Greetings from the Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre!

We invite you to a virtual tour of our Annual Arts Evening held at the Hub, India Habitat Centre, on October 14, 2005 from 6.30pm onwards.

• The highlight of the evening was the announcement of the “Promising Artist of the Year” initiated jointly by Art India Magazine and India Habitat Centre. This is a first of its kind endeavor aimed to encourage and give a platform to promising young artists while facilitating a closer public engagement with developments in contemporary Indian art. Mr George Martin was selected as the “Promising Artist of the Year 2005”. He was awarded a citation and a cash award of Rs 3 lakh by Actor and former Rajya Sabha member Ms Shabana Azmi during the course of the Evening.

• The Evening also saw the launch of the India Habitat Centre’s Annual Art’s Journal, Volume 4, April 2004 – March 2005.

• As an initiative to further encourage excellence in the various fields of art, Dr.R.K. Pachauri, President, India Habitat Centre presented the India Habitat Centre Awards for Excellence in the following categories to the exhibitions held at the Visual Arts Gallery in 2004.

Best Show of the Year
Best Design & Craft Show
Best solo show
Best group show
Best Photography Show
Best Curator Award
Best Catalogue
Design & Craft Show (Special Commendation)
Photography Show (Special Commendation)

Rod Pryde receives the IHC Award for Excellence 2004 for Best Show of the Year

Ray Meeker receives receives the IHC Award for Excellence 2004 for Best Solo Show

Renu Modi, Gallery Espace, receives the IHC Award for Excellence 2004 for Best Solo Show
on behalf of Karl Antao

Pramila Baid, Gallery Sumukha, receives the IHC Award for Excellence 2004 for Best Group Show

Sunil Gupta receives the IHC Award for Excellence 2004 for Best Photography Show

Aruna Vasudev receives the IHC Award for Excellence 2004 for Best Catalogue for ‘The Underlying Spirit’

Sanjay Bhargav and Olivia Arthur receive the IHC Award for Excellence 2004
– Special Commendation for Photography

• The India Habitat Centre Fellowship for Photography for the year 2005 was also announced.

Sandeep Biswas receives the IHC Fellowship for Photography 2005

Mr Veeresh Babu receiving the IHC Special commendation for photography 2005

• Dr Pachauri also gave away the certificates to the students who attended the Visual Arts Gallery Sketching Worshop conducted by artist Manil Gupta.

Sketches by students attending Visual Arts Gallery art workshop conducted by Manil Gupta

• Another highlight of the Evening was Vishal K Dar’s “Will this Kill That?”: A series of new media installations produced by the design group students of the National School of Drama.

Sculpture by George Martin on display at the Annual Arts Evening on October 14, 2005