Breaking Ground 2018
EXHIBITION
The first edition of the Indian Ceramics Triennale – Breaking Ground 2018 – was curated by Anjani Khanna, Neha Kudchadkar, Madhvi Subrahmanian, Reyaz Badaruddin, Sharbani Das Gupta and Vineet Kacker, and opened at the iconic Jawahar Kala Kendra in Jaipur, India on 31 August 2018. This edition of the Triennale was presented by the Contemporary Clay Foundation and the Jawahar Kala Kendra. At the core of the first edition were 47 artist projects, by artists from India and abroad, which showcased alternative, experimental and experiential uses of ceramics, within and beyond the boundaries of the traditional art gallery. The exhibition explored scale, site specificity and concept through installation, interaction, technology and performance.
Curatorial Perspective
Curators:
ANJANI KHANNa
MADHVI SUBRAHMANIAN
NEHA KUDCHADKAR
REYAZ BADARUDDIN
SHARBANI DAS GUPTA
VINEET KACKER
An ongoing and quietly robust movement in contemporary ceramics in India has been gathering momentum in recent years. The increasingly diverse and sophisticated use of clay as a contemporary vehicle of expression shares space with, and sometimes references traditional uses of clay, from village pottery, to architectural material and ritual art. Artists are working with this material in multiple ways, pushing boundaries, and incorporating the use of technology and other materials in their practice. The need to represent the versatility of practices in a broader contemporary context has become imperative.
While research and methodologies have developed, fora in which to exhibit new work have been few, pushing practitioners to explore alternate spaces and navigate dual roles as artists and curators. In this context, the collaboration with the Jawahar Kala Kendra could not have come at a more opportune time. The creation of a platform for the recurring presentation of contemporary ceramics aims to enable various experimental and experiential clay-based practices. It opens up opportunities for Indian artists to showcase their work, and for new national and international networks and exchanges.
Audiences will be able to engage with an ancient material in vital new ways. Through the symposium programme, it hopes to facilitate scholarly and critical conversations around the medium. The projects exhibited at the Triennale represent a broad and diverse exploration by artists engaged equally with materiality and thought. Each artist project is the presentation of a single idea; the unique architectural spaces of the venue allowing for a rare opportunity to explore scale and site specificity, through installation, interaction, technology and performance.
Breaking Ground is at once laboratory, playground and stage.
