Initiated ten years ago by the Prafulla Dahanukar Art Foundation, Kalanand is an online grants programme that has been consistently encouraging emerging artists from across India, providing opportunities to young people from cities as well as remote areas to develop and showcase their practice. The selection of the artworks has been done by a jury consisting of well-known art historians, critics, and artists through a careful and considered process. Online entries are reviewed by a panel of three eminent jurists in two phases. The jurists do not see the artists’ names and score the entries based on an objective rubric. The 2023-24 Kalanand contest received over three hundred entries, from which ten artists have received the All India Grant and fifteen artists have received All India Merit Grant. All the winning artists have been invited to exhibit their award-winning works.
The Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum is pleased to partner with Prafulla Dahanukar Art Foundation and present Kalanand for the second time since 2019 to exhibit the works of winners of the contest and provide a platform to nurture and encourage upcoming artists. The exhibition presents twenty-five winning entries across six categories - Painting, Drawing, Printmaking, Ceramics, Sculpture, and Tapestry.
Prafulla Dahanukar Art Foundation is a non-profit organization that aims to create a network for the Artist community in India and recognise and publicise the work of talented emerging artists. The Foundation's Kalanand Grants Programme has the largest reach and support for emerging artists across India.