Experimenter will open a second space at Ballygunge Place, Kolkata on 28 February 2018. The new space will run simultaneously with the original Experimenter at Hindustan Road and both spaces will allow the pioneering contemporary art gallery to build a multifaceted, adaptive and discursive programme. Experimenter at 45 Ballygunge Place opens with a group show, on till 7 April, featuring works by artists: Ayesha Sultana, Adip Dutta, Bani Abidi, Julien Segard, Krishna Reddy, Moyra Davey, Rathin Barman and Samson Young.
A former home of erudite scholars and academics, the new Experimenter at Ballygunge Place, occupies two floors of a carefully restored 1930s building, typical of early 20th century architecture in Bengal. Redesigned by leading Indian architect Rajeev Agarwal, and lighting design team Lyle Lopez, Experimenter at Ballygunge Place will combine the existing architecture of the building—high ceilings and exquisite mosaic flooring—with a purpose-built structure, offering an interplay between natural and directional lighting systems and state of the art technology for showcasing ambitious contemporary art. The gallery will programme solo and group shows from internationally and locally based talent, the scope will extend to performances, film, photography, music, lectures, salon-style workshops and discussions.
Experimenter at Hindustan Road will continue its ongoing exhibition programming, and be home to the annual Experimenter Curator’s Hub, its ongoing programme, with the next edition to be held in July 2018. Prateek and Priyanka Raja, Experimenter founders said, “The new space is an extension of our programme which is more ambitious and allows for a further dialogue based approach. This represents a practice, that is truly reflective of the time we find ourselves in. The new space will allow for a very discursive conversation, lecture, performance based model, and learning based programme.’
The inaugural exhibition will explore ideas of dislocation, memory, contemplation and material and human relationships through painting, installation, video, sound and sculpture bringing together works by a cross-generation of artists. Aveek Sen, writer, thinker and essayist, who was born in and continues to live in the building, will present a performance lecture titled, “The House With a Head”, referencing his own relationship to the architecture of the building, his home and especially the terrace.
Experimenter was co-founded by Prateek & Priyanka Raja in 2009. With a multidisciplinary approach, the gallery is an incubator for an ambitious and challenging contemporary practice. The program represents some of the most critical contemporary artists worldwide. Considered to be a “pace-setter” for its region, the program extends from exhibition-making, to knowledge creation, through regular talks, performances, workshops and most importantly, through it’s much acclaimed, annual curatorial intensive, Experimenter Curators’ Hub. In 2016, its artist-book publishing wing, Experimenter Books was launched. Experimenter’s program is rooted in dialogue and dissent.