GES-2 and Khoj Exchange Programme
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- Vaults
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The Indian artist Sumedh Rajendran visited Moscow, where he created the sculptural installation Between stone and sleeping table in the workshops of the Vaults Centre for Artistic Production. The work is based on the juxtaposition of stone—a dead material that nevertheless senses the approaching ecological catastrophe—and humans, who are alive but inactive. Meanwhile, Russian photographer Alexander Egorov, a participant in the Friends of Vaults and ColLab programmes, is working on a new piece in Delhi.
This sculptural installation explores the interplay between remnants of human constructs and the dissolving forms of time. The sculpture bears witness to geographical and sociocultural distances, as well as the inner memory held within fragments of landscape. It juxtaposes a melting mountain against a hardening plain. Against the backdrop of mounting ecological realities, its material textures navigate barren landscapes through eyes gazing at humanity, solid imposing structures, and enigmatic hands that hold myth and faith—while confronting the often constricting boundaries of predictable concerns.
— Sumedh Rajendra
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Official partner of the Vaults Centre for Artistic Production
Founded in 1997, the non-profit organisation Khoj plays a pivotal role in developing experimental creative practices across the Indian subcontinent, providing artists with a platform free from institutional and commercial constraints. Khoj (meaning “search” or “quest” in Sanskrit) supports artists through grants, art residencies, and exhibitions. The centre places particular emphasis on cross-disciplinary work, experimentation, openness, and mutual understanding, with artists working across various techniques, movements, and religious and philosophical systems. Virtually all significant figures in the contemporary Indian art scene have connections to Khoj.
The partnership between
Programme participants
Alexander Egorov (b. 1987) is a Russian artist working with photography and digital technologies. His practice addresses themes of excessive consumption, information overload, and the aesthetics of imperfection. He has participated in group and solo exhibitions, with works held in the collections of the Ruarts Foundation (Russia), Irinox SpA (Italy), Christian Dior Couture (France), and the Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts (KMoPA, Japan). Egorov took part in the international Lady Dior As Seen By project at the Ruarts Foundation and received the Irinox Save the Food Award at MIA Photo Fair in Milan, Italy.
Sumedh Rajendran (b. 1972) is an Indian interdisciplinary artist working with sculpture, drawing, and video art. His works address a broad range of themes including power, the planet’s future, and human relationships. Rajendran explores how history and memory, absence and presence, distance and proximity interweave. His solo exhibitions and group projects have been shown in India, Austria, the UK, Denmark, Canada, China, Italy, Norway, and other countries.