The Skoda Prize Unveils 2012 Finale Winners

By Santanu Ganguly, New Delhi: The Skoda Prize, one of the most prestigious awards on the Indian visual arts scene, unveiled the 2012 winners of the Skoda Prize and the Art India Breakthrough Artist Award at the Skoda Prize. The chief guest William Kentridge presented the trophy to L.N. Tallur who was named the 2012 winner of the Skoda Prize and won the coveted cash prize of Rs 10,00,000. Sangita Jindal named Rohini Devasher the 2012 winner of the Art India Breakthrough Artist Award at the Skoda Prize who won the cash prize of Rs 2,00,000.

The chief guest William Kentridge (South African artist of international acclaim) joined as the 5th member of this year’s jury panel of the Skoda Prize alongside Anupam Poddar (co‐founder of the pioneering Devi Art Foundation), Sheela Gowda (leading Indian artist) Mirjam Varadinis (art historian, curator and writer based in Zurich, Switzerland). The panel was chaired by Geeta Kapur (eminent Indian art historian and critic). This esteemed panel chose the winner of this year’s Skoda Prize.

The runners-up of the 2012 Skoda Prize were invited to participate in international residencies supported by Prohelvetia, the Swiss Arts Council.

The eminent panel of jurors who decided the winner of the 2012 Art India Breakthrough Award at the Skoda Prize included Geeta Kapur (eminent Indian art historian and critic), Sangita Jindal (Owner, Art India Magazine), Abhay Sardesai (Editor, Art India) and Girish Shahane (Director - Art of the Skoda Prize).

H.E. Mr. Miloslav Stasek, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to India, hosted the Skoda Prize Finale, a private awards ceremony at the Embassy of the Czech Republic in New Delhi on February 1st, 2013. The evening consisted of a welcome note and a short address from Martin Da Costa (CEO, Seventy EMG), Sudhir Rao (MD, Skoda Auto India), Geeta Kapur (art historian) and Sangita Jindal (Jury member, Art India Breakthrough Artist Award at the Skoda Prize) and Chief Guest, William Kentridge. The Skoda Prize finale also featured music by the band Furbar Getto and also a special screening of the Skoda Prize film- a documentary on the shortlisted Top-4 artists of the Skoda Prize and their art practice.

The Skoda Prize finale was well attended by art enthusiasts, collectors, artists, gallerists, curators, writers, photographers, people from the art fraternity which included names like Tasneem Mehta, Ram Rahman, Mithu Sen, Jiten Thukral, Suchitra Pillai, Neha Kirpal, Subodh Gupta, Bharti Kher, Jitish Kallat, Robin Mallick, Yamini Mehta, Deepak Ananth, Sumant Jayakrishnan, Priyanka and Prateek Raja, Anupam Poddar, Bose Krishnamachari, Abhay Maskara, Jeebesh Bagchi, Sheba Chhachhi, Pablo Bartholomew, Vivan Sundaram, Peter Nagy amongst others.

The Skoda Prize show will be open to the public till February 28, 2013 at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi.

The Skoda Prize, one the most prestigious awards on the Indian visual arts scene, offers an unparalleled opportunity for mid-career artists across India to showcase their work amongst the country’s leading artists, to a discerning art audience both within India and internationally. 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. Nominees need to be below the age of 45, and should have had a solo show in the country over the last 12 months. The winner takes away the prestigious ‘The SKODA Prize Winner’ title and also receives a prize money of Rs 10,00,000. Runners-up are invited to participate in international residencies supported by Prohelvetia, the Swiss Arts Council. Visited by thousands every year, The SKODA Prize Show (which takes place alongside the India Art Fair in New Delhi) showcases country's most promising contemporary artists.

Juried by a panel of notable personalities and supported by museums and cultural institutions of international repute. In the past, renowned artists Marc Quinn, and Turner Prize winner Anish Kapoor have presented awards to past winners Mithu Sen (2010) and Navin Thomas (2011). The SKODA Prize is a Seventy EMG Arts Initiative.

The National Gallery of Modern Art and the Skoda Prize for Indian Contemporary Art were delighted to announce the private opening of the Skoda Prize Show for 2012 at the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi on 29th January 2013. The press preview was inaugurated by Dr. Karan Singh, President, Indian Council for Cultural Relations in the presence of Shri Ravindra Singh Special Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, Mr. Sudhir Rao, Managing Director, Skoda Auto India and Mr. Martin Da Costa, CEO, 70 EMG.

The opening of the Skoda Prize Show also included performances by artists Manmeet Devgun and Yardena Kurulkar.

The private opening of the Skoda Prize Show was well attended by art enthusiasts, collectors, artists, gallerists, curators, people from the art fraternity which included names like Robert Garris, Tasneem Mehta, Chintan Upadhyay, Abhay Maskara, Anupam and Lekha Poddar, Ram Rahman, Feroz Gujral, Mithu Sen, Prateek Raja, Sunitha Kumar Emmart , Shireen Gandhy, Mukesh Panika, AtulBhalla, Parul Vadehra to name a few.

The Skoda Prize Show presented a selection of works, curated by Girish Shahane (Director of Art –the Skoda Prize) from the Skoda Prize 2012 Top 20 finalists, showcasing some of the most exciting, and groundbreaking solo exhibitions by mid-career artists (under the age of 45) presented in India in the year 2012. Now in its third year, the Skoda Prize for Indian Contemporary Art, has earned a place as one of the most influential platforms for Indian contemporary art, recognizing contemporary art practices that demonstrate a highly innovative use of form and material, as well as a mature engagement with contemporary culture.

The Skoda Prize Show is a rare occasion for audiences in India to experience some of the most impactful and cutting edge art practices that have been showcased in private and public arts institutions across the country over the past year. The annual exhibition has seen footfalls in the thousands over the past three years. The inclusion of the Skoda Prize Show in the prestigious program of the National Gallery of Modern Art marks a high point in Delhi’s vibrant cultural calendar this winter, drawing the nation’s attention, and the global art community, to some of the most significant developments in contemporary art in India today.

“I believe that The Skoda Prize truly presents and supports the art of the “New Generation”. These are essentially artists who have emerged in the 1990s in India presenting their own practice by portraying the reality that they have experienced and depicting strongly their concerns as individuals. Art can no longer be compartmentalized into painting, sculpture, print making etc. Art is now breaking all previously laid out barriers and has diversified into a multitude of media such as installation art, video art, performance art, conceptual art and the new buzz of media art. These too have evolved and developed over a period of time. The artists have chosen to break away from the mould of the existing art practices and have given birth to new approaches and genres in art previously not experienced and contrary to the popular belief contributing greatly to the value and the unconventional mode. I am truly delighted that the National Gallery of Modern Art. New Delhi, Ministry of Culture, Government of India is presenting the Skoda Prize Show. I am equally pleased that The Skoda Prize has established itself as a prestigious award for visual arts and it has evolved as a much awaited contemporary art exhibition in India.” - Prof. Rajeev Lochan (Director of the NGMA, New Delhi)

A winner will be selected from the Top 4 finalists in the running for the Skoda Prize 2012 (announced in November 2012), and will receive a cash prize of RS 10,00,000. Selections for the prize are submitted by an esteemed jury including art historian, Geeta Kapur, Director of the Devi Art Foundation, Anupam Poddar, artist Sheela Gowda and Swiss curator Mirjam Viradinis. The chief guest will be William Kentridge, South African artist of international acclaim. William Kentridge will present the trophy to this year’s winner and will join as the 5th member of the jury who will decide the winner of the Skoda Prize 2012.

The winner of the Art India Breakthrough Artist Award (launched last year in order to create a platform for emerging artists as part of the Skoda Prize initiative) will be announced on the same day. The shortlisted artists for this year Prabhakar Pachpute, Ratna Khanna, Rohini Devasher and Yardena Kurulkar are eligible for the prize.