Characterised by a quiet, unhurried pace, the quaint village of Salogra in Himachal Pradesh’s Solan district became a temporary creative home for six artists. Over two weeks, they lived in the same space at the art residency, worked and exchanged ideas across different mediums, perspectives and practices as they explored the theme of Paradise Promised, later presented at Bikaner House.
Attendees take a keen look at Digbijayee Khatua’s artworks
The exhibition, which concluded last month, marked the debut of art collector and advisor Teesta Bhandare’s The Knowledge Convergence Foundation (TKCF), bringing to Delhi works that emerged from its inaugural multidisciplinary and multigenerational residency programme.The programme brought together artists Rekha Hebbar Rao, Veer Munshi, Kodanda Rao Teppala, Sheena Maria Piedade, Digbijayee Khatua and Dhiraj Pednekar, along with curatorial advisor Lina Vincent. It invited the artists to look at paradise not simply as an ideal, but as a promise that shapes individual aspirations and collective realities. Given their varied practices, they responded to the theme through their own experiences, opening up questions of ecology, belonging, displacement, memory and aspiration.
Rajeev Sethi, Shivani Sibal and Teesta Bhandare
Moving away from the commerciality of artThe residency was designed to give artists time and space to experiment, away from the usual demands of everyday life and of the commercial art ecosystem. Talking about it, Teesta told us, “It’s interesting because the concept allows us to engage directly with a lot of artists, and helps us get to know the thoughts that shape their practice. The idea behind this is to move away from the commerciality of art. The residency gave creative practitioners a chance to explore and do things that they wouldn’t ordinarily do while creating art. It was a rewarding experience.”
Namita Gokhale and Rajeev Lochan
She added, “The multigenerational format also brought artists, between the ages of 30 and 79, and at different stages of practice, into conversation.”The exhibition further expanded the conversation with works of artists Shailesh BR, Akshata Mokashi and Dhiraj Rabha, whose practices align with the curatorial theme.
Veer Munshi
Shailesh BR is checking the working of his tech-coded installation
Kodanda Rao Teppala and Digbijayee Khatua
