India's first ceramics triennale to boost Jaipur's identity as artistic hub

Anjuli Bhargava takes us through the treats in store

Japan’s Hoshino Satoru, Israel’s Ester Beck, UK’s Ingrid Murphy and Kate Malone, Juree Kim of Korea and Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran of Australia are some of the names that lovers of clay, ceramics, pottery and sculpture are likely to have heard of. Some lucky ones may even have seen their work at exhibitions around the world.

But for the first time ever, ceramics and sculpture aficionados in India can see their work as well as that of several Indian artists under a single roof and in their own backyard. Jaipur is all set to host India’s first ceramics triennale, featuring the work of 12 international artists and 35 local ones. The event, which will run from the end of August through to November, will be held at the city’s recently refurbished Jawahar Kala Kendra (JKK), an arts centre designed by Charles Correa. Clearly, after Jaipur’s annual tryst with literature, it’s now time for the city to have an affair with the arts.

Titled Breaking Ground, the triennale will be presented jointly by The Contemporary Clay Foundation and JKK, and co-curated by ceramic artists Vineet Kacker, Anjani Khanna, Reyaz Badaruddin, Madhvi Subrahmanian, Neha Kudchadkar and Sharbani Das Gupta. Advisors to the art event include the famed Puducherry-based artist Ray Meeker, director general of JKK Pooja Sood and Peter Nagy of contemporary art gallery Nature Morte. According to Meeker, for over a decade, Indian ceramic artists have been breaking ground around the world — in China, Japan, Korea, Spain, Australia, UK and USA. “It’s high time we broke a bit of ground at home,” he says.

Co-curators Reyaz Badaruddin and Madhvi Subrahmanian

With Kochi’s art biennale and now the Jaipur ceramics triennale, India seems to be positioning itself as a global arts hub, attracting artists, sculptors, potters and ceramic artists and an audience that’s enthusiastic about the arts.

The Jaipur triennale will include an indoor and outdoor exhibition of the work of 45 artists, a two-day symposium on adopting new technologies in contemporary studio practice, workshops, outreach performances and film screenings. Curated walks with the artists have been planned as well. Also on the anvil is an “edit-a-thon”, where students will be involved in research on current ceramics practices so that they can contribute to digital resources like Wikipedia and put contemporary Indian ceramic arts on the world digital map.
 

The Embassy of Israel, the Japan Foundation and the Royal Danish Embassy are supporting the triennale, too, and have helped fund the artists’ travel expenses.

Vineet Kacker, one of the curators of the event, says that the ceramics community had been planning a biennale or triennale event for some years, but everything came together this time. “Many things fell in place — the venue, the co-curators, the support from various organisations. And so here we are,” he says.

Nature’s Signature by Vipul Kumar; the Jawahar Kala Kendra; a creation by Jacques Kaufmann; and Instrument of Perception by Dipalee Daroz

Contemporary ceramic art in India has moved way beyond pots and pans and artists are now using the medium to push the boundaries of their art. Clay is a versatile medium in any case, but the way it is being used today makes it seem more versatile than ever. The organisers say that the triennale will give Indian artists a platform to create and exhibit art that is non-conventional, experiential and experimental. “The idea is to showcase ceramics in the ‘now’, divested of all its traditional associations. The intention is to look at all the different ways in which the material can be used to create a work of art,” says Kacker.

Anjani Khanna, another curator, says that the triennale aims to create a forum for Indian artists to “push” their art and go beyond the conventional boundaries. “There isn’t a forum for this kind of work in India as yet — work that is primarily conceptual and non-saleable in nature,” she points out.

A second aim, she says, is to let international artists see where Indian ceramic art is at today and vice-versa. Just as Kochi has put India on the world art map, the triennale could put the country on the world ceramics map.

Breaking Ground will run between August 31 and November 18 at the Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur