Assistance for Exhibitions Abroad and Out of State

What is Assistance for Exhibitions Abroad and Out of State?

Assistance for Exhibitions Abroad and Out of State is a scheme of the Gujarat State Lalit Kala Akademi, the state fine arts academy that works under the Sports, Youth and Cultural Activities Department, Government of Gujarat. The Akademi's own scheme listing carries it as Exhibition Assistance Abroad/Out-of-State, and in Gujarati as a pradarshan sahay scheme.

According to the Akademi's scheme page, the purpose is to support native Gujarati visual artists, painters, sculptors, graphic artists and photographers, in organising individual or group exhibitions of their work outside Gujarat and outside India. The Akademi gives up to Rs 1,00,000 per exhibition, and for an exhibition held abroad it additionally covers air travel cost and visa fees.

The scheme sits at the top of a small ladder of Akademi exhibition support. Its sibling scheme, State-Level Exhibition Assistance, reimburses up to Rs 25,000 for an exhibition held inside Gujarat, and there is separate support for inter-college exhibitions and district-level travelling exhibitions. An artist normally builds a record on the state-level scheme before applying for this one.

How much assistance is given?

The career limits deserve emphasis. One foreign exhibition and three out-of-state exhibitions is the full entitlement over an artist's whole working life, so the choice of which show to bring to the Akademi is a career decision, not an annual routine.

The money is a reimbursement. The Akademi's page states that after the exhibition the artist must submit an itemised breakdown of expenses audited by a chartered accountant, and funds are disbursed against that statement. Artists should therefore plan cash flow for the exhibition themselves and keep every bill; venue rent, framing, packing, freight, insurance, catalogue printing, air ticket and visa receipt.

Who is eligible for the scheme?

You can apply if:

• You are a native Gujarati artist working in the visual arts: painting, sculpture, graphic art or photography.
• You have already held 3 to 5 solo exhibitions or 5 to 8 group exhibitions. This is the experience bar written into the scheme.
• Your proposed exhibition will display at least 30 artworks.
• The exhibition is being held outside Gujarat, or abroad.
• You are willing to hold the required preview exhibition at the Ravishankar Raval Kala Bhavan in Ahmedabad in addition to the main show.
• You can have the expense account audited by a chartered accountant after the exhibition.

You are not eligible if:

• You are not a native of Gujarat.
• You do not have the required exhibition record — fewer than 3 solo or 5 group exhibitions behind you.
• Your exhibition will show fewer than 30 works.
• Your exhibition is inside Gujarat. Apply instead under the Akademi's State-Level Exhibition Assistance, which reimburses up to Rs 25,000.
• You have already exhausted the entitlement: one foreign exhibition, or three out-of-state exhibitions.
• You are applying for a performing arts event. This Akademi covers the visual arts; music, dance and theatre fall under the Gujarat Sangeet Natak Akademi.

What documents are required?

How to apply for exhibition assistance abroad or out of state

1. Open the Akademi's scheme page at lalitkalaacademy.gujarat.gov.in/schemedetail.htm?26 and download the prescribed application form, which the Akademi publishes as a PDF of about 2 MB.
2. Fix your venue and dates first, and obtain a written invitation or booking confirmation from the gallery or institution outside Gujarat or abroad. An application without a confirmed venue is difficult to assess.
3. Prepare the list of at least 30 artworks with photographs, and assemble the evidence of your 3 to 5 solo or 5 to 8 group exhibitions.
4. Fill in the form, attach the native certificate, the exhibition record, the artwork list and photographs, the venue confirmation and a copy of your bank passbook.
5. Submit the complete file to the Gujarat State Lalit Kala Akademi, Ravishankar Raval Kala Bhavan, opposite Bhaikaka Bhavan, Law Garden, Ellisbridge, Ahmedabad 380006, between 1 April and 15 May.
6. Wait for the artist selection committee to verify eligibility and approve the proposal. The committee's approval is what creates the entitlement.
7. Hold the preview exhibition at the Ravishankar Raval Kala Bhavan and then the main exhibition at the approved location.
8. After the exhibition, submit the itemised expense statement audited by a chartered accountant to claim the reimbursement.

How do I check my application status?

The Akademi does not run an online tracking system for this scheme. Telephone 079-26425562 or 079-26562558, or email igslka[at]gmail[dot]com, quoting the date on which you submitted the form and the name of the exhibition. Because the window closes on 15 May and the committee meets after it, expect the decision to follow the meeting rather than the submission.

Common reasons an application fails

• Missing the window. Applications outside 1 April to 15 May are not entertained.
• Fewer than 30 artworks planned for the exhibition.
• Exhibition record short of the bar: fewer than 3 solo or 5 group exhibitions.
• No native certificate of Gujarat.
• No confirmed venue, which leaves the committee unable to judge the proposal.
• No chartered accountant's audited statement afterwards, which stops the reimbursement even after approval.
• Entitlement already used, a second foreign exhibition, or a fourth out-of-state exhibition.

Key dates

The application window is 1 April to 15 May each year. The Akademi advertises its schemes through paid advertisements in Gujarati newspapers and on its website, so an artist planning an exhibition for the following winter should be preparing the file in March.

Help and contact

• Gujarat State Lalit Kala Akademi, Ravishankar Raval Kala Bhavan, opposite Bhaikaka Bhavan, Law Garden, Ellisbridge, Ahmedabad 380006 to telephone 079-26425562 and 079-26562558, email igslka[at]gmail[dot]com.
• Sports, Youth and Cultural Activities Department, Sachivalaya, Gandhinagar, for escalation.

There is no fee to apply, and no agent is authorised to secure an approval. The decision rests with the artist selection committee on the strength of the work and the exhibition record.