About

Aishwarya Arumbakkam (b.1988) is a multidisciplinary visual artist working across photography, filmmaking and drawing. An artist from Chennai, India she is currently pursuing an MFA in Studio Art at The University of Texas, Austin. She is a recipient of the Graduate Continuing Fellowship for the years 2021-2022. Arumbakkam was honored as one of the ‘Ones to Watch’ by the British Journal of Photography in 2019. In 2020, she was awarded the Magnum Foundation Photography and Social Justice Fellowship. Her work has been exhibited at various places including Ishara Art Foundation (UAE), Chobimela International Festival of photography (Bangladesh), Ffotogallery (UK), Visual Arts Center (US).

aishwarya.arumbakkam@gmail.com

CV

Exhibitions

2022, Connective Tissues: printed & published, The Visual Arts Center, Austin, USA
2021, Static In The Air, Ishara Art Foundation, Dubai, UAE
2021, Growing like a Tree, Ishara Art Foundation, Dubai, UAE
2021, [Off] Limits, Chobi Mela International Festival of Photography, Dhaka, Bangladesh
2020, Mirror Drama, The Visual Arts Center, Austin, USA
2019, Artists Unite!, Delhi, India
2019, Catalyst, Jimei x Arles Photo Festival, Xiamen, China
2019, Chennai Photo Biennale, Chennai, India
2019, 2017, Angkor Photo Festival, Siem Reap, Cambodia
2017, Egaro Photo Festival, Agartala, India
2017, A Million Mutinies Later - India at 70, Nazar Foundation, Ffotogallery, Cardiff, UK
2015, Embody, PIX Vol.9, Harold Peiris Gallery, Colombo , Sri Lanka
2015, BIND PhotoBook Library, Focus Photography Festival, Mumbai , India
2014, Embody, PIX Vol.9, Goethe-Institut, Kolkata , India
2014, Embody, PIX Vol.9, Goethe- Institut, Bangalore , India
2013, Mirror of the Open Road, The Wilding Festival, London, UK

Grants, Awards, Fellowships

2022, Documentary photographer of the year, Student category, The Royal Photographic Society, London, UK
2021 – 2022, University Graduate Continuing Fellowship, The University of Texas, Austin, USA
2020, Photography and Social Justice Fellowship, Magnum Foundation, USA
2019, Featured in ‘Ones to Watch 2019,’ British Journal of Photography, UK
2019, The Umrao Singh Sher-Gil Grant for Photography, India
2018, Tasveer Emerging Photographer of the year, TOTO Funds the Arts, India

Residencies, Workshops

2020, 2019, Book Building Residency with Dayanita Singh, Goa, India
2018, South Asia Incubator I, Photo Kathmandu, Kathmandu, Nepal
2016, 12th Angkor Photo Workshops, Siem Reap, Cambodia
2015, What About Art artist residency, Mumbai, India

Education

2020 – Present, MFA in Studio Art, The University of Texas, Austin
2015 – 2016, International Photography Program, Pathshala South Asian Media Institute, Dhaka
2008, Student exchange programme, École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs, Paris
2005 – 2009, Film & Video Communication Design, National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad

Scholarship

2020, Russell Lee Endowed Presidential Scholarship in Photography, The University of Texas, Austin
2008, ÉGIDE Scholarship, École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs, Paris

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