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The Jury:

The recipients were selected by a jury that consisted of artist Bharti Kher, curator Gayatri Sinha, photographer and curator Sunil Gupta, Chandrika Grover of Pro Helvetia Swiss Arts Council in collaboration with Swiss curator Nadia Schneider Willen, and Radhika Chopra and Vidya Shivadas of FICA.

Sujith SN creates artworks that map out how spatial rhythms and territorial boundaries of modern urban landscapes inevitably lead to violence. His work addresses the relationship between politics and architecture and its effect on modern societies, and specifically how modern architecture has come shape the political, social, and cultural behaviors of its inhabitants. Having grown up in various cities in South India during a period of rapid urbanisation his practice is informed greatly by these spatial transformations. His work is further is inspired by his training as a draughtsman in the construction industry. Sujith received his BFA from College of Fine Arts, Trichur, and MFA from the Sarojini Naidu School of Fine Arts, Performing Arts and Communication in the University of Hyderabad and .

His works have been exhibited as a part of various group shows including The Map is not Territory at Lattitude 28, Relative Visa at Bodhi, Indian Subway at Grosvner Vadehra, London, and several others at Sakshi Gallery and Gallery OED. He had his first solo show The City and the Tower at Sakshi Gallery in 2008. He was part of Khoj Kolkata artists residency in 2009, and has received various awards such as the Kerala Lalit Kala Academi State Award and a Merit Scholarship from the University of Hyderabad.

During the recently-concluded India Art Fair, several curators and critics noted an uncanny similarity between Post Datum, one of the works from our exhibition, Through a Lens, Darkly and Dayanita Singh’s latest work, File Room. Post Datum is a set of 12 images hung in a grid that dwell on rotting files and yellowed, decaying paper. Many people who saw both works made the insinuation that our work is “derived”, even “copied” from Dayanita Singh’s File Room. We are in a strange situation where we are being told that our work is “derived” from another work which did not even exist when we photographed our project. Post Datum, as well as all the other works that constitute Through a Lens, Darkly were shot between June and November 2009 and was first exhibited in India in December 2010 at Photoink, New Delhi. Dayanita Singh’s File Room, on the other hand, first appeared in 2011, which is to say that our work predates her series by two years. Hence, we find the accusation that our work is “derivative” deeply troubling.

We believe that there is nothing wrong with two artists exploring similar locations and/or subjects. When Dayanita Singh came to Kolkata in June 2011 and photographed in the National Instruments Ltd factory (the site where our entire project is located), we were sure that she, being such a senior artist and someone we have great respect for, would have her own unique way of looking at the things she finds there. Therefore, we were more than a little taken aback with the insinuations that our work was “copied” from Ms. Singh’s File Room which also lingers over stacks of decaying files displayed in similar grid-like arrangements.

Let us emphasise that we are not accusing anyone here. Rather, we think it is necessary to defend the integrity and sincerity of our work when it is being publicly questioned.

Marc Quinn Announces the Winner of The ŠKODA Prize 2011

New Delhi, Friday 28th January 2012: After the astounding success of The ŠKODA Prize 2010, ŠKODA Auto India and Seventy Event Media Group came together again to present the biggest and most prestigious award on the Indian visual arts scene, THE ŠKODA PRIZE for Indian Contemporary Art. The ŠKODA Prize is an annual celebration that recognizes outstanding work in Indian contemporary art.

The Shortlist comprised of artists from various genres. With solo shows in London, Berlin, Chicago in 2010 Jitish Kallat, one of India’s most successful artists found his way into The ŠKODA Prize Shortlist. Navin Thomas hails from Bangalore and is known for mixing science and art in his creations. L.N. Tallur is known for his kinetic sculptures that combine a sharp wit along with a prodigious use of materials. “The Breakthrough Artist Award” nominees included upcoming names such as Srikanth Kolari, Madhuban Mitra & Manas Bhattacharya, Dhruv Malhotra and Prashant Pandey.

Navin Thomas was announced the winner of the second edition of The ŠKODA Prize at a ceremony at the Taj Palace hotel. World-famous British artist Marc Quinn handed over the Trophy and a cheque for Rs.10, 00,000/- to Navin Thomas. Navin Thomas’ show “From the Town’s End…” was shown at GALLERYSKE in Banglore. The two Runners-up were awarded residencies in Switzerland, courtesy Pro Helvetia, Swiss Arts Council. The inaugural “The Breakthrough Artist Award” was won by Madhuban Mitra & Manas Bhattacharya. The winner received a cheque of Rs. 50,000/-, handed over by Mrs. Béatrice Latteier .The artworks of the top 20 artists are on display at the Lalit Kala Akademi till February 06, 2012.

The evening brought forth an eclectic mix of people from the world of art & culture and from the Delhi social circuit. Guests present at the evening were: Neville Tulli, Suhel Seth, Subodh Gupta, Jitish Kallat, LN Tallur, Navin Thomas, Mithu Sen, Rohit Gandhi, Nida Mahmood, Sumant Jayakrishnan, Vikram Baidyanath, Peter Nagy, Tasneem Mehta, Jiten Thukral and Sumir Tagra.

The Jury was headed by Mrs. Kiran Nadar, Chairperson of Kiran Nadar Museum of Art. Other members of the Jury included Pooja Sood, Director of KHOJ International Artists’ Association, Vivan Sundaram, a renowned India contemporary artist, Heike Munder, Director and Curator of the Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Zurich and Martin Clark, Artistic Director of Tate St Ives. Apart from the Jury Panel, there is also an advisory committee headed by renowned art critic, Girish Shahane, who is also an Independent Writer based out of Mumbai. His articles on art, film and cultural politics have been published in leading newspapers and journals in India and abroad. He writes a fortnightly column for Yahoo! India.

“We are extremely proud of what The ŠKODA Prize has been able to achieve in its second year itself. And we are confident that from here on, it will grow stupendously in stature and popularity. The corner stone of success in second season for us has been to see more and more contemporary artists from beyond the metroes became a part of The ŠKODA Prize. ŠKODA will continue to provide its whole hearted support to this incredible platform, as we aim towards taking it to much greater heights in years to come.” – Nitisha Agrawal, Head of PR & Corporate Communications, ŠKODA Auto India.

Speaking on The ŠKODA Prize, Marc Quinn, Guest of Honor, said, “It is an honour to be asked to present this year’s ŠKODA Prize. Having visited India many times it is very exciting to be part of this prestigious event, which is now so integral to the Indian Contemporary Art scene”.

Martin da Costa, CEO, Seventy Event Media Group added “We were amazed at the success and impact of The ŠKODA Prize last year. But this year we were able to lift the benchmark even higher. We are constantly aiming to strive towards a more holistic target base and recognize talent from all strata of the industry right from debutantes to established artists. The inauguration of “The Breakthrough Artist Award” and giving the The ŠKODA Prize Longlist a platform to showcase their artworks with the annual exhibition has helped us achieve just that. We are delighted to be a part of this exciting journey that will soon be coming to a close with the announcement of the winner of THE ŠKODA PRIZE for Indian Contemporary Art.”

About The ŠKODA Prize

The ŠKODA Prize is the largest and most prestigious award on the Indian visual arts scene. It recognises cutting-edge work demonstrating vision, innovation, and a mature understanding of material and form. The Prize brings to public notice exciting trends in contemporary art, highlighting the output of established mid-career artists as well as new voices. It is backed by jurors of impeccable credentials, renowned patron institutions, a dedicated group of advisors, and a management team of proven capability. The ŠKODA Prize is Seventy EMG’s Arts Initiative.

For further information, please contact:

The Communication Council
Darshpreet Raheja- 9810514353
Email: darshpreet@tccggd.com

Marc Quinn, International British Artist, gave away the second ŠKODA Prize to Navin Thomas.

The Shortlisted artists are:

• Jitish Kallat
• L N Tallur
• Navin Thomas

The ŠKODA Prize 2011

The ŠKODA Prize is the largest and most prestigious award on the Indian visual arts scene. It recognizes cutting-edge work demonstrating vision, innovation, and a mature understanding of material and form.

• 1st Prize: Rs 10,00,000
• Runner’s Up [2 prizes]: A 4-week residency in Switzerland, courtesy Pro Helvetia, The Swiss Arts Council.

The ŠKODA Prize 2011 Awards Ceremony is going to be held at the Taj Palace, New Delhi, 8 pm onwards.

About Marc Quinn

Marc Quinn is a British contemporary artist who was one of the founder members of the Young British Artists (YBAs) movement. Born in London in 1964 he read History and the History of Art at Cambridge, UK in 1986. He began to exhibit in the late 1980s and was the first artist represented by Jay Jopling’s White Cube.

Marc’s work – sculpture, paintings and drawings – explores a wide range of themes centred on ideas of mutability of the body and the dualisms that define human life: cerebral, spiritual, physical, surface and depth. Other key themes in his work include genetic modification and hybridism, where he has even explored the potential artistic uses of DNA.

Notable Work:

Self – A series of frozen sculptures of his own head made from his own blood. First executed in 1991, he has gone on to create a new version of the piece every five years, documenting his own physical transformation.

Alison Lapper Pregnant – Alison Lapper is a woman who was born without arms and with shortened legs. A 13 ton marble statue was displayed at Trafalgar Square, London from September 2005 to October 2007.

Sphinx – A body of work about the image of the supermodel Kate Moss. Marc made a series of sculptures called Sphinx and the series culminated in the sculpture Siren, a solid gold sculpture of Kate in a yoga position which was shown at the British Museum in 2008.