ILA DALMIA FICA RESEARCH GRANT 2017 

 
 
 

The Foundation for Indian Contemporary Art invites applications for The Ila Dalmia FICA Research Grant 2017

Applications are now closed. Results will be announced by September 30, 2017.

Ila Dalmia FICA Research Grant, which is instituted by FICA with the support of art historian and curator Yashodhara Dalmia in the memory of her sister Ila Dalmia, aims to provide an annual grant to support research on Indian modern and contemporary art. The grant provides a sum of Rs. Two Lakhs and will focus on supporting independent one research project a year by students and scholars in India.

The application is open to individuals who are committed to researching in the field of visual arts with particular focus on Indian modern and contemporary art. This could include important first-hand research and archiving of art and art historical material, or a critical study of Indian art history, art criticism and practice, or an interdisciplinary analysis of the theory and practice in the visual arts, or studies in the related domains of curation, exhibitions, collection and the art economy.

Eligibility

  • Applicant should be above 18 years of age at the time of submission of application.
  • Applicant should be an Indian citizen
  • Applicant should have a post graduate degree in humanities.
  • Applications are open only to individuals. 
  • The proposal can be part of a larger research project that is currently underway. The applicant must clearly chart out what portion of the research will be undertaken as part of this Grant.

 

The recipient of the Grant

  • Will be expected to complete their research within the one year period of the grant.
  • Will have to submit two copies of the completed final research paper, with references, bibliography and other documentation material at the end of the one year to FICA.
  • He/she will also to provide two interim reports to share the progress on the project.
  • Will be expected to participate in one public presentation of their research. This event will be financed by the Ila Dalmia FICA Committee and organised by FICA. 
  • Will have to submit a final expense statement with a break-up of the funds received.

 

Application details for submission: Please note that incomplete applications will not be accepted.

  1. Completed Application Form – attached above.
  2. A Research Proposal (max. 2000 words) that gives a short description of the topic of study, research methodology and key research questions.
  3. The Bibliography for research. Please include images or videos of works to support your proposal if necessary.
  4. Recent CV.
  5. A Complete Budget towards which the grant money will be spent (travel, accommodation, books, photocopying, printing, library fees, etc.)
  6. Two samples of published papers. You can also send an additional sample of unpublished writing.
  7. Names of two Referees with their complete contact details – name, position, organisation, telephone, email and postal address.

 

Ila Dalmia (1944-2003) was a passionate writer in Hindi and English prose and poetry and her interest extended to art, music and theatre. Her home in Delhi which she shared with her partner S.H. Vatsyayan, the legendary Hindi writer, popularly known as 'Ajneya' , was to become a hub for literary and artistic activities. In addition, the critical magazine for arts and literature 'Naya Pratik ' was started by her and Vatsyayan and was highly regarded for its new and experimental writing. Apart from several essays and articles, she had written a biographical novel 'Chat par Aparna' and a volume of her collected works titled 'Ila' was published shortly after her demise. She was also a generous patron of the arts and supported many young artists and writers. Ila died prematurely due to a critical illness but will be remembered by her friends and supporters as one of the most compassionate and inspirational cultural personalities of her time.

The research award which commemorates her generous support for the arts has been established with a donation by her sister, Yashodhara Dalmia, an art historian and independent curator based in New Delhi. She has written widely on art and her book Amrita Sher-Gil – A Life (Penguin/Viking, 2006) is a comprehensive account of the life and work of one of India’s first modern artists. She is the author of seminal books like The Making of Modern Indian Art: The Progressives (2001), of Memory, Metaphor, Mutations: Contemporary Art of India and Pakistan with Salima Hashmi (2007) and Journeys: Four Generations of Indian Artists (2011). She curated the inaugural exhibition at the NGMA (Mumbai) in 1996 titled The Moderns, which featured 200 paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings by the Progressive Artists. Her other curated shows include Souza in London, Volte-Face: Souza’s Iconoclastic Vision, Indian (Sub)Way and Tyeb Mehta: Triumph of Vision.