PROFILE

Divya Varigonda

About Divya Varigonda- Divya Varigonda, also known by her pen name Bavisha, is an art writer, researcher, and facilitator based in Bangalore. Born in 2001 in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, she holds a Bachelor's in Visual Arts, specializing in Art History & Aesthetics, from M.S. University Baroda. Her research focuses on the politics of space in arts, particularly in Bangalore. She explores archiving as a methodology while her artistic practice is led by research based approaches to understanding topics ranging from 'Alternative Spaces and Practices in Bangalore' and 'Artist Rights in India'. She wrote an 'Artists Manifesto' and did a performance around the same idea at Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore. She aims to educate young and professional artists about the legal, historical and market-oriented aspects of the Indian Art Industry.

A few words from our Invited Jury Dr. Vidhyasagar Upadhyay 🙏
"I got a chance to observe the selected projects invited by Hina Bhatt Art Foundation and meet their presenters and after seeing the practical form of each project, I come to the conclusion that the project presented by Kumari Divya is suitable in which the presenter has proposed to publish a handbook in the interest of artists by collecting research based data in which she has seen the way artists in India are being tampered with their artworks and their ignorance of copyright and legal information, paying special attention to the fraud and cheating that happens with artists, the art world needs to understand its legal rights, use them and cooperate in taking legal action if required and for all this, publishing a handbook and trying to make senior and young artists aware of their rights is an important task in my view. By studying the project in detail, doing research and taking legal information in this regard from the concerned legal advisors, keeping in mind the problems faced by the artists, this research project can be made an important document because the project in-charge has sufficient experience in preparing databases, research oriented projects etc. If possible, it can be monitored from time to time, information about the progress can be taken and guidance can be given if deemed appropriate"- Dr. Vidhyasagar Upadhyay