South Asia's emerging art foundation

Discovering talent,
empowering dreams

An independent foundation dedicated to supporting contemporary and emerging artists across South Asia — through grants, residencies, mentorship, and platforms for visibility.

Grants & Fellowship Our Residencies
5+
Years Active
30+
Artists Supported
1,000
Annual Applications
3
Residencies
Inception Grant
Plaksha Residency
Curatorial Fellowship
Dungarpur
Inception Grant 2025 · Plaksha Residency · Living Heritage Project · Dungarpur Residency · 30+ Fellows Supported · South Asia's Emerging Art Foundation · Discovering Talent, Empowering Dreams · Inception Grant 2025 · Plaksha Residency · Living Heritage Project · Dungarpur Residency · 30+ Fellows Supported · South Asia's Emerging Art Foundation · Discovering Talent, Empowering Dreams ·
Our Mission

Structured support
for unheard voices

To identify and nurture promising artistic talent through financial assistance, mentorship, ecosystem-building, and platforms for visibility and growth.

Empower South Asian Voices

Championing artists whose stories reflect the realities of our time.

Democratic Learning Spaces

Open calls, transparent processes, and sustained support for all.

Sustainable Structures

Building durable creative infrastructure for the next generation.

Honest Storytelling

Raw, fearless perspectives that document our shared human experience.

Programmes

What we
do

Grants, fellowships, residencies, and partnerships — the support system we are building around South Asia's emerging contemporary artists.

01

Grant and Fellowship

We support South Asia's emerging contemporary artists through two core programs: The Inception Grant, our flagship annual award for artists aged 21–35 with no institutional backing, and the Curatorial Fellowship, offering mentorship and career development for emerging curators shaping the region's contemporary art narrative.

Inception Grant → Curatorial Fellowship →
02

Artist Residencies

Three distinct residency programmes: Plaksha (art meets technology), Living Heritage at Juna Mahal, and the Dungarpur Residency — set in a century-old heritage home in Rajasthan.

Learn More →
03

Partnerships & CSR

Collaborative exhibitions, interdisciplinary research, documentation projects, and cross-cultural exchanges with institutions, corporations, and cultural partners.

Partner With Us →
Grants & Fellowship

Where support
meets ambition

Flagship Grant

Inception Grant

Our annual grant for emerging artists

Our flagship annual grant, receiving close to 1,000 applications from across South Asia. Open to contemporary artists aged 21–35 with no institutional backing. Offers financial aid, mentorship, visibility, exhibitions, and digital amplification.

Applications close 30 September 2026
Learn More Apply
Curatorial Fellowship

Incept Curatorial Fellowship

Our new grant for emerging curators

Open to emerging curators aged 35 and under who can weave fearless, unfiltered artist voices into narratives that connect with a new generation of collectors and thinkers. The Fellow works within our home-format gallery in Panchsheel.

Learn More
Residencies

Where artists
find their practice

Technology & Art

Plaksha Residency

Where Art Meets Technology

An innovative residency bringing artists and tech students together to explore the intersection of art, science, and innovation. Artists explore new media and emerging technologies; students learn creative thinking and material storytelling. A two-way dialogue essential for innovation.

Heritage Documentation

Living Heritage Project

Juna Mahal, Dungarpur

Contemporary artists engage with the 750-year-old frescoes of Juna Mahal — one of India's oldest lived-in palaces. Documentation of 7 floors of wall art. Creating a unique cultural lens that bridges India's past, present, and emerging future.

Craft & Heritage

Dungarpur Residency

Where Roots Meet the Contemporary

Set in a century-old heritage home, focused on craft, research, heritage, and contemporary practice. Documentation of palace frescoes over 700 years old. By inviting artists back to their roots, we keep heritage alive — not as nostalgia, but as inspiration for the future.

Jury & Mentors

Shaped by
extraordinary minds

A distinguished jury of senior artists, curators, architects, and cultural practitioners guide each cohort.

SSubodh Gupta
Subodh Gupta
Senior Artist
TTacita Dean
Tacita Dean
British Visual Artist
RRanbir Kaleka
Ranbir Kaleka
Senior Artist
RRoobina Karode
Roobina Karode
Director & Chief Curator, KNMA
VVibha Galhotra
Vibha Galhotra
Senior Artist
JJagannath Panda
Jagannath Panda
Senior Artist
AAmit Gupta
Amit Gupta
Founder, STIR
GGautam Bhatia
Gautam Bhatia
Architect, Writer & Artist
AAparna Bijapukar
Aparna Bijapukar
MD & Partner, BCG
MManisha Parekh
Manisha Parekh
Senior Artist
SSudarshan Shetty
Sudarshan Shetty
Senior Artist
WWaswo X. Waswo
Waswo X. Waswo
Senior Artist
MMartand Khosla
Martand Khosla
Artist & Architect
NDr. Nuzhat Kazmi
Dr. Nuzhat Kazmi
Art Historian & Critic
RRahul Kumar
Rahul Kumar
Artist & Curator
AAkansha Rastogi
Akansha Rastogi
Curator, KNMA
IIram Sultan
Iram Sultan
Interior Designer
VVivek Gupta
Vivek Gupta
Collector
Partners & Funders

Built with
institutional confidence

Plaksha University Delton Cables Somany Ceramics

FCEA is a registered Section 8 not-for-profit institution. Donations from Indian companies qualify as CSR expenditure under Schedule VII of the Companies Act. Learn about partnership opportunities →

GSGayatri Singh
The Driver and Dreamer

Gayatri Singh

Founder, FCEA & Art Incept

Gayatri Singh transitioned from a successful corporate career at Arthur Andersen and the Economist Intelligence Unit India to pursue her passion for art. Coming from a family of collectors and art patrons, she grew up surrounded by creativity — her mother has collected modern Indian art for over three decades, and their family in Dungarpur, Rajasthan, has supported the arts for centuries.

Recognising the challenges faced by emerging artists in a repetitive art market, Gayatri founded Art Incept — a platform dedicated to creating opportunities for the next generation of artists, collectors, and patrons. Her vision: a collaborative, inclusive ecosystem that bridges creativity, commerce, and culture.