Experimenter, a gallery based in Kolkata and Mumbai, India, has been awarded the 2023 Stand Prize at Frieze London for its presentation ‘Do You Know How to Start a Fire’, a group exhibition of seven intergenerational women artists: Bani Abidi (b. 1971, Pakistan), Bhasha Chakrabarti (b. 1991, USA), Biraaj Dodiya (b. 1993, India), Reba Hore (1926-2009, India), Radhika Khimji (b. 1979, Oman), Afrah Shafiq (b. 1989, India) and Ayesha Sultana (b. 1984, Bangladesh).
Kolkata, India, is the birthplace of Experimenter, a contemporary art incubator that opened in 2009. Its exhibition-making discussions, performances, workshops, and highly regarded annual Experimenter Curators’ Hub are just some of the events that make up its schedule, which is widely regarded as a “pace-setter” for the region. In 2018, a second chamber was constructed. The 2022 opening of its third location, Experimenter – Colaba, demonstrates the company’s dedication to Mumbai, a city whose variety is symbolic of the whole area.
‘Do You Know How to Start a Fire’ explores contradictions as a significant subject. While Biraaj Dodiya and Radhika Khimji negotiate landscapes and distance, Ayesha Sultana investigates encounters and mobility in the gap between objects. Bhasha Chakrabarti explores art-making as a kind of discourse, while Afrah Shafiq and Bani Abidi use historical materials and research methods to examine altering power relations. Against this is the work of the late Reba Hore, whose canvases exude passionate, frenzied lines of colour, a single gaze that blurs the distinction between person, landscape, and architectural form.
Prateek Raja and Priyanka Raja, co-founders of Experimenter, commented on their win:
‘We are delighted to receive the Frieze Stand Prize and are grateful to the jury for recognizing the nuances and intimate connections between the intergenerational women artists that we present at our stand this year. While making exhibitions, we always hope to build dialogues that are generative and propose new ways of seeing. While this is not always easy to do at fairs, we were certain this exhibition would bring forth the multiplicities of voices and practices that are a reflection of our programme. The prize underscores our belief that Frieze London is a celebration of the internationalism of global contemporary art.’
According to a statement released by Frieze, the Experimenter programme is regarded as a “pace-setter” for [the South Asian region]. The programme includes exhibition-making in addition to talks, performances, workshops, and its annual Experimenter Curators’ Hub. This year marks the gallery’s sixth participation in the Frieze London art fair.
Frieze London, one of the world’s most influential contemporary art fairs, is taking place from October 11-15, 2023 in The Regent’s Park, London.
Photo by Linda Nylind. Courtesy of Linda Nylind/Frieze.
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