Inviting Applications! | FICA Public Art Grant 2022
The FICA Public Art Grant welcomes proposals for art projects presented with the specific intention of being sited and staged in the public domain. It supports artists and artistic practices working with a variety of publics, communities and environments, locating encounters and engagements within the public realm. Through the grant, FICA aims to generate interest and critical discourse in and around public art projects in India, enabling dialogue among a range of stakeholders to consider and reflect upon the role of art in the socio-cultural sphere.
With the Public Art Grant, FICA has remained committed to supporting a diverse spectrum of public art projects, including but not limited to themes such as the histories of social reform and caste-based movements in India, disrupting accepted notions of gender, performance and the body, ecology and traditional knowledge systems in agrarian relationships, and the idea of publics in urban contexts.
These art projects have allowed for socially-engaged artists to experiment and explore elements of encounter and exchange at the intersection of site-specificity, activism and spectatorship, participatory art and collaborative practice. The FICA Public Art Grant has in many ways aided practitioners in creating and disseminating vocabularies on and around art and its relationship with public spaces, interactivity and dialogue, accessibility and criticality.
As our negotiations with notions of the ‘public’ and what it constitutes/is constituted by evolve, the Public Art Grant seeks to emphasise exploration, expansion and experimentation as a means towards questioning why and how we intervene in and alongside public space. What are the kinds of social experiences that art can invite with different publics and within different public spaces? How does artistic practice formulate a response to built, natural and mediatic environments? How does it seek to challenge/coexist/communicate with the same? Under the aegis of the grant this year, we would like to invite applications from creative practitioners wishing to unpack site-specific practice, social and community engagement, and understandings of ‘publicness’ in the contemporary moment.
The recipient of the grant, decided by an esteemed jury will receive an amount of Rs. 3 Lakh for the project detailed in their application. The grant period consists of a mutually decided start and end date, occurring within the span of one year (1 February 2023 to 1 February 2024). Upon completion of the grant period, the chosen artist or collective will be required to submit a project report along with documentation, accompanied by a sharing/presentation session organised via a public forum.
Key information:
We invite prospective applicants (both individuals and collectives) to consider the following while applying for the FICA Public Art Grant:
The proposed project must be located in India, and the proposal must ensure adequate details on the location(s). The project can include staging across multiple sites within the country if necessary to the execution of the project. Applicants are advised to consider the feasibility of the same with regard to the grant amount of Rs 3 Lakh and the grant period of one year.
The project should have the specific intention of being sited or staged in the public domain. Applicants are encouraged to reflect upon the nature of publics and public spaces today, and also the pertinence of the virtual and digital in furthering the scope and reach of the project.
Modes of engagement with the public and/or any specific audiences should be clearly defined within the proposal.
The project should intend to reflect upon and craft interventions around critical issues related to visual arts and the public. This year, we would like to invite applications from creative practitioners wishing to unpack site-specific practice, social and community engagement, and understandings of ‘publicness’ in the contemporary moment.
All requisite documents (outlined below) must be submitted. The project proposal should be detailed in order to allow FICA and the jury to gain greater clarity about the potential and practicality of the project. Please read through the submission guidelines carefully before submitting your application.
The project should be feasible in terms of costs and scale, and should meet the dates set in the timeline.
DEADLINE EXTENDED: 15 December 2022
Eligibility Requirements:
Individuals and collectives may apply.
The applicant/s needs to be 18 years or older.
The applicant/s should be an Indian citizen/s, currently residing in India.
Application Requirements:
A single PDF (not more than 10 MB) with all the requisite documents mentioned below:
Section A - Project proposal. (1000 - 1500 w)
Section B - A detailed budget of the project.
Section C- The timeline of project development.
Section D: CV + Portfolio
a) A current resume
b) At least 3 - 5 projects/works done so far in the public domain, along with images and descriptions. (Max. 20 images)
d) For video based work, please include links within the PDF itself.
Please upload the single PDF to the Google Form linked below.
(Please note that applications are to be submitted only via the Google Form. Applications sent via email or courier will not be considered.)
Applicants are requested to consider the following before applying:
Incomplete applications will not be accepted. Please ensure all the required documents are sent before the deadline.
Shortlisted applicants may be asked to submit further details on their project anytime during the selection process.
The project should be feasible in terms of costs and scale, and should meet the dates set in the timeline. Please note that if the proposed project exceeds the period of one year, FICA will support it only for the duration of the grant period, and not for the entire duration of the project.
FICA has the right to disqualify any proposal that it deems as offensive to cultural, social or religious sentiments, as well as projects that fall short of public safety requirements.