KHOJ collaboration with Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center

KHOJ is incredibly excited to announce a newly formed partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation and the Bellagio Centre. KHOJ has been invited by the Rockefeller Foundation to identify and nominate exceptional Asian artists for a one month residency at the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center in Italy. The aim of the residency and the role of KHOJ within this collaboration is to raise the visibility of artists from across Asia and to enable exceptional artists from the region to advance their work through the prestigious Bellagio Arts and Literary Arts Residency program. KHOJ believes in empowering and supporting artists and art practices that are experimental, radical, marginalized and critical. In collaboration with the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Centre, KHOJ will recruit highly distinguished artists and creative practitioners within Asia to experience and interact with the diverse community of intellectuals at the Bellagio Centre, enabling new possibilities and opportunities for artists from the greater Asia region.  The residency model is a structure KHOJ strongly advocates, as this is the backbone of its organisation. The residency model stands in as an endless source of enquiry, experimentation, and research. KHOJ, in collaboration with the Rockefeller Foundation, looks forward to witnessing the outcome of this fertile experience offered by Bellagio, where diverse thinkers and practices are brought together to inform one another.

In 2015 – 16, Khoj invited the Jim Thompson Art Center (Thailand), Asia Art Archive (Hong Kong), DRIK (Bangaldesh), Zubaan (India), San Art (Vietnam), Sharjah Art Foundation (UAE), AshkalAlwan (Lebanon), Singapore Art Museum (Singapore), Artsonje Centre (South Korea) and Cemeti Art House (Indonesia), as institutional partners to nominate key artists, writers, musicians, dancers and other creative practitioners from their regions.

Jim Thompson Art Center (Thailand) : The Jim Thompson Art Center is operated under The James H.W. Thompson Foundation, named for the American who assembled a Thai and Southeast Asian art collection in his traditional teak home. The mission of the Art Center is to nurture artistic activities and create public awareness of both contemporary and traditional arts within today’s context. Among its many activities, the Art Center organizes exhibitions; conducts educational and outreach programs; produces publications; and networks and collaborates with local and international cultural institutions. Previous exhibitions included Pinaree Sanpitak, Arahmaiani, Christian Lacroix, Interweaving cultures, Metissages, a crossbreeding of contemporary art and textiles. Traditional exhibitions focused on Southeast Asian textiles including ikats, costumes and maps painted on cloth.

Asia Art Archive (Hong Kong) : Asia Art Archive (AAA) is an independent non-profit organisation initiated in 2000 in response to the urgent need to document and make accessible the multiple recent histories of art in the region. With one of the most valuable collections of material on art freely available from its website and onsite library in Hong Kong, AAA builds tools and communities to collectively expand knowledge through research, residency, and educational programmes.

DRIK (Bangaldesh) : Established in 1989, Drik uses the power of the visual medium to educate, inform and draw powerful emotional responses to influence public opinion .To bring positive change through the professional and effective use of multi media communication in all areas.To operate a world class multi media company which delivers products and services globally, that fully meets our customer needs and is driven by our ethical agenda

Zubaan (India) : Zubaan is a leading independent publishing house based in New Delhi with a strong academic and general list. It was set up in 2003 as an imprint of India’s first feminist publishing house, Kali for Women, and continues to publish books on, for, by and about women in South Asia.

San Art (Vietnam) : Sàn Art is an artist initiated, non-profit contemporary art organization committed to the exchange and excavation of cultural knowledge within an interdisciplinary community. San Art is the most active independent arts organization in Vietnam dedicated to promoting, facilitating and showcasing contemporary art through production, exhibition, discourse and education.

Sharjah Art Foundation (UAE) : Located in Sharjah’s historic Art and Heritage Areas, Sharjah Art Foundation activities and events take place throughout the year and include exhibitions featuring the work of Arab and international artists, performances, music, film screenings and artist talks as well as extensive art education programmes for children, adults and families. The Foundation hosts the annual March Meeting and every two years presents the Sharjah Biennial.

Ashkal Alwan(Lebanon) : The Lebanese Association for Plastic Arts, Ashkal Alwan is a non-profit organization based in Beirut, Lebanon. Since 1993, the association has been committed to the production, facilitation and circulation of creative and intellectual endeavors across a range of disciplines and media. Ashkal Alwan’s programs include the Home Works Forum on Cultural Practices, curated projects in Lebanon and abroad, the publication of literary works and artists’ books, artists-in-residency programs and the video production and screening program Video Works. Through these initiatives and others, the association has established itself as a reference within the cultural landscape of the region and beyond. In 2011, Ashkal Alwan launched Home Workspace, a 2000m² facility in Beirut dedicated to arts education and production.

Singapore Art Museum (Singapore) : The Singapore Art Museum is a contemporary art museum focusing on art practices in Singapore, Southeast Asia and Asia. Housed in a restored 19th century mission school, it opened its doors in 1996 as the first art museum in Singapore

Artsonje Centre (South Korea) : Artsonje Center is a private art museum in Seoul, Korea, located in Samcheong-dong. The marble multiplex was designed by Jong-Sung Kim and consists of 4 annexes that include exhibition halls, lecture halls, a restaurant, café and artshop. The CineCode Sonje movie theater is a good place to catch offbeat independent films.

Cemeti Art House(Indonesia) : Since 1988, Cemeti Art House founded by Nindityo Adipurnomo and Mella Jaarsma, has been exhibiting and communicating the works of both Indonesian and foreign contemporary artists. Since the beginning of Cemeti Gallery in 1988, it has functioned as an exhibition, information, documentation and promotion centre for the visual arts. All the files, archive and network was lodged in 1995 at the Cemeti Art Foundation. Recently, the Cemeti Art Foundation has changed its name to Indonesian Visual Art Archive (IVAA). Cemeti Art House and IVAA function as two separate organizations, each with their own vision and funding. Cemeti Art House focuses on exhibitions, art projects, residencies and art management. IVAA focuses on documentation, education and information. We often work together and both organizations contribute to art discourse and art developments, locally, nationally as well as internationally.