Art of Looking at Art - Developing a Critical Eye

Dr. Arshiya Lokhandwala is an art historian (Ph. D. Cornell University), curator, and founding director/curator of Lakeeren Gallery (1995–ongoing) in Mumbai, India. Her recent museum curatorial projects include After Midnight: Indian Modernism to Contemporary India 1947/1997 (2015) at the Queens Museum, and Of Gods and Goddesses. Cinema. Cricket: The New Cultural Icons of India for the RPG foundation in Mumbai, and Against All Odds: A Contemporary Response to the Historiography of Archiving Collecting, and Museums in India at the Lalit Kala Academy, in Delhi in 2011. She has curated over 100 shows at Lakeeren Gallery, which include an international program of excellence including artists from India, Pakistan, Iran, Germany & Mexico City. Dr Lokhandwala writes on the globalization, feminism, performance and new media with a specialization in biennale and large scale exhibitions.

Pushpamala N has been called “the most entertaining artist-iconoclast of contemporary Indian art”. In her sharp and witty work as a photo- and video-performance artist, sculptor, writer, curator and provocateur, and in her collaborations with writers, theatre directors and filmmakers, she seeks to subvert the dominant cultural and intellectual discourse. She is known for her strong feminist work and for her rejection of authenticity and embracing of multiple realities. As one of the pioneers of conceptual art in India and a leading figure in the feminist experiments in subject, material and language, her inventive work in sculpture, conceptual photography, video and performance have had a deep influence on art practice in India. Born in Bangalore, 1956, Pushpamala N lives and works as an independent artist in Bangalore after having lived for periods in different Indian cities. Starting off her career as a sculptor, Pushpamala began using photography and video in the mid -1990s, creating tableaux and photo-romances in which she casts herself in various roles.

Prajakta Potnis is a Mumbai based artist whose creative pursuit commenced at the Sir J.J School of Arts. While she is very much a part of the city, on seeing her artistic exploits it would be better to conclude that the city is part of her. Whether it be the recent ‘When the wind blows’ exhibit at project 88 or the group show titled “After Midnight’ held last year, Prajakta has spoken these words through images: "the personal is the political".