Experimenter

Experimenter was launched in 2009 by Prateek & Priyanka Raja. Experimenter goes outside the hyper-commercial imperatives of the Indian art market, highlighting instead experimental and alternative artists from the entire South Asian subcontinent and artists globally who have a South Asian connection to their practice.

With an ambitious and challenging multidisciplinary approach, Experimenter mounts interactive installations, multiple channel work, live projects and political interventions that question the fraught and kinetic era we live in. Housed in a 1930’s listed heritage building in Kolkata, India, the sunken courtyard of the original building is a central feature of the space, used by artists for large installations, performances and talks that accompany wall and floor based works. Its program has stirred a huge interest in the art viewing community all over the world within a short span of time. The gallery was described by an international art blog as “an example to others that are sure to follow in terms of quality of presentation, risk taking and conceptualization of programming and in intent”.

Experimenter represents and manages the careers of some of the most exciting and celebrated contemporary artists from South Asia and the rest of the world, including, Bani Abidi, Raqs Media Collective, Naeem Mohaiemen, CAMP, Adip Dutta, Rathin Barman, Hajra Waheed, Sanchayan Ghosh, Mehreen Murtaza, Prabhakar Pachpute, Ayesha Sultana & Nadia Kaabi-Linke. Experimenter’s artists exhibited at some of the most important international exhibitions such as dOCUMENTA, Venice Biennial and Sao Paulo Biennial and in museums such as New Museum NY, Guggenheim, NY, MoMA NY, Tate Modern & British Museum, London, MARCO, Rome, MACBA, SFMoMA, The BALTIC amongst several others. Experimenter participates in major international art fairs such as Frieze Art Fair, London, Frieze New York, Art Dubai, India Art Fair, New Delhi, Art Basel, HK and Art Basel, Basel.

Considered to be at the forefront of contemporary art, Experimenter has pioneered exhibitions of critical international acclaim to India. The gallery was awarded the “Best Contemporary Gallery of the Year” by the Forbes India Art Awards in 2014 ahead of completing five years of programming. Since its inception, Experimenter’s program has constantly challenged the pre-existing norms in the art world garnering critical acclaim and is looked upon as a pacesetter for contemporary practice from the region.