Siliguri artist bags 10 lakh cash prize, 3-month residency in Scotland

New Delhi, March 19 (IANS) Biplap Sarkar is a fresh and talented artist from Siliguri but his artistic journey has found new boost after he was announced as the seventh recipient of Glenfiddichs Emerging Artist of the Year 2018.

The announcement was made at the Bestcollegeart.com Gallery here in New Delhi over a showcase of the works by top five finalists.

Biplap's body of work explores the relationship of body and object in an urban context; largely dealing with the lifestyle and struggles of hawkers working at heritage sites, tourist places, local market or the independent wanderers. The simplistic forms painted with subtle tones of water colors with some line drawings are evolved from the photographic reference.

"I am extremely honored and excited to have been selected for the 2018 Glenfiddich Artists in Residence programme. I look forward to exploring new ideas while on residence at Glenfiddich distillery and working with artists from different cultures and practices," Sarkar said.

The Emerging Artist of the Year Award is a part of Glenfiddich's 17-year-old Artists in Residence (AiR) programme, where winners from different countries get to spend three months at the Glenfiddich Distillery in Scotland.

In addition to this, Biplap Sarkar will be awarded Rs 10 lakh, which includes an international allowance of Rs 120,000 per month and a work allowance of Rs 500,000. He will also be awarded a solo show at Bestcollegeart.com Gallery in New Delhi.

The other artists that made it to the top contenders list included P. Yogeesh Naik, Anju Kaushik, Loknath Pradhan and Deepak Kumar.

"The Glenfiddich Artists in Residence programme captures the innovative spirit of the brand to relentlessly push boundaries and experiment with new ideas. Since its inception, the programme has hosted more than 152 artists from 20 countries in the summer residency including six Indians.

"We are delighted to offer a platform for Indian artists to experiment and create extraordinary works in a completely unexpected setting. This year, in particular makes it all the more special as we are showcasing art works created by all the talented previous Indian winners, a testament of our commitment to the field of art," said Peter Gordon, Director, William Grant & Sons India.

The Bestcollegeart.com Gallery will also showcase a specially curated exhibition of hand-picked art works from the previous Indian winners including Juhikadevi Bhanjdeo, Yuvan Bothysathuvar, Chetnaa Verma, Krupa Makhija, Subir Hati and Sitaram Swain. The works were created by the artists during their residency at the Glenfiddich distillery.

The twelve-member jury for the Emerging Artist of the Year Award 2018, included leading artists, gallery owners, art critics and collectors. The jury members went through 1,700 entries before hand-picking the five finalists and the India winner.

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