Renuka Rajiv
bangaloREsident-Expanded@basis e.V.
Renuka Rajiv has had an interest in making things since childhood, exploring drawing, paper-mache, tie-dye and stitching. They studied short-film production at Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology in Bangalore and a Bachelor of Fine Arts (with Honours) majoring in printmaking at Victorian College of Art, Melbourne. Since then, their work has reconnected with the childhood interests of playing with fabric and paper. Most themes and content in their work is personal, which includes the compulsion towards the hand-made. Their work inhabits a space that accommodates the imaginative, observational and autobiographical.
Since 2012 they have been exhibiting regularly in group and solo shows. Their work has been exhibited recently at Chitrakala Parishad (Bangalore), ShrineEmpire (Delhi), FICA (Delhi), Vancouver Queer Arts Festival (Canada), Silvia’s Mother (UK) and Museum of Art and Photography (Bangalore). Prizes include FICA Emerging Artist Award, Substation exhibition prize and City of Stonington Print Prize. They have been on art residencies at CONA (Bombay), T.A.J. (Bangalore), Pro Helvetia + FICA (Switzerland) and Halden Bookworks (Norway).
At the residency at basis e.V. Frankfurt, their primary goal would be to learn and work with the medium of riso-printing to create artist books and installations. Access to the process remains unavailable in India, and an extended stay abroad is my sole chance to learn and work with it.
They plan to make one editioned book, a number of artist books and an ongoing installation—all using riso as their primary medium. Renuka would like to use a series of recent drawings as a starting point for the work that they will make at the residency. They want to manipulate the figure-ground relationships of these line drawings through colour and texture to arrive at varied outcomes. So far, formally, most of the books they have made have been either stitch-bound or accordion fold. Across the three months, they want to explore forms that are more sculptural. Additionally, central to their practice would be to connect with fellow artists, independent publishers and artistic print workshop spaces.
At the residency at basis e.V. Frankfurt, their primary goal would be to learn and work with the medium of riso-printing to create artist books and installations. Access to the process remains unavailable in India, and an extended stay abroad is my sole chance to learn and work with it.
They plan to make one editioned book, a number of artist books and an ongoing installation—all using riso as their primary medium. Renuka would like to use a series of recent drawings as a starting point for the work that they will make at the residency. They want to manipulate the figure-ground relationships of these line drawings through colour and texture to arrive at varied outcomes. So far, formally, most of the books they have made have been either stitch-bound or accordion fold. Across the three months, they want to explore forms that are more sculptural. Additionally, central to their practice would be to connect with fellow artists, independent publishers and artistic print workshop spaces.
