The United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) and Ojas Art, with generous support from the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, present “Reciprocation” – an art exhibition by American Fulbright Alumni Artists and their Indian Connections. The exhibition curated by Kathryn Myers will open on March 27, 2020 and will be on till April 26, 2020. This extraordinary exhibition will bring to fore a unique collaboration between ten American Artists (recipients of Fulbright-Nehru Fellowships) and an equal number of Indian artists. The artworks spread across mediums – paintings, photography, video art and print making. Together, these artists will come together to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Fulbrightprogram in India. The exhibiting artist pairs include Alan Teller & Jerri Zibral with Prabir Purkayastha, Annu Palakunnathu Matthew with AdiraThekkuveettil, Christine Rogers with Cop Shiva, Eva Lee with Karma Sichoe, Kathryn Myers with Rajesh Sagara, Marcia Neblett with Lakshmi Priya Daniel, Margaret Lanzetta with Gigi Scaria, Michael Richardson with Priti Samyuktha, Pawel Wojtasik with Gautam Chaterje, and Tanya Gill with Priya Ravish Mehra.
Concept and Curation
The exhibition will showcase works of ten American Fulbright alumni artists who have nurtured their connections with Indian artists through, new and ongoing creative projects, collaborations, and mentorship. Each of these American artists has been invited to select an Indian artist counterpart for the exhibition.
Kathryn Myers, Professor of Art at The University of Connecticut, is a currentFulbright-Nehru scholar who has curated this exhibition.
Speaking about the exhibition Kathryn Myers says, “My own ongoing relationships with Indian artists since my initial Fulbright Fellowship in 2002 have inspired my interest in showing and sharing how India can have a profound and lasting impact on one’s life, creative work and teaching.”
Adam Grotsky, Executive Director of the United States India Educational Foundation (USIEF) shares, “The Fulbright Scholarship Program has played a significant role in fostering artistic exchanges between the U.S. and India over the last 70 years. I am thrilled to see the result of Kathryn’s brilliant curatorial skills at Ojas Art Gallery, bringing forth the best of talent from these two countries.”
Anubhav Nath, Director of Ojas Art, shares, “We are extremely delighted to have an immensely talented set of American Fulbright artists exhibiting with us along with their chosen Indian artists. Reciprocation resonates with the very fabric of Ojas Art as we have been part of various creative collaborations.”
The Fulbright Experience
Alan Teller is an American photographer who will be exhibiting his works titled Boy and Fallen Idol, Kolkata and Growling Boy, Naya Village. He has made five fulfilling trips to India until now, owing to the Fulbright-Nehru and other grants. He describes his India experience, thus, “I was able to experience the country as an insider, a resident, rather than as a tourist, thanks to the Fulbright-Nehru and subsequent grants. While here, I came in contact with various communities intimately, who whole-heartedly shared meals, ceremonies and stories.”
Among Teller’s works on display is ‘Boy and Fallen Idol’, which shows a boy playing in a field strewn with ritual remnants of figurines which were sculpted and used in Hindu ceremonies. These idols or figurines are thereafter immersed in river water, and sometimes burnt.
Participating artist, Eva Lee, said, “My Fulbright research on Indo-Tibetan mandalas examined the roots of Himalayan Buddhist art, from its Indian beginnings through its Tibetan transmission. I was interested in how mandalas function today as a guide for meditation and mental training based on a Buddhist philosophy of mind. I observed and visually archived the interiors of 10th to 11th century monasteries in Spiti, Lahaul, and Ladakh regions. As a result, I created new artwork and documentaries. Included here in this exhibition are two examples.”
“I chose Karma Sichoe for this exhibition because our deeper connection as artists was really made possible by Fulbright. The grant allowed me to spend extended time in Dharmsala where he is based. Karma and I have stayed in touch online and in-person. We have seen each other in the United States when he travelled there as an artist-in-residence, and most recently we saw each other in India during my travels in December 2019,” she added.
