Open spaces help young artists

​New Delhi: A critical presence in an arts residency is a source of a counter opinion and can be a real boon for young ideating artists, said Serendipity Arts Foundation Director Smriti Rajgarhia on housing a resident critic -- an under explored concept in the Indian arts ecosystem. The second edition of the three-month Dharti Arts Residency, ongoing since May 14, will come to a close on August 10.

It is giving access to material resources, mentorship and a physical space to four emerging artists to create works of art. The motive, Rajgarhia said, is not just giving material grants, but to introduce them to a larger network and support system for their practice.

The relatively new concept of a critic-in-residence was a suggestion the foundation readily agreed upon. Speaking to IANS, Rajgharia said "an artist needs an antithesis to be able to ideate, which makes for a critique, and was an important dialectic for us".

How is the process of being a resident art critic then, in contrast to writing on it afterwards? "When you are a critic writing on art, you encounter finished work in a gallery space or an exhibition space. But in a residency, you are actually responding to the progress of the work. I think that's a huge difference," said resident critic Kamayani Sharma.

However, she describes this critical presence as companionship in a journey, rather than an intrusive intervention. "I positioned myself more as an observer or a witness to the process. For instance, I would suggest tem readings, or point them to artists who did similar work," said Sharma, who writes on visual culture and teaches philosophy at Ashoka University.

Framing residencies as significant experimental spaces, Sharma said they provide the feedback that may improve their art practice. "The programme involved going to many exhibitions and museums, as well as meeting a lot of artists here or in their studios. Just seeing established artists working informs your own approach to work. But that doesn't happen often, making residencies all the more important.