Passing Through

A process based residency at CONA

Supported by INLAKS INDIA FOUNDATION and CHATTERJEE & LAL gallery.

Starting from 1st September 2014

Duration – 1008 hours

About the Residency:
We don’t expect the artist to submit written proposals and encourage him/her to arrive without any preconceived ideas of work to be produced during the residency. It would be interesting to observe the artist develop his/her work from scratch, through responses and ideas.

Apart from the artists at CONA, who would function as resident guides, this year CONA is also introducing a panel of mentors drawn from a range disciplines including, but not limited to, the visual arts. These individuals will be chosen according to the nature of the practice of the artist selected for the residency. At regular intervals the artist will either visit their mentors’ respective studios / place of work or have them come to CONA, depending on their availability. These mentors will also be involved in the residency program from day one to its final hours in the Gallery.

Towards the end of the residency period, the gallery premises will be used as an epicenter for open dialogues between the artist and audience, it will also host a series of discussions involving the mentors, artist and invited panelist. The structure of these last hours will evolve as the residency progresses.

CONA shall also arrange for open studios, inviting audiences from art fraternity where the artist may put forth his/her projects and ideas in an active dialogue with them.

The artist will be advised to maintain a logbook of his/her stay during the period of the residency. He/she is expected to note down observations, resources, and any useful information, so that the next artist in residence can avail of it, as well as it will be also be useful to the funding body and the gallery involved, giving them an insight into the artist’s process while at CONA. Apart from this the artist is also required to submit a report of his/her experience at the residency space to Inlaks India Foundation.

This residency is designed keeping in mind the specific roles at the various stages in a residency structure. It looks at the position of the artist, the residency, the funding body and the gallery in contemporary times and attempts to arrive at a functioning that is fluid and interwoven.

The process here becomes the catalyst to bring all of us at a single plane. It will help an artist disengage from inhibitions and thus enable dialogue with peers as well as seniors. This residency works with an encouraging atmosphere where the artist will not be burdened by the outcome. More importantly the artist should take from here a sense of learning and the confidence to lay his/her work open for critique.
The progression may involve collecting data, research, preliminary sketches, resources, and other such elements that may or may not lead to a final product. Even the forming of a hypothetical project, analyzed and research-rounded, is primary and equally if not more important than a materialized outcome.

The artist has to submit:
1) Any four previous projects supported by images. If the project was conceptualized and developed but not realized, it may still be submitted, provided it is at a fully formed stage. Explain the projects in maximum 500 words each.
For each project include up to 6 images, each image file max 500KB. If this includes a video please upload via we-transfer (max 200MB), or upload on an online portal such as Youtube. Set for private viewing and send us the link.
2) A brief CV that includes your personal details, contact information, education, participation, awards, residencies etc.

Eligibility:
The residency call is open for Indian artists under 35 years of age and residing outside of Mumbai (India).
Selection procedure for the residency-
The received applications will be shortlisted and the selected applicants will be invited to Mumbai for an interview. Based on the interviews we will select the finalist.
Last date for the applications submission is 15th August 2014
For any other information/enquiries please write to us at conaprojects@gmail.com