Instituted in 2004 to address the gap in support faced by young artists as they transitioned from educational institutions to the country's art scene, the Inlaks Fine Art Awards are one of the country's leading art awards today.

As part of the award, emerging artists can undertake independent work in India for one year, as well as attend a recognised art residency in India for a month in that duration, in order to strengthen their practice.

This year, Likitha R Jain, Moumita Basak, Pritam Das, Sanyukta Kudtarkar and Samudra Gogoi are the five talented young artists chosen by an eminent jury comprising Sheela Gowda, Sahej Rahal, Sanchayan Ghosh and Amita Malkani.

Country Director of Inlaks Priyanka Varma welcomed everyone to the event by introducing the Foundation's mission to support exceptional talent across fields with a wide range of opportunities. She spoke of the Foundation's long-standing commitment to supporting the arts and artists, who, in the words of its Chairperson Azad Shivdasani, are "amongst our living national treasures" and whose work is integral to the freedom of expression so vital in a thriving democracy.

This was followed by a fascinating showcase by Aravind Chedayan, the Inlaks-Asia Art Archive Art Grantee for 2025, based on his project as part of the grant. A multidisciplinary artist, folk singer, performer, and photographer, Aravind has been documenting Nadanpattu (folk songs) in Kerala, a musical tradition that embodies the collective aspirations of the caste-subaltern communities. He introduced the audience to the project, and also sang a few songs that have now been archived as part of it. This was followed by a Q&A with an engaged audience, moderated by Sneha Raghavan, Head of Asia Art Archive in India. From cultural appropriation to the history and evolution of Nadanpattu, the showcase sparked some thought-provoking conversations.

From T-B: Sanyukta Kudtarkar, Pritam Das and Samudra Gogoi with Sheela Gowda and Amita Malkani

The five Fine Art awardees then shared a glimpse into their practices and plans for the year ahead through presentations.

Likitha R Jain spoke about her sculptural language and practice situated at the intersection of material ecology, post-humanist thought, and movement-based sculptural making.

Moumita Basak shared how her practice, based in material storytelling, turns humble recycled fabrics into potent visual forms that speak to gender inequality and ecological urgency.

Pritam Das offered a glimpse into his practice, which, through site-specific engagements, drawings, videos, and material explorations, delves into the impact of the land movement in his hometown of Singur.

Sanyukta Kudtarkar introduced her work, which explores presence and spatial relations, displacement and disappearance, and often involves working with her own family archives, researching the questions of identity, belonging and survival.

Samudra Gogoi talked about his practice based on his interest in death studies, belief systems, societies and ecology, and the ways these fields shape relationships between bodies, environments, and cultural imaginaries.

From T-B: Likitha R Jain and Moumita Basak receiving their awards from Sheela Gowda and Amita Malkani respectively.

The Awardees then connected with Inlaks alumni and other guests at the reception, taking these interesting conversations about their practices forward.

Over the next couple of weeks, we will be featuring each of the Awardees and offering a closer look at their work.

Meanwhile, enjoy some glimpses from the evening through the highlight video here.

Photo and Video Credits: Kwantum Photoz