The Inception Grant, initiated in 2020 in response to the challenges faced by emerging artists during Covid, has evolved into a significant stepping stone for South Asian artists, receiving over 1,000 applications annually. More than a financial aid, the grant provides access to our mentors and curators, facilitating year-long development for awardees.
Selected from a highly competitive pool of over 700 talented artists from across South Asia, these finalists represent the very best of emerging creativity in the region. The selection process was both rigorous and inspiring, as our esteemed internal jury faced the challenging task of narrowing down such a diverse and remarkable array of artistic talent.
INCEPTION GRANT JURY
𝐀𝐤𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐚 𝐑𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐢 – Senior Curator of Exhibitions and Programming at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA), New Delhi, Akansha has been a key figure in shaping the museum’s curatorial landscape since 2011. Her work explores exhibition histories, institutional memory, and museum studies, with critically acclaimed exhibitions like Hangar for the Passerby (2017) and Zones of Contact/Grazing (2013).
𝐀𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐚 𝐁𝐢𝐣𝐚𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐤𝐚𝐫 – A management consultant in the social impact space, Aparna’s work in agriculture and rural livelihoods has given her a unique perspective on art as an intrinsic part of daily life. With a deepening interest in contemporary art, she brings a fresh and thoughtful approach to this year’s selection process.
𝐆𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐦 𝐁𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐚 – A celebrated architect, artist, and writer, Gautam’s decades-long practice in Delhi has earned him recognition for both his built projects and his thought-provoking architectural writing. He has authored several books, including Punjabi Baroque and Silent Spaces, and is currently working on Future Building – an exhibition of ideas for the future city.
Grant Winners
ARINDAM MANNA
Arindam Manna (b. 1994, Ghitorni) holds a BFA from Kala Bhavana, Visva Bharati University, and an MFA from the Department of Art, Media, and Performance at Shiv Nadar University.
His practice engages with the temporality of road networks and the transitional landscapes they connect. Through journaling, drawing, photography, and videography, he documents repeated visits to evolving roadside ecosystems like shops, dhabas, factories, and junkyards—spaces that reflect movement, adaptation, and transformation.
In his project “Transience and Materiality,” he explores mobility and flux in small towns and transitional spaces. Using a psychogeographical approach, he collects notes, maps, and footage to create multi-sensory works through performativity, video, and artist books.
His work views the body as a medium that responds to space, creating spatial and sensory experiences that examine how roads facilitate not only movement but also cultural and social transformations in contemporary society.
BADUSH BABU
Badush Babu (b. 1997, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala) holds a BFA from Raja Ravi Varma College of Fine Arts (2020) and an MFA in Painting from the College of Fine Arts, Thiruvananthapuram (2023).
His artistic practice explores themes of loneliness and emotional solitude, using charcoal drawings, stop-motion, and documentation. His recent series Silent Stories reflects on the complexities of mental and physical isolation and how people find solace in nature.
Badush’s work illustrates how surroundings impact personal struggles and inner turmoil during moments of intense pain. He focuses on the interplay between environment and emotion, using visual metaphors to convey shared human experiences.
He has participated in residencies such as the Space Studio Residency (2024) and the KGS Memorial Artist Residency (Kerala Lalitha Kala Academy). His work has been showcased at the Kerala Lalitha Kala Academy group show (2024), Cochin Art Fair (2023), and the 51st State Exhibition of Art Awards (2022–2023).
His achievements include a solo show at the College of Fine Arts, Thiruvananthapuram (2023), and an exhibition at Rama Varma Art Gallery (2018–2019). He received the Rama Varma Raja Trust Scholarship for Best Student (2017–2018).
DEBAJIT PAUL
Debajit Rudra Paul (b. 1994, Tripura) is a visual artist whose practice explores the intersection of memory, landscape, and imagination. He holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Painting from the Government College of Art and Craft, Agartala (2018), and the University of Kalyani (2020).
Debajit’s work draws from his immediate surroundings, portraying minimal yet poetic landscapes that evoke introspection. Inspired by vast, empty terrains, his paintings often include stanzas or lines of text, deepening the narrative.
His aim is to blur the line between reality and imagination, inviting viewers into spaces of contemplation.
He has exhibited across India, including in West Bengal, Tripura, North Bengal, and Gujarat. He recently completed a Lalit Kala Akademi scholarship residency and participated in The Baroda March (2024) and the group show Gaman in Vadodara.
RIYA CHANDWANI
Riya (b. 1995, Madhya Pradesh; based in Mumbai) is a visual artist whose work explores displacement, memory, gender, and historical trauma, particularly through the lens of Partition. She completed her BFA and MFA from Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai (2022, 2024).
Her practice—spanning drawing, painting, installation, and paper burn—uses traditional idioms and figurative imagery to address themes of violence, loss, and intergenerational memory. Drawing from her family’s Sindhi heritage, she portrays the lived experiences of women shaped by the 1947 Partition.
Riya’s use of bright colors evokes the desert culture of Sindh, while her visual narratives document stories of identity, cultural hybridity, and social upheaval.
AMAR NATH SEHGAL GRANTEES
Art Incept is delighted to partner with the Amar Nath Sehgal Private Collection for the Inception Grant 2025. This collaboration has allowed us to take the grant a step forward, helping us reach more artists and create a greater impact. This grant will provide monetary support and a mentorship programme with the team at Amar Nath Sehgal Private Collection!
rOHAN AND ROSHAN ANVEKAR
Roshan and Rohan Anvekar (b. 1996, Karnataka) are twin artists whose collaborative practice explores fantasy, nature, and socio-political themes through surrealistic visual narratives. Roshan holds a BFA from Sir J.J. Institute of Applied Art and an MFA from Indira Kala Sangit Vishwavidyalaya. Rohan completed his BFA and MFA in Creative Painting from Sir J.J. School of Art.
Drawing from daily life, their work blends mythology, drama, and environmental concerns into imaginative, symbolic worlds. Their art critiques societal structures through satire, expressing the psychological tensions of urban life.
Using varied media—painting, sculpture, drawing, and installation—they explore personal and collective realities. Their goal is to inspire dialogue, reflection, and self-discovery, making art a tool for transformation, not just observation.