Banipur Art Society Institute of Culture
July, 2018
The residency at BASIC (Banipur Art Society and Institute of Culture) unfolded over fourteen evocative days—a time when the studios became sanctuaries for diverse artistic souls, each pursuing their own enigmatic inquiries. Nestled in an ex-military camp from the Second World War, BASIC’s walls whisper tales of transformation: from a colonial-era training ground to a vibrant incubator of counter-state creative rebellions. For over two decades, this place has metamorphosed into an active home where local youth and children ferment and erupt in artistic expression, opening dialogues that weave together space, time, and human spirit.
The thematic approach sought to unravel the entangled politics between the land and its fragile inhabitants, evoking images of deformed faces, tattered bodies, raw wounds, and errant flies—each a haunting emblem of morbidity amid industrial decay. This body of work lays bare the collision between earth and urban sprawl, framing precarious subjects as silent witnesses to conflict. Every drawing murmurs tales of brutal land atrocities and the defiant heartbeat of movements that claim rights to land, water, dignity, existence, and life.
The residency embodied an experience of openness, the perception of pluralism, and the vastness of possibilities fostered by interdisciplinary proliferation. It emerged from the existential crisis of social disorder where art is interlaced with the pulse of everyday struggles. It became a space to explore the practices that can emerge through collective processes. In this creative crucible, Kolkata-based visual artist Sambaran Das and performance artist Syed Taufiq Riyaz unfolded two decades of their journey, while voices like Uma Banerjee, Priya Guha Roy, Supriyo Karmakar, Ashish Dhali, and Rocky Majumder lent their performances to the air. Amid these unfolding narratives, singer and songwriter Arjun Kar chanted songs of radical longing—anthems echoing the pulse of the working class.
Here, students, songwriters, singers, theatre practitioners, and filmmakers gathered in a shared space, their expressions intermingling to forge a collective consciousness. The residency is not merely a project—it is an invitation to witness art as a transformative force, a catalyst for awakening the masses, and a living testament to the enduring spirit of collective solidarity.
Banipur Art Society Institute of Culture, Tushar Kanti Saha, Ashis Dhali, Rocky Mazumder, Suvankar Gain, Sanjay Rishi, Abhishek Paul, Arjun Kar, Srijan Biswas, Priya Saha Roy, Supriya Karmakar, Uma Banerjee, Sambaran Das, Syed Taufiq Riyaz