Amol K Patil receives Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation/Kochi-Muziris Biennale Award

The Hayward Gallery, the Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation and the Kochi Biennale Foundation announce artist Amol K Patil as the first recipient of the Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation/Kochi-Muziris Biennale (DBF-KMB) Award, a multi-year exhibition and lecture programme spotlighting emerging South Asian artists.

Patil was selected on the strength of his installation The Politics of Skin and Movement, which was presented at the fifth edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale. Patil will present his first institutional solo exhibition in the UK at the Hayward Gallery’s HENI Project Space from October 9 to November 19, 2023 as a result of winning the award.

For the exhibition, Patil will create a new iteration of his ambitious and meditative work from the Biennale, consisting of a constellation of drawings, sculptures, kinetic objects and moving images. The Politics of Skin and Movement questions conditions of labour, casteism and the body. The installation further draws upon Patil’s family archives and the legacy of his grandfather, a poet, and his father, an avant-garde playwright.

The exhibition marks the reopening of the Hayward Gallery’s HENI Project Space, which has presented free exhibitions from a wide-ranging group of innovative international artists since 2007.

Amol K Patil says: “I am delighted to be selected for the first Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation/Kochi-Muziris Biennale Award and very much look forward to showing my work at the Hayward Gallery. The installation looks like a disjointed sequence of still images, but when you get closer, there are subtle movements. These movements are like meditations on the body’s senses; touch, sound, breathing, and other working processes, engaging with ideas of touch and skin politics.”

Yung Ma, Senior Curator of the Hayward Gallery, says: “In a world that is moving faster than ever, the contemplative nature of Patil’s work prompts us to slow down, asking us to refocus our eyes and minds. The Politics of Skin and Movement is a powerful statement on the human condition, encapsulating many of the struggles and possible hopes within. It offers a lyrical and sensitive mediation of labour and division in an otherwise unforgiving world. I am excited to be able to bring his vision to London as the recipient of the first DBF- KMB Award.”

Durjoy Rahman, Founder of Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation (DBF), says: “Through the DBF-KMB Award and the DBF Lecture Series at the Hayward Gallery, a timely multidimensional cultural collaboration seeks to bridge the gap between the East and the West, fostering an atmosphere of openness and embracing diversity. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to artist Amol K Patil for being the inaugural recipient of this prestigious award. DBF is committed to providing ongoing support to Amol K Patil, nurturing his artistic endeavours, and ensuring his continued growth and success.”

Bose Krishnamachari, President of Kochi Biennale Foundation, says: “Kochi Biennale Foundation is honoured to co-present Amol K. Patil’s first institutional solo show in the UK in partnership with the Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation and London’s prestigious Hayward Gallery. We have always believed in building international collaborations and giving a platform to artists, and we hope this initiative will pave the way for further knowledge sharing and more opportunities for practitioners from across the South Asian region.”

About Amol K Patil
Amol K Patil is a visual artist based in Mumbai and Amsterdam. Currently a resident at the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, Patil has participated in a large number of group exhibitions worldwide since 2015, including Documenta 15 (2022), Yokohama Triennale 2020 and the 12th Biennale de Dakar (2016).

About the award
The DBF-KMB Award is a new, multi-year exhibition and lecture programme that brings together the Hayward Gallery, the Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation and the Kochi Biennale Foundation. It grants an emerging South Asian artist participating in the biennale the opportunity to present their first institutional solo show in the UK at Hayward Gallery’s HENI Project Space.

Press enquires
Laura Gosney, Press Manager (Visual Arts), laura.gosney [​at​] southbankcentre.co.uk
Megan Edwards, Press Officer (Visual Arts), megan.edwards [​at​] southbankcentre.co.uk