The winner for Art Writers’ Award, 2018-19 is Najrin Islam.

Jury: Katya García-Antón (Director, Office of Contemporary Art Norway), Bhavna Kakar (Editor and Publisher, TAKE on Art and Founder and Director, Gallery Latitude 28), Akshay Pathak (Head, Pro Helvetia New Delhi), Santhosh Sadanandan (Art Historian and Cultural Theorist).

TAKE on Art has been invested in sustaining critical writing practices in India through the series of workshops, talks and the TAKE on Writing ensemble series. This endeavour was conceptualised to initiate continuing dialogue among contemporary art writers and critics by connecting peers who could potentially exchange ideas, and offer each other critique and feedback. In continuation of TAKE’s commitment to art writing, and the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia’s sustained efforts in promoting critical discourse, the first Art Writers’ Award (AWA) was announced in early 2018.

The award identifies and supports one Indian writer in the fields of visual arts, theatre, architecture, design, photography, etc. and offer the recipient a research residency in Switzerland for a period of upto 45 days. Through close mentorship, the writer is exposed to discourses that could further their research and build a community around their themes. The applications are invited from all age groups and the recipient is selected by an independent jury of distinguished professionals in the field.

The recipient of this edition was awarded all expense covered residency between 1 March to 15 April 2019 at Villa Straeuli, Winterthur, Switzerland. The residency was ultimately realized in publication of booklet ‘Archive as Medium: Exploring the Performative Body’.

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