Gallery Dotwalk at its core is a space that looks to foster artistic exploration by bringing together diverse individuals and disciplines, in hope that this in turn would result in community-building and engagement, and create a knowledge-sharing environment. 

It is just with this vision in mind that Gallery Dotwalk has undertaken the first edition of the Dotwalk Ajitara Art Residency (DAAR). 

In South Asia, only a limited number of active facilities support artistic practice once the visual art students graduate. This is in contrast to the vibrant art exhibition domain, facilitated by galleries, museums, Akademies, biennials, and festivals, there needs to be more art infrastructure that supports continuous practice.

In a country as vast as India, one can find little to no support, private or public, for studio-based practice. It is this very infrastructural gap that the Dotwalk Ajitara Art Residency is attempting to fill. 

Moreover, what is unique about DAAR is that in addition to providing studio-based infrastructure for painting and drawing and developing residential spaces, recreation, and reading rooms, it is committed to creating a curatorial framework each year, implying that each year the residency would lead to an annual exhibition.

The one-of-a-kind Dotwalk Ajitara Art Residency is located in the sprawling farmhouse of the Ajitara family, offering the most conducive environment to engage in artistic pursuits, away from all the chaos of the city. The residency offers dedicated studio spaces, co working spaces, spacious bedrooms, a recreation room with audio and video facilities, a library, and a fully functional kitchen with pre-fixed menus.

During the DAAR, Dotwalk focuses on a pool of talented emerging artists who lack opportunities, mentorship, guidance, exhibition spaces, and exposure in the ever-evolving world of contemporary art. In the next three years, the gallery aims to offer residency opportunities to a minimum of 70 artists from both India and around the globe. 

The gallery plans to achieve this through a total of three two-month residencies — Spring Renewal/Summer Illumination, Autumn Reflections, and Winter solace. During the two months that artists are in the residency they will participate in three two-week workshops which are carefully designed to foster a collaborative atmosphere where attendees can participate in meaningful discussions, share innovative ideas, and motivate each other to push the boundaries of their artistic abilities. 

“Within two years of opening Gallery Dotwalk and conducting successful shows and survey exhibitions, I realised there was a need for spaces where artists could focus on their practice without any distractions. The vision of DAAR is to foster an environment for practitioners to develop their practice and artistic thought. Through this residency, we aim to facilitate residency programmes and create an ecosystem where artists, writers and curators are invited to forge their ideas and execute them,” says Sreejith Cn, Founder-Director, Gallery Dotwalk. 

Alongside studio space and accommodation, workshops, outdoor sessions, thematic discussions, film screenings and mentorship, artists will be offered guided tours and cultural excursions to expand their artistic vision through engagement with the local art community and vice versa. 

These developmental activities would then culminate into an annual exhibition curated by Premjish Achari. The exhibition for the first edition of the residency is titled “Transient Terrains”. This show invites artists to embark on a transformative journey, delving into the transient landscapes of their creative process.

Gallery Dotwalk is delighted to announce the artists participating in the inaugural Dotwalk Ajitara Art Residency — Deepa Kumawat, Druvaraj NV, Mehak Garg, Rija Kalita, Satyabhama Majhi , Souvik Majumdar and Sruthi Sivakumar.

These artists have been chosen by a diverse jury that is committed to excellence after careful cogitation, and on expansive evaluation of the applications received by the gallery. We are grateful to our jury members Sreejith CN, Neetu Ambawani, Premjish Achari and Sujith S.N. for their participation and encouragement through this programme.