New Delhi, Oct 28 (PTI) The Serendipity Arles Grant, the largest ever photography, video and new media grant in South Asia, recently announced its shortlist of 10 lens-based practitioners from the region, as part of its first stage of selection.

The first edition of the grant was announced earlier this year by the Serendipity Arts Foundation and Les Rencontres d’Arles (an annual summer photography festival in France).

Supported by the French Institute of India, it aims at “empowering artists from South Asia, as well as extending a spirit of regional cooperation and representation by promoting cultural practices in South Asia†.

“We would like to congratulate the 10 grantees, shortlisted for the first stage of the grant. We are pleased about our collaboration with Rencontres d’Arles, an association which will help us, support artists, from the South Asian region, and promote their work on a global platform,†said Smriti Rajgarhia, Director, Serendipity Arts Foundation & Festival.

The 10 shortlisted grantees are — Adira Thekkuveettil, Alisha Sett & Jaisingh Nageswaran, Ishan Tankha, Sathish Kumar, Sanna Irshad Mattoo, Tenzing Dakpa, and Vinayak Suresh from India, Nida Mehboob from Pakistan, Sadia Marium from Bangladesh, and Yu Yu Myint Than from Myanmar.

“Each of the 10 shortlisted grantees will receive a grant of Rs 70,000 (approximately 800 euros). Along with receiving a part of the grant, these 10 shortlisted candidates will also be given the opportunity to showcase their work at the next edition of the Serendipity Arts Festival,†a statement by SAG said.

It added that the jury comprising Ravi Agarwal, (artist, environmental campaigner, writer and curator), Dayanita Singh (photographer and author), Tanzim Wahab (curator and teacher), Devika Singh (curator of International Art at Tate Modern), Christoph Wiesner (Director of Rencontres d’Arles) and Smriti Rajgarhia, selected the 10 candidates out of “hundreds of applications†.

“This selection opens up new fields to us and expresses a genuine understanding of creation in South Asia. The Rencontres d”Arles is delighted to include the winner in its 2022 program,†said Wiesner.

As part of the second and final leg of the grant, the jury will unanimously declare the finalist among the shortlisted artists at the next edition of the Serendipity Arts Festival, who would receive a grant of Rs 12 lakh (approximately 15,000 euros) to develop the project and show the final presentation at Rencontres d”Arles, France, in 2022.

The grant has also been welcomed by the Ambassador of France to India, Emmanuel Lenain.

“This grant is a testimony of the commitment of the Serendipity Arts Foundation and the Rencontres d’Arles to nurture new voices, vocabularies and perspectives.

“Photography is an ever-evolving art. It continues to emerge in ways that surprise us and impacts our vision of our lives and our world. France is not only the birthplace of photography. Across the world, we are proud to support pioneering initiatives, including in India,†he said.