Emerging Artists Award (EAA+) | Applications open!

Scope of the grant:

Since 2007, FICA has paid close attention to evolutions in artistic practices in India, observing with care the nature of creative enquiries being made present through a variety of mediums, urgencies and modalities. Under the aegis of the Emerging Artist platform, we have been able to extend our systems of support to a wide range of nascent practitioners, collaborating with them in an expansive participatory circuit of dialogues, dissemination and exhibition-making.

In 2020, we developed the Extended Support Platform with the Mrinalini Mukherjee Foundation as a way to address certain lacunae in the field of grants-giving, and to anchor an additional 20 practitioners with financial support under the banner of the Emerging Artist Award. Following this, we announced the reimagined Emerging Artists Award (EAA+) in 2022 with the intention of encouraging and sustaining a cohort of 10 young Indian artists, bolstered by a substantial financial grant, along with a mentorship-residency programme and exhibitory component. Our learnings across these iterations of the grant platform have led us to think deeper alongside the possibilities that are inherent in peer-led networks as well as with those that can be further strengthened. 

In 2024, we invite applications for the EAA+ from young artists interested in exploring the potential of their practices within the dynamics of a cohort, working closely with peer-led networks and their synergies. For FICA, the space of the cohort is an important incubatory zone that invites intersectionalities and diversities to thrive and dialogue. It allows for challenges, enrichments and complexities to coexist, for new modes of collaboration to take shape, and for fluid pedagogies of making to accrue. 

For this edition of EAA+, we are interested in practitioners who are keen to build and think collectively with modes of exchange and sharing, geared towards learning in the context of the present moment of contemporary art-making. We look forward to working closely with young artists who are keen to pursue these inclinations through our mentorship opportunities and our exhibitory frameworks.

Eligibility Criteria

• The applicant must be under 35 years of age.

• The applicant needs to be an Indian citizen. Overseas Citizens of India and Non-Indian Residents are not eligible.

• Applications are invited from artists who have completed their educational degrees. Artists currently pursuing an educational degree are not eligible to apply.

• Self-taught artists who are within the age limit, and have at least two years of sustained artistic practice are eligible to apply.

Applicants are requested to consider the following before applying: 

• The recipient will accept the award by formally signing an agreement with FICA. Once the recipient accepts the award, which will include further details on the elements of the award, they cannot withdraw their acceptance and will have to comply with the schedule provided by the organizers.

• The EAA+ platform includes a mentorship program that will incorporate online and on-site workshops and sharing sessions led by resource persons. Recipients will be required to commit fully to the program for the entire duration of the grant.  

• The exhibitory component of the EAA+ platform will take shape at the end of the grant period. Recipients will be required to commit to participating in the same, and FICA will extend support to all recipients in order to ensure their participation.  

• The Award will be an exclusive collaboration between the recipient, FICA, and the Mrinalini Mukherjee Foundation with no involvement from a third party.

Submitting your application

• Please fill the Google form below to apply. Please be sure to answer all questions, and ensure your application is complete with all necessary documents.

• Please note that incomplete applications and/or applications submitted to any FICA email id or via courier will not be accepted.

Application Requirements:  

The application form below requires you to upload a single PDF with the following documents:

• An updated CV + bio

• An artist statement, explaining your practice and interests, and a brief explanation on the works submitted. 

• A portfolio with images of up to 20 works, each image labeled with the artist’s name, title of work, date, dimensions and medium. If works are part of a series, please provide multiple images. (each series will be considered a separate work). 

• For video files: Please add external links to video content within this PDF document itself. 

Please note that we will not individually acknowledge the receipt of applications given the volume of submissions received. For any queries regarding application procedure or the award, please contact us at info@ficart.org.

Please note that applications are to be submitted only via the Google Form. Applications sent via email or courier will not be considered.

The Mrinalini Mukherjee Foundation (MMF) was established in December 2015 in accordance with the vision of the artist Mrinalini Mukherjee, to carry forth the legacy of the Mukherjee family which include her parents, the critically acclaimed modernist Benode Behari Mukherjee and artist-educator Leela Mukherjee. While the Foundation's primary aim is to preserve and promote the legacy of this unique family through exhibitions, archiving, research initiatives, publications and films, it will fulfill its charitable purposes by extending its resources to art practitioners, students, educators, and art institutions through its various grant-making and collaborative initiatives. In the long term the Foundation looks to encourage and augment a range of programmes, practices and processes to sustain and nurture Indian art in the country and on the international stage.