The Skoda Prize continues in 2012 as well

In 2011, The SKODA Prize platform was extended to create a prize for artists at the beginning of their careers with the Breakthrough Artist Award – which recognizes younger artists under the age of 35 who are selected on the basis of their debut solo exhibitions in India. The Breakthrough Artist Award is supported by Art India, which has been one of the most highly regarded art magazines in India for over a decade. Through its association with ART India, The SKODA Prize also supports the development of critical dialogue, and writing about Indian contemporary art.

The Breakthrough Artist Award aims to showcase emerging artists who are at the beginning of their careers and to help them gain exposure to a wider audience. Madhuban Mitra and Manas Bhattacharya won the first Breakthrough Artist award and received a cash prize of INR 50,000. In 2012, this award will be presented in association with Art India magazine and the prize will include a cash prize of INR 200,000.

The shortlist of this year’s Breakthrough Artist Award will be announced alongside the opening of Bani Abadi’s solo show“Then It Was Moulded Anew” at Experimenter in Kolkata on the 5th of December 2012. The show brings togethersignificant bodies of work that have all premiered in international venues through 2012 and are showing for the first time in the country. Poised at a crucial moment in her career, the exhibition provides a window into Abidi’s acutely sensitive practice over the last few years.

 “We’re delighted to have onboard such a distinguished jury. We aim to build on the reputation the award has established as a benchmark of artistic quality, while also attracting new voices through the Breakthrough Artist Award". -Girish Shahane, Director of Art, The Škoda Prize.