The jury for NDTV's Masterstroke Art Awards met today to kick off the selection process for the inaugural edition that will take place around early February. Kiran Nadar's chairing a panel that mainly comprises artists, museum heads, collectors, and curators from not just in and around India, but also internationally as well.
Alongside her are Akshata Murty, contemporary artist Anjolie Ela Menon, Abhishek Poddar from MAP, Kishore Singh, who is a renowned writer, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Sandy Angus from India Art Fair, Shanay Jhaveri from London's Barbican Centre, Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama, Dr. Payal Kanodia of M3M Foundation, and art historian Dr. Pheroza Godrej.
The group has been kept diverse for a purpose as contemporary art sits alongside fashion, museum leadership alongside criticism, Indian voices alongside international ones. The broad idea is to bring multiple perspectives into how they evaluate contributions to Indian art.
Rahul Kanwal, NDTV's CEO and Editor-in-Chief, framed the awards as part of the network's cultural commitment. "Art is central to how a society understands itself," he said. "With the NDTV Masterstroke Art Awards, our effort is to bring discernment, seriousness, and continuity to the recognition of artistic excellence, and to place art firmly within the larger public and cultural conversation." Kanwal also said they're hoping the awards become "an eminent and definitive global conversation on Indian arts and culture."
Rohit Chawla, NDTV's Creative Director who is in charge of the the Masterstroke project, talked about recognizing sustained work. "The Masterstroke Art Awards is an attempt to honour artistic pursuits with seriousness and acknowledge work that shapes how we see, think, and engage with the world over time, with art at the centre of the conversation."
However, Having Ibrahim Mahama and Shanay Jhaveri on the panel brings an international dimension. Mahama's a significant contemporary artist who founded the Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art in Ghana. Jhaveri runs visual arts at the Barbican in London. Their participation suggests NDTV's positioning this as more than just a domestic recognition program.
India's art scene has changed a lot over the past twenty-odd years, there are more museums, more galleries, bigger art fairs, and better platforms for artists. Media coverage has grown as well, though it tends to split between commercial reporting on sales versus critical writing about the work itself. General audience programming about art is still relatively rare. NDTV has pitched this as building on their existing cultural coverage. They've covered art and artists for years, and the Masterstroke Art Awards formalize that into a dedicated platform.
Beyond the annual ceremony, NDTV's talking about creating "an ongoing cultural dialogue" around Indian art. Which in practice will look more to the tune of regular programming, digital initiatives, educational content, all of which will become clearer once the awards launch.
The awards were first announced in December at NDTV's Indian of the Year event. It's part of their broader push into awards across different areas, including news and current affairs with one program, art and culture with another.
For the jury, the task involves looking at contributions across different parts of the art world. There are institutions that have shaped how art gets shown and preserved. Artists whose work has influenced the field. Patrons who've supported practice. Critics who've shaped conversation. The panel's composition is a clear hint that they're planning to recognize different types of contributions as a whole rather than just one category.
Kiran Nadar brings in her experience running KNMA, one of India's major private contemporary art museums. She's been involved in arts patronage for a considerable amount of time and knows the institutional landscape well with vast experience in the subject. Sabyasachi's involvement brings to light the often overlooked overlap between fashion and visual arts in Indian creative culture scene. Abhishek Poddar built MAP from scratch, creating what's become a significant cultural institution in Bangalore. His experience with sustainable museum-building in India adds useful institutional perspective. Sandy Angus understands the commercial and market side through India Art Fair. Art fairs have become crucial meeting points for galleries, artists, and collectors, and he brings that marketplace knowledge.
Kishore Singh has covered art for decades, bridging journalism and criticism. His writing on Indian art and artists spans years, and he brings that long view to the jury. Anjolie Ela Menon is a practicing artist with a substantial body of work behind her. Having an artist who understands the creative process from the inside matters, as artists often evaluate work differently than institutions or markets do. Dr. Pheroza Godrej brings art historical expertise. Being able to situate contemporary work within longer trajectories of Indian art requires that scholarly lens.
Dr. Payal Kanodia represents the foundation and corporate patronage angle through M3M Foundation. Foundations have become increasingly important in supporting Indian art, and that institutional support structure matters for how the ecosystem functions.
The awards happen first week of February. Categories, nominees, and event format details should come out as that date gets closer. Today's meeting starts the deliberation process that'll lead to the inaugural edition. NDTV's betting that their media platform combined with this particular jury creates something that adds value to India's cultural landscape. The first edition will show how they've translated that ambition into actual awards and recognition.
