Percept manages inaugural ceremony of 'Sculpture Park' in Nahargarh Fort, Jaipur

India’s Sculpture Park initiative was an amalgamation of India’s heritage and contemporary art and aimed to promote India’s growing interest and impact in the contemporary art and culture domain while simultaneously embracing its unique heritage. The project was initiated by the Government of Rajasthan with the support of Rajasthan’s Honorable Chief Minister, Smt. Vasundhara Raje, in collaboration with the non-profit organization Saat Saath Arts. This partnership was heralded as a first-of-its-kind initiative where the Government had joined hands with a diverse range of Corporates and Private Individuals to offer a greater platform for awareness and visibility to the world of Art and Sculpture. The entire show was displayed in the stunning environment of the Madhavendra Palace built in 1880 within the famous Nahargarh Fort in Jaipur, a perfect background that naturally showcased contemporary art juxtaposed with royal intrigue. 

The event showcased artworks in sculpture from 15 renowned Indian artist and 9 international artists including Arman, Huma Bhabha, James Brown, Stephen Cox, Anita Dube, Vibha Galhotra, Vikram Goyal, Subodh Gupta, Evan Holloway, Matthew Day Jackson, Hans Josephsohn, Jitish Kallat, Reena Kallat, Bharti Kher, Mrinalini Mukherjee, Manish Nai, Gyan Panchal, Prashant Pandey, Benitha Perciyal, Ravinder Reddy, Arlene Shechet, LN Tallur, Thukral and Tagra and Asim Waqif. Some of these distinguished artists have showcased their works across many famous international galleries including Hauser & Wirth, London, Salon 94, New York, Xavier Hufkens, Brussels, Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York and Livingstone Gallery, The Hague. The project has been curated by Peter Nagy, Director - Nature Morte Art Ltd.

As Patrons of the Sculpture Park, Percept’s scope of work included conceptualizing and producing the entire Inauguration Ceremony, inclusive of set production, venue decor, entertainment, venue set up, show management, and the celebration party. 

Honorable Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Smt. Vasundhara Raje was the Chief Guest of The Sculpture Park 2017 and Presided over the Inaugural Ceremony. The Advisory Committee comprised of 8 luminaries viz. Meera Mehrishi, Malvika Singh, Ajay Piramal, Cyrus Guzder, Rajiv Arora, Preetha Reddy, Priya Paul, Ishaat Hussain and Hari Bhartia. Corporates supporting this initiative as CSR partners included the Inox Group, Zee Entertainment, Borosil, Godrej Industries, Piramal Art Foundation, JSW Foundation, Famous Studio, Conde Nast, PI Foundation, Prozone Intu, APTARA, Rosy Blue, Navsoft, Google Arts & Culture Lab, Grant Thornton, Khaitan & Co, Amity, IFFCO Tokio, Star Worldwide and 100 Watts Design.

The Honourable Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Smt. Vasundhara Raje said, “For many years now, people have been coming to this beautiful palace - they come, they look and go away, but to keep this space living, it is important to merge it with today and if people are able to get to the works, where their imagination can be captured, where things can take off, where things can happen within these beautiful walls, I think it’s a privilege for someone like me to allow it to happen. For Jaipur, it is a great privilege to be able to see these international artists. I would like to thank Peter Nagy, Aparajita Jain, Shreyasi Goenka, the wonderful artists that are displaying here and everyone involved in making The Sculpture Park a reality.” 

Said Harindra Singh, Chairman & Managing Director, Percept Limited, “The Indian art market is worth about Rs 1200 crore which is a miniscule share of the $64 billion global art market. The growing interest in Art is further corroborated by the statistics that the Art Fair held in Delhi earlier this year had over 72 exhibitors from 23 countries and saw an attendance of over 90,000 visitors. Contemporary Art is an institution in itself and there is a lot of untapped potential that needs to be explored to enhance the business of art across the country. So far, Art has always been viewed and purchased as a Commodity, but ‘The Sculpture Park’ is a unique initiative that has been designed to transform Art from a Commodity into an Experience. The uniqueness of this event lay in ingenuously combining sculpture, curated walks, trainings and simulation in a heritage palace backdrop to make for a larger than life experience. The team succeeded in creating an event that conveyed the perfect balance of art and entertainment. The potential for expanding India’s art market is huge and I am hopeful that through such unique initiatives we can make India the art hub of Asia.”

Commenting on the grand success of the event, Vidya Alva, Executive Vice- President, Percept ICE said, “It was an honour to support the very first edition of The Sculpture Park initiative as Patrons which saw the Government, Corporates, Artists and Private Individuals join hands to promote the growing Art and Culture domain. The Inaugural Ceremony  was a unique experience which saw the vision of getting the palace alive in its original grandeur close to reality. It was extremely gratifying to be associated with such a prestigious project and receive some amazing reviews from the visiting dignitaries. We look forward to seeing The Sculpture Park at many more cities through the nation.”