality, activism and conflict, racism, religion, nationalism, new technologies and development, the environment, human settlement, migration, and integration. “We hope the Biennial encouraged people to look at the region, and its artists, more carefully,” says Gupta.

The exhibition included a diverse range of approaches, from fine art photography and photojournalism, to social and experimental documentary, video installations, and sculpture. The exhibition also mixed emerging, mid-career, and internationally established artists to showcase the breadth of the vibrant and thriving creative community in India. For many of these artists, FotoFest provided their first exhibition outside of India, and an ideal opportunity to engage Western audiences and art professionals. 24 of the artists traveled to Houston during the Biennial to participate in talks, panels, tours, and other public events.

The FotoFest 2018 Biennial artists were: Indu Antony; Pablo Bartholomew; Atul Bhalla; Mohini Chandra; Sheba Chhachhi; Serena Chopra; Tenzing Dakpa; Sarindar Dhaliwal; Anita Dube; Gauri Gill; Chandan Gomes; Shilpa Gupta; Shivani Gupta; Vinit Gupta; Apoorva Guptay; Abhishek Hazra; Sohrab Hura; Manoj Kumar Jain; Samar Singh Jodha; Ranbir Kaleka; Rashmi Kaleka ; Max Kandhola; Roshini Kempadoo; Asif Khan; Anita Khemka and Imran B. Kokiloo; Sandip Kuriakose; Dhruv Malhotra; Arun Vijai Mathavan; Annu Palakunnathu Matthew; Uzma Mohsin; Nandini Valli Muthiah; Pushpamala N.; Dileep Prakash; Ram Rahman; Raqs Media Collective; Anoop Ray; Vicky Roy; Vidisha Saini; Hemant Sareen; Gigi Scaria; Mithu Sen; Rishi Singhal; Leila Sujir; Ishan Tankha; Prince Varughese Thomas; and Anusha Yadav.

FotoFest and Schilt Publishing, Amsterdam, have published a full-color, hardcover book to accompany the India exhibition. INDIA / Contemporary Photographic and New Media Art is a substantial reference of early 21st century photographic and new media work by artists of Indian origin. The book includes four essays from respected South Asian art experts: Zahid R. Chaudhary, Nada Raza, and Gayatri Sinha. The final essay is from Lead Curator Sunil Gupta, and the introduction is provided by Steven Evans. The book is available now from booksellers worldwide.

FotoFest partnered with institutions including Asia Society Texas Center; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Ismaili Jamatkhana and Center, Houston; and the Washington Avenue Arts District, among others, to organize a robust series of programs—a two-day symposium on India, artist talks, a film series, book reading, a culinary event, and a curriculum for students in grades 3-12.

In a special collaboration, the Asia Society Texas Center hosts a portion of FotoFest’s central exhibition, INDIA / Contemporary Photographic and New Media Art, through July 29, 2018.

The Meeting Place Portfolio Review
Five of the Indian artists received scholarships to attend FotoFest’s International Meeting Place Portfolio Review, a two-week event, March 10-23, 2018, that brought together over 450 artists from around the world, with 160 art professionals from 34 countries, for one-on-one meetings. Funded by the MurthyNAYAK Foundation, the scholarships enabled the Indian artists to meet with curators from venerable institutions such as the International Center for Photography; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; the Victoria and Albert Museum; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the Korean National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art; and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, as well as commercial galleries, book publishers, and magazine editors from across the world.

Inaugural Charlies Jing Fellowships 
For the 2018 Biennial, FotoFest initiated the inaugural Charles Jing Fellowships for outstanding achievement in photographic art, recognizing two artists from FotoFest’s exhibitions. From the central India exhibition, the panel of international jurors recognized photographer Anoop Ray with a USD 20,000 prize, intended as a career-changing award. A second prize of USD 5,000 was awarded to artist Debi Cornwall, featured in the Discoveries of the Meeting Place exhibition, a non-thematic exhibition which showcased artists from the Meeting Place Portfolio Review. The panel of jurors for the 2018 Jing Fellowships included: W.M. Hunt, Independent Curator, Writer and Collector; Ute Noll, Uno Art Space, Stuttgart, Germany; Gwen Lee, Singapore International Photography Festival; Joaquim Paiva, Private Collector; and FotoFest Director Steven Evans.

Other programs
The Discoveries of the Meeting Place exhibition highlighted standouts from the FotoFest 2016 Meeting Place. The 2018 Discoveries are: Marina Black (Russia/Canada), Jinhyun Cha (South Korea), Yukari Chikura (Japan), Debi Cornwall (USA), Kirk Crippens & Gretchen Lemaistre (USA), David Fathi (France), Thomas Holton (USA), Priya Kambli (India/USA), Elaine Ling (China/Canada), and Dylan Vitone (USA).

98 independent spaces—museums, commercial galleries, non-profit, artist-run, corporate, and retail spaces—took part in the festival as Participating Spaces, staging their own exhibitions of photographic and new media art.

Upcoming at Fotofest
FotoFest continues its full-time programs in Houston and abroad in autumn 2018. The dates and theme for the FotoFest 2020 Biennial, the 18th International Biennial of Photography and Mixed Media Art, will be announced later this year.

For more information, contact:
Vinod Hopson, Communications Director, FotoFest International
vhopson [​at​] fotofest.org / T +1 713 223 5522 ext 26