Serendipity Arts Residency puts together works of six artists on themes of migration, climate crisis

New Delhi: The struggles of female migrant labourers, stories of African diaspora living in Delhi, and a possible future where humans have averted climate crisis are some of the themes that six independent artists have explored at the sixth edition of Serendipity Arts Residency Open Studio.

The artworks across disciplines are a result of a three-month-long residency that will be showcased at an exhibition here at Serendipity Arts Foundation from October 7.

The artists from across the country, and one from France, have presented their voices in the form of installations, immersive performances and videos.

The curator-in-residence, Shivani Kasumra, described the outcome of the residency as "the multitude of practices and forms that unravel the realities of the world we inhabit".

"The Open Studio will be presenting the residency as an ecosystem of practices, where the artists-across multiple mediums and themes-have metabolised their ongoing consideration on the slow yet steady unravelling of our world," Kasumra said.

The exhibition will feature Richa Arya's "I Sew My Life Against My Own", an installation of scrap metal stitched with metallic wires to explore the struggles of female migrant labourers in Delhi.

Another artist, Salman Bashir Baba has created a play of light and shadows in his dreamscape titled "Each Night Puts You in Our Dreams" to represent the chaotic qualities of dreams.

The Open Studio will also have on show a life-size installation, titled "A Big Trap", by artist Sewali Deka. The artwork offers a sharp critique of the romanticised notions of the countryside.

Movement practitioner Dileep Chilanka will celebrate the sturdy framework of wooden planks found across shops in rural Kerala in "Nerpala", while sound artist Surbhi Mittal has woven a narrative of a possible future where humans have averted climate crisis with the help of machines.

In her 20-minute sound piece, titled "Free Bird", Mittal has imagined a future where the saviour machines have identified birds as their enemies.

"Serendipity Arts Residency serves as a laboratory for ideas and talent, providing a nurturing environment where artists can explore, experiment, and develop their creative visions. These six artists have been on a journey with us. Learning and unlearning the ways of creation and thinking that have resulted in a showcase of brilliant artworks that reflect the socio-economic framework of the country," Smriti Rajgarhia, director, Serendipity Arts Foundation and Festival, said.

The exhibition will also showcase a photo-video installation, titled "If I was a GOAT, pt.I", by French artist Massandje Sanogo, who joined the residency as part of the Villa Swagatam Initiative, in partnership with the French Institute in India. Her work features the voices of the African diaspora living in Delhi.

The Open Studio will come to a close on October 16 and will later be showcased at Serendipity Arts Festival, starting from December 15 in Panjim, Goa.