Applications Open: AAA–Inlaks Art Grant 2020

Asia Art Archive in India and Inlaks India Foundation are pleased to announce the open call for AAA–Inlaks Art Grant 2020, dedicated to supporting innovative approaches to practicing art today.

DEADLINE: 15 December, 2019

The aim of the grant is to encourage artists to propose and test new forms of art-making that incorporate research, collaboration, workshops, and formal experiments as a way to examine the technologies and ecosystems of information that shape our times.

The provocation to candidates applying for this grant is: What shall we do with the archive?

Candidates are invited to propose projects that explore new imaginations and architectures, new sensoria and interfaces of the archive while looking at existing archives. In a world where hyper-connectivity of information is the norm, what forms of connectivity do we find in bygone eras, and how might they be made to reincarnate now? This open call seeks proposals that demonstrate a critical approach and bold thinking around the archive as concept, as systems, and as medium.

No outcome in the form of a finished artwork is expected for this grant. Applications will be assessed on the basis of how clearly ideas have been formulated and how rigorously they propose to be explored. Proposals with projects that are a continuation of ongoing work are eligible to apply for this grant.

As mentioned above, proposals that incorporate research, collaboration, workshops, and formal experimentation will be given preference, along with those that engage with any of the following:

• Archives pertaining to any field: art, music, cinema, theatre, law, science, medicine, and meteorology to name a few

• Artists’ personal archives: scrapbooks, letters, diaries, photo-albums, etc.

• Public libraries

• Databases

• Anthologies

• Timelines and bibliographies

• Time travel

Eligibility: Artists of Indian citizenship residing in India between the age of 25 to 35 years. Collectives are eligible to apply provided all members are Indian citizens and not more than 35 years in age.

Duration of Grant: 15 February 2020–14 February 2021

Grant Amount: Up to Rs. 200,000

Deadline for Applications: Sun, 15 December 2019

Selection Process: Candidates will be shortlisted for interviews on the basis of their application, and a decision for one successful application will be made in liaison with an invited jury member, the Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation, and Asia Art Archive in India. Only the successful candidate will be notified on or before 10 February 2020.

Applications Must Include

1. Cover Document
   With your name, postal address, email, and telephone number if available, along with names and email addresses of two referees from the field.

2. Updated CV
   Limited to two pages only.

3. Artist Statement
   Description of your practice and areas of interest. (up to 250 words)

4. Project Proposal
   Outline of your plans if you were to be offered the grant. This should include (i) a short description of the intended/ongoing project, and your research responding to any of the themes listed in this open call; (ii) a timeline for the project’s different stages and potential platforms; and (iii) archives/collections/individuals you intend to access/visit. The proposal does not have to be definitive and can change during the course of the one-year period of this grant in consultation with AAA & Inlaks representatives. (up to 800 words)

5. Budget
   A breakdown of estimated costs for your project based on your proposal and timeline. The proposed budget will not be considered final until vetted by AAA & Inlaks in consultation with the selected grantee before the commencement date of the grant.

6. Portfolio of 7–10 Recent Art Projects/Works with a list of captions (title, media, year, scale/duration, short description)

   1. Stills: to be compiled into one PDF file (not exceeding 10MB)

   2. Audio/Video: to be sent as links on any of the following online platform such as artist website/Vimeo/YouTube/SoundCloud.
      If links are password protected, please provide password.

All applications along with the supporting documents listed above are to be submitted online only to both gladys@inlaksfoundation.org and artgrant@aaa.org.hk, latest by Sun, 15 December 2019. Incomplete submissions will not be considered.

Asia Art Archive in India (AAA in I) is an Independent Registered Public Charitable Trust established in 2013 with the goal of building resources for research on the region’s dynamic contemporary art scene. It accomplishes this mission by digitising artist and scholarly archives, developing research projects, and organising programmes. AAA in I’s Research Collection can be accessed from its space in New Delhi, which has been open to the public since 2016.