KHOJ Kolkata

"Eastern India has, for a long time now, been in dire need of an active platform for alternative art practices that operate outside of the gallery sphere. While such practice has existed for decades internationally and also in other parts of India, Kolkata has, despite its historically long-standing tradition of pioneering art practices and a currently hyperactive art community, not been receptive to those practising "alternative" art. Installation, performance art, video, public and community art projects, etc. that are widely practised elsewhere, struggle to find a forum in Kolkata.

KHOJ Kolkata, a local chapter of the KHOJ International Artists Association, New Delhi, was launched roughly two years ago by five local artists and theoreticians themselves engaged in alternative practice with the belief that such a platform could be created in Kolkata. The KHOJ International Workshop Kolkata 2006, co-ordinated by the contemporary artist community from Kolkata and Santiniketan, comprised of 12 international and 12 Indian artists provided ample evidence of the interest, the participation, and the excitement that such practice can generate."

^{Dr. Paula Sengupta
Secretary, Khoj Kolkata
(Lecturer, Dept. of Graphics (Printmaking), Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata)}