India Art Fair 2024 Artists in Residence Mayuri Chari, Siddharth Gohil aka Khatra and Thamshangpha ‘Merci’ Maku bridge the gap between the studio and the ‘real world’, breaking new ground by engaging their practices in the lived realities of their communities. In this conversation moderated by curator Natasha Jeyasingh, the young artists share stories from the unique practices and perspectives on the next-generation of Indian art.
Generously supported by JSW and curated by researcher and arts manager, Priya Chauhan, ART ACROSS —— celebrates the power of critical dialogue and the critical need for celebrating the arts. Spanning key issues in art, design and architecture from a variety of perspectives including from institutions, market experts, philanthropists and creatives, the series aims to foster an inclusive platform to explore contemporary culture, with South Asia at its centre. All talks will also be conducted in Indian Sign Language.
Mayuri Chari: Mayuri Chari was born in 1991 in a carpenter’s family in Goa. She is a conceptual artist. She has completed her Bachelors in Fine Arts, from Goa college of art, Goa (2013) and masters in Painting from SN school of art, Hyderabad Central university Hyderabad (2017). She is influenced by the statement, ‘A woman is not born, she is created.’ She observes, women are treated in society either as goddesses or as objects of consumption. Through her work, she argues that women should be treated equally as individuals. Values/ manners are an important set of ideas for both the sexes but an extra set of them is designed especially for women so that she could be judged and questioned at every step.
Siddharth Gohil aka Khatra: Siddharth Gohil goes by the alias, Khatra, a tongue-in-cheek warning, cautioning us of his ‘danger’ to comfortable societal and art-world norms. The graffiti and mural artist, now based in Baroda, Gujarat, after having lived for many years in New Delhi, seeks to bring art to people outside of gallery spaces and into the streets — and engage with social and political issues, directly, in the public eye. Playing with geometric abstraction and typography at large scales in public spaces throughout the country, including at venues such a cycling track in New Delhi’s Lodhi Colony, the facade of Chennai’s Indira Nagar Railway Station and the historic Sassoon Dock in Mumbai, the artist has left his mark throughout the country’s urban hubs.
Thamshangpha ‘Merci’ Maku: Thamshangpha Maku, or as most know him, Merci, is an unassuming presence, with a large and varied body of work under his belt even as a young artist. Originally from Chandel, Manipur, the artist is now based in Baroda, Gujarat, close to his alma mater, the Maharaja Sayajirao University where he completed a Masters in Visual Art in 2022.
Natasha Jeyasingh: Natasha Jeyasingh is an art consultant, creative project manager and founder of Carpe Arte and Co-founder of the Immerse Fellowship who works with people to help them discover the art they love. Based in India, she has been active in the fields of Art and Design since 2005. Her unique background of a BFA in Fine Art from the College of Art in Chandigarh, and a post-graduation in Design from the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, allow her to see projects holistically. Her turnkey approach to projects – from identifying work, negotiating the details, logistics of moving and installing a work, to the documentation of it – makes it an efficient and cohesive method of working. Her recent work includes installations for the Mahindra Museum in Mumbai, the public art collection at Six Senses Fort Barwara and the large format public art installations for the G20 convention center – Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. She is a consultant for the Singapore based digital art platform TheUpsideSpace that focuses on digital fine art from Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Middle East.