While witnessing the rise of global consumerism in the late 90s, we encountered a strange political climate in post-partition Bengal. It was the period when as a commune-we slowly moved away from the sentiment toward the 'Left' and evolved as a neo-fascist state where the institutions/authorities/family or even the individuals started questioning the culture of pluralism. It was this adverse situation that forced Kaur Chimuk in the first place to initiate the journey beyond regular institutional space. Initially, the search revolved around the different post-colonial cities and their oral stories that had a connection with the people's memories of the historical exodus. At that age, kaur mostly liked to engage with dada-poetry, and anarchist political slogans and occasionally explored the 'notebook' as an intermediate tool for subversive intervention. Later, in the year 2011, kaur decided to break the long silence and initiated a complex negotiation with the suppressed inner queer feelings both in the private and public domain. From there onwards, kaur would like to pronoun as they/zie.
Transit: They have completed their academics with a major in web & graphic design(Graduation from Punjab Technical University, 2012) as well as extended advanced studies in visual animation & digital design(Advance Diploma from Maya Academy Of Advanced Cinematics, 2016). During that phase, kaur majorly worked as a visual interpreter and collaborator with a couple of independent art initiatives like Performers Independent, An Artist Collective - Register under West Bengal Society Act (2011-2015), Town End Circle, A Collective Exchange in Kolkata(2012), Shunyostan Artist Collective, Studio 21 - Kolkata(2011), 53 Saturdays, A Durational Performance Series(2011-2013), Changers' Foundation Paribartak - A society working for cultural development(2014-2017). Later, Kaur got the invitation to collaborate with an international artist association, Meteor International (2016-Now) in Sweden where they decided to stretch and expand the practice toward trans-curatorial research with a special interest in non-binary viewership. In collaboration with Meteor International, kaur started to explore experimental methods around curatorial innovation, especially around the post-colonial countries where art is a matter of capitalist surplus and language is predominantly oppressed by the private interest.
Transit: They have completed their academics with a major in web & graphic design(Graduation from Punjab Technical University, 2012) as well as extended advanced studies in visual animation & digital design(Advance Diploma from Maya Academy Of Advanced Cinematics, 2016). During that phase, kaur majorly worked as a visual interpreter and collaborator with a couple of independent art initiatives like Performers Independent, An Artist Collective - Register under West Bengal Society Act (2011-2015), Town End Circle, A Collective Exchange in Kolkata(2012), Shunyostan Artist Collective, Studio 21 - Kolkata(2011), 53 Saturdays, A Durational Performance Series(2011-2013), Changers' Foundation Paribartak - A society working for cultural development(2014-2017). Later, Kaur got the invitation to collaborate with an international artist association, Meteor International (2016-Now) in Sweden where they decided to stretch and expand the practice toward trans-curatorial research with a special interest in non-binary viewership. In collaboration with Meteor International, kaur started to explore experimental methods around curatorial innovation, especially around the post-colonial countries where art is a matter of capitalist surplus and language is predominantly oppressed by the private interest.
Associations: For the last couple of years, as practicing curators, they have shared a durational inquisitiveness toward the independent cultural intersection and trying to create a sub-versive participatory curatorial model - we can find most of their collective working research, and initiative under the Tracing A City/TAC (establish in 2018). Other than their curatorial engagement, kaur also likes to address their larger involvement as a performance catalyst in terms of engaging with the sub-cultural anarchist performative resistance, especially around the global south. As working professionals, we can find sometimes them around the independent creative conjunction where they have played the role of a creative consultant and help the commune to organize off-center cultural exchange and international curatorial program design. So far, they have shared their experience with a couple of international platforms in India as well as abroad, such as _inventory platform(UK), The Yellow Submarine (India), Bom Artist Residency(Sweden) for their program design and visual mapping.
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Contributions: In the previous years, they have received a couple of curatorial/artistic support for international exchange and program design, in the year 2017: Conflicting Spaces(Curatorial Node from Srinagar Biennale) in collaboration with Tamara De Laval - received support from IASPIS(Sweden), in the year 2018: a collective curatorial installation in collaboration Sukant Panigarhy(International Production Designer and Green-Activist) was part of ARTEAST FESTIVAL 2018, India International Center - the event was supported by National Foundation for India; The Sasakawa Peace Foundation; and New Imaginations, Jindal School of Journalism and Communication, in the year 2019: one of the research attributes got a chance to be exhibited In Malmo Art Hall, Sweden - the curatorial project supported by the Swedish Arts Council, the Swedish Arts Grants Committee, and the City of Malmö. If you are curious, Kaur is also part of the founder members' team in Kolkata International Performance Art Festival (India's pioneer independent international performance art festival, since 2013) and zmayat (a collaborative platform for research around the subcultural self-publication).
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Consequences: Both as a curator and visual thinker, their work had traveled all over the globe from 2014 onwards, some of the key platforms where we can find their work are: 1. In the year 2014, as a performance catalyst and visual designer participated in the collateral program in Kochi-Muzaris Biennale, Indo-Polish exchange associated with Sanchayan Ghosh 2. In the year 2014, as a performance catalyst a curated program at Bangalow Ki Kandi, Masouri, Uttarakhand, curated By Sanyukta Sharma - supported by Khoj international artist association 3. In the year 2014 Participated as a visual artist and performance catalyst in Crack International Art Camp 4. In the year 2017, as a performance catalyst participated in an international exhibition at Pakri Peninsula & Amandus Adamson Museum, Estonia in collaboration with Meteor International 5. In the year 2017, as a curator participated in an international exhibition design in Colombia: the cultural center of Cali 6. In the year 2019, As co-curator participated in an international curatorial exchange program in collaboration with Lasse Mouritzen, supported by Danish Cultural Institute, Delhi. 7. In 2021, one of their video documentation was part of the German Pavilion at the Venice Architectural Biennale 2021. 8. In the super recent period, a collaborative curatorial research project was part of the World Premiere section in IDFA New Media - DocLab Forum, 2022, Netherlands.
(Portfolio → link)
(Portfolio → link)
Recent Engagement
A South Asian Queer Pamphlet, kaur chimuk as a practicing curator & performance catalyst from India has shared special attention towards the future methods regarding the larger narratives around subaltern queer perspective in collaboration with Soumya Mukhopadhyay. Within this collaboration, an interactive platform has been prepared for the visitor where they can participate and create a plural post-cinematic performative relationship between global understanding of the non-hegemonic cultural expression and the south-Asian fluid perspective.
Since 2016 onwards, a south-asian queer pamphlet has been part of Kaur’s durational curatorial explorations where they have shared an inclusive curiosity in the mode of exchanging inner desires towards collective acceptance. On a personal level, in several stages of this interpersonal queer transit, they had an unconditional urge to explore the possibility of archiving the memory around the performative rituals that have emerged in/in between the horizon. During this journey, kaur always visualized a complex mode of sharing in which the future queer bodies can try to incorporate mundane memories into the artistic discipline. We would like to believe that such unstated cravings helped them to connect with the larger team on a deeper level. In brief, while experimenting in the project more than constructing unique monolithic sub-cultural expressions, Kaur has tried to push the personal non-binary perspective towards the off-center post-colonial subversion. (know more)
Journey in the mode of exploring Departures
In recent twelve years, they have engaged in a trans-cultural-artistic collaboration, especially in the mode of making a bridge between 'other-west' and 'subversive-east. More than an individual concept, they're curious about how mundane political discourse can be practiced and perform curatorially in the time of global silent. They feel extremely motivated where art is not a limited medium or skill, rather it is considered as duration commitment towards mutual understanding.
Field of Exploration : Independent Curation in the time of global silence + subcultural marginal mapping as an artistic quriosity
in the form of ‘enquiries’ + a-Performative Actions in the mode of tracing post-colonial dialect
in the form of ‘enquiries’ + a-Performative Actions in the mode of tracing post-colonial dialect
Field of Interest : a-Performative intersection + marginal mapping + collective manifestation |
Being a practicing curator, kaur would like to perform actively in the performative subcultural methods, especially in the context of post-colonial queer dialects. In their recent artistic journey, they have tried to construct a safe space for the collective learning of the off-center method to find/show an innovative way to unlearn the hetero-normative gaze. I would like to mention that my initial motivation in terms of coming to the field of curatorial discipline was to anticipate and trace the intersection between radical art praxis and its existing cultural representation.
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Current Curatorial Base
zmayat is an open-source initiative aiming to amplify, recollect and share the perspective of the subcultural marginal narrative through graphical mapping. The collective is currently co-organized by two non-binary practitioners and is interested to expand slowly over time through community events, pop-up libraries and 'safe' collaborations both locally and around the globe. f(z) initiated by Tilottama B. and Kaur C. (know more)
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METEOR INTERNATIONAL artist group are based in Seved/Sofielund, Malmö, Sweden-Howrah/Kolkata, India and with artist members all over the world. Make art exhibitions, workshops and projects in unexpected public spaces. Cooperating and communicating along with local population and artists. Reach out to an unpredicted audience. Projects in certain areas pursue local comments on environmental problems and political issues. The group consists of members with different cultural background and ages, thereby bridges gaps and create new unexpected meetings. (know more)
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TAC, also known as tracing a city, it is an intimate collective effort to explore the different cities’ evolving nature by applying cultural-performative instincts. TAC is not conceptualized as a platform for cultural re-production, rather we consider it is a safe space for practicing curator/researcher/cultural developer in terms of open-source collective practice. We are trying to set up a network for cross-discipline communication around the world but our focus area is South-Asian independent experimental interest. TAC would like to invite diverse practitioners to come and part of this initiative and help us to grow together. TAC will primarily concentrate on three areas - curatorial space, collective time and marginal body. (know more)
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Curatorial Projects
In recent ten years, they have engaged in a cross-cultural-artistic collaboration, especially in the mode of making a bridge between 'other-west' and 'subversive-east. More than an individual concept, they're curious about how mundane political discourse can be practiced and perform curatorially in the time of global silent. They feel extremely motivated where art is not a limited medium or skill, rather it is considered as duration commitment towards mutual understanding...
marginal mapping
Other than curatorial curiosity, kaur also likes to engage with the graphical subversive illustration. In their graphical work - they like to place a high emphasis on the importance of understanding the non-binary visual symbols to communicate to the viewer towards the sphere where the image is not obsessed with cultural reproduction. They wish to push themselves in many different directions in terms of exploring techniques in the work both expected and unexpected.
This may mean incorporating both traditional as well as contemporary digital and experimental approaches into a visually chaotic piece. They are not always interested in presenting the viewer with a complete image. kaur wants to leave some of the doors open so that as visual readers- so that we can try to rethink and connect. It's a dream where people participate and figure out the narratives. Their work lays the foundation for personal political experience. Goal is to create a bridge that makes the viewer engage, imagine, and be fluid.
a-Performative intersection
For our mutual information- In the last seven years, Kaur is part of the official founding body of India's pioneer international performance festival, which is known as kipaf/kolkata international performance art festival. This is one of the crucial motivations in kaur's journey because it is not only questioning the limitation of South Asia's independent resources but also exploring post-colonial possibilities for artist-running micro-budget programs. As an individual, Kaur has shared a special interest in the south-Asian anarchist method, especially in the context of a subaltern art movement. Kaur usually feels extremely motivated where 'art' is not a limited rigid discipline but rather considered as durational understanding as a reflection of the social act.
What lies in between confined and secure? - Team Collab | video in collaboration with Sadya M.(Bangladesh)
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