New Delhi: SkodaAuto India and Seventy Event Management Group has announced a unique award celebrating contemporary art in India called 'The Škoda Prize'. The Škoda Prize is planned as an annual celebration of outstanding work in contemporary art in the country. It is a first of its kind award that strives to recognize and reward young Indian artists under the age of 45. Each artist will be judged on the exhibitions, or other presentations of their body of work produced in the twelve months preceding the award. After selection 20 shortlisted artists will be featured in The Škoda Prize Catalogue and the artworks of the final three artists will be exhibited in New Delhi. The final winner will be announced in January and shall be awarded Rs. 10,00,000. Ms Tasneem Mehta - Director Bhau Daji Lad Museum & Chairperson for The Škoda Prize, art historian Dr Kavita Singh of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Ms Rajshree Pathy , Founder/ Director of Contemplate Arts Initiative along with specialist consultant Mr Girish Shahane will be part of the jury.

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New Delhi: The Charles Wallace India Trust announces its scholarship in the fields of Arts and Heritage Conservation for the coming 2011-2012 academic session. CWIT has been aiding students pursuing Art courses internationally for nearly thirty years. From 1981 till date CWIT has made around 2,500 grants. British Council India advises CWIT's work and also in administrative support in including guidance on applying for a visa.

Charles Wallace was born in Calcutta in 1855. He lived, worked and flourished there, founding the Shaw Wallace Company (though there are no connections between CWIT and the contemporary Shaw Wallace). Charles Wallace died in 1916, bequeathing his modest fortune to his family for a generation and then for the benefit of those among whom he had made it. Thus enabling Indians in the early or middle stages of their careers to spend time in the UK, helping to achieve their artistic, professional or academic ambitions and make wider international contacts.

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Kolkata: The Khoj Kolkata along with Emami Chisel Arts has awarded three emerging artists, Oli Ghosh Mumbai, Piyali Sadhukhan and Sutanuka Giri from Kolkata, with residency programme. The workshop starts from 6th September and continues till 4th October of this year. The participating artist's while attending the workshop will interact between themselves on the theme suggested by Khoj. The organizers have decided on the theme of Feminism. This initiative will be an annual programme which will involve artists from the Gen Next shows organized by Aakriti Art Gallery. This unique residency is surely a step forward in giving next generation artists a platform to achieve new goals.
 

New Delhi: In October this year the Sweden-India Nobel Memorial Week will be organized for the fourth time. The week celebrates innovations and their contributions to the development of the world. This year, Nobel Memorial Week will feature creativity as a driving force for innovations. As part of this, Indian photographers have been invited to artistically capture and interpret Swedish innovations, in an Indian context or interpretation in general. Ten photographs will be selected for the exhibition, which will be first displayed on the Nobel Memorial Week party on October 30, hosted by the Ambassador of Sweden to India. Close to one thousand influential members of society will thereby get to see the photographs already on the opening day. The exhibit will afterwards be screened in the Swedish Trade Commission, among other places. The jury will consist of Indian as well as Swedish cultural profiles, and the Ambassador of Sweden to India.

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London: On 11 September 2010, the largest hand-cut paper chandelier ever made “The Light” will be unveiled at the Old Billingsgate, London in celebration of the inaugural event of ARTiculate, a new fundraising platform initiated by PRATHAM UK. Conceived and produced by Indian design consultancy KAARU “The Light” is the result of more than 8,000 children from 15 different Indian states and several hundred Indian artisans, coming together to produce a colossal 28,000 square foot chandelier. Over 15,000 pieces of paper have been drawn on by children, then hand-cut by master artisans of the Saanjhi craft (the traditional Indian art of paper cutting) to transform them into individual paper screens. The screens are assembled thus creating a monumental glowing centrepiece for the event. PRATHAM UK will auction 5 to 10 limited edition mini versions of the piece at ARTiculate. Through funds raised by ARTiculate, the charity's mission is to reach a further 11 million children by the beginning of 2011.
 

Beijing : Wu Yuren joined other artists in their opposition to urban development in the neighborhood of Beijing that housed their studios, District 8. The development plan subsequently allowed the seizure of their studios by Chinese authorities. This lead to visible protest in Tiananmen Square, a particularly sensitive region of the city. According to the Daily Telegraph the arrest of Yuren came about after he whose studio had been relocated attended at a local police station to complain about problems with his landlord. After a fractious interaction with the police, he was beaten and detained. The brutal police response may be linked to the activist histories of Yuren and some of the other artists involved in the original protest against the development plan, many of whom have signed Charter 08, a manifesto demanding a variety of political changes in China including an independent legal system, freedom of association and the elimination of one-party rule. The news of his arrest of Yuren was first made public by his Canadian wife Karen Patterson. Patterson had her appeal through the Western media to draw attention to her husband's plight.