17th March 1956
 

Consultant Art Advisor & Curator
Visual Arts Gallery
India Habitat Centre
Lodi Road
New Delhi - 110003
Ph: +91 11 4366 2024, +91 11 4366 2025
Direct: +91 11 4150 4521

Present Occupation

• Consultant Arts Advisor and Curator, Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.

Past Assignments

• Consultant and Curator, ITPO - NID, Showcase Design, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi
• Visiting Faculty, College of Art New Delhi 
• Visiting Faculty, School of Convergence, New Delhi 
• Reader, Department of Fine Arts, Punjab University, Chandigarh

With two post graduate degrees, one in History and the second in History of Art, a phD from Panjab University, she was formerly Head of Department of Fine Arts Panjab University and the Director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Panjab University.

In December 2006, she was awarded Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres - Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters - award bequeathed by the French government, to recognise significant contributions in the fields of art and literature.
 

• Post- Doctoral in Critical Art Theory from, Goldsmiths College, University of London, under the aegis of the Charles Wallace India Trust Award
• PhD Punjab University; Title of thesis “Ardhanariswara theme in Indian art”
• MA Punjab University; History of Art
• MA Bombay University; History
• BA Delhi University, Economic Hons.
• ISC, Cambridge University

• Pande, Alka 2000; “From Mustard Fields to Disco Lights: Folk Life, a journal of Folklore”; Chennai
• Pande, Alka 2000; “The Indian Diaspora in the UK: attendance”; The Dance Annual of India 2000
• Pande, Alka 2000; “Contemporary Indian Art - An Overview”; Punjab University Research Journal 2000
• Pande, Alka 1998; “Culture Bearers to Society: Saga of the Folk Musical Performers of Punjab” in Man in India 78(3&4): 269-295
• Pande, Alka 1997; “Indian Anthropologist” in the Journal of the Indian Anthropological Association Vol. 27, No. 2, December 1997
• Pande, Alka & Rajni Lamba 1997; “Folk Musical Instruments Makers of Punjab: an Ethnographic Study of a Languishing Craft Tradition” in Indian Anthropologist No. 1 Vol. 27, 1997
• Pande, Alka 1997; “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” Catalogue brought out as part of 50th year celebrations of India's Independence on the works of the Chandigarh Artists.
• Pande, Alka 1997; “The Living Tradition” Catalogue brought out by the All India Arts and Crafts Society on the 68th Annual All India Art Exhibition, New Delhi
• Pande, Alka 1996; “The Story of Creation” in Lavanya research journal of the Lalit Kala Akademi Chandigarh.

• Presently Consultant and Art Adviser and Curator; India Habitat Centre, New Delhi
• 1996-July 2000, Reader in the Department of Fine Arts, Punjab University, Chandigarh
• 1994-1996. Permanent Lecturer at the Department of Fine Arts, Punjab University, Chandigarh
• 1985-1994. Ad-hoc Lecturer in Government College for Girls, Sector-11, Chandigarh
• 1983-1985. Ad-hoc Lecturer in Government College for Girls, Sector-19, Chandigarh.
• 1979-1981. Newscaster& Reporter; Doordarshan, Mumbai, on Contractual basis.
• 1977-1983 Announcer & Free Lance Producer of Human interest programmes for All India Radio, on Contractual basis

• Ardhnarisvara – The Androgyne – Probing the Gender Within Published' by Rupa & Company, September 2004
• 'Masterpieces of Indian Art' Published by Roli Books, June 2004
• Editor, 'The Said and the Unsaid - Unravelling Indian Art Practices’ for the Apparao Galleries, Dec 2003
• Editor Reader on Appreciating the Arts, 2002
• General Editor Visual Arts Journal Volume 1 and 2, Year 2001 - 2002
• 'Kamasutra' published by Roli Books, 2001
• 'Pocket Book on Erotica' published by Roli Books, 2001.
• 'Chinese Erotica' published by Roli Books, 2001.
• 'Indian Erotica' published by Roli Books, 2000
• 'From Mustard Fields to Disco Lights- A Study of the Folk Music and Performers of Punjab'published by Mapin 1999.
• Book in Press 'Anthology of Erotic Poetry' Penguin Books.
• Gender, Sensuality and Women in the Kamasutra - Brijbasi Publications
• Enactments of Seduction
• Visual Arts Reader – Wisdom Tree
• Shringara - An ode to Beauty – Rupa & Company

• Collaborated with the Documenta 11 and the Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development to organise a five day International Conference on Truth Reconciliation and Transitional Justice in the Post Holocaust World as Platform 2 of the Documenta 11.
• A 4-day workshop by women artists for World Habitat bay on Women and the Habitat.
• In collaboration with the British Council, a one-day workshop on mixing pigments for artists, art students and art lovers.
• Organising a study day at the India Habitat Centre, Visual Arts Gallery: Live Art: Changing Canvas on ' Sept, 2000
• Curated and organised A Journey into Post Independence Art: Drawings and Paintings from the Bhayana Family and the Punjab University Collections August 1999.
• Organised a two-day dance festival of Raja & Radha Reddy, and Prerana Shrimalli as part of the Gardens Festival organised by the Chandigarh Administration. March 1999.
• Curated a show Rooh Punjab Di as part of the Tri centenniary of the Khalsa at the Sector 17 Plaza, Chandigarh March 1999.
• Presented audio-visual lecture of the 'Handicrafts of Punjab: The Bagh and the Phulkari' under the aegis of the Punjab Handicrafts Development Corporation, Nabha, Punjab on 2ih May 1998.
• Invited Lecture on 'Folk Musical Instruments of Punjab: An Ethnographic Study' under the Chairmanship of Shri Manjit Bawa organised by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts at the Conference Hall, 3, Dr Rajendra Prasad Road on Friday, 2dh March, 1998.
• Delivered invited Keynote Address on women as part of the United Nations Students Association [UNSA] at the Gandhi Bhavan, Punjab University, Chandigarh on 1st March 1998.
• Presented an invited paper titled 'Impact of development and the resultant culture change with regard to Folk Musical Traditions of Punjab' at a National Seminar on 'Culture and Development' organised by the Department of Sociology at the ICSSR Complex, Punjab University, Chandigarh on 2dh -28" February 1998
• Participated in Work shop on 'Museum display Techniques' at the National Museum Institute, National Museum, New Delhi on 2nd January 1998.
• Panelist along with Ms Geeta Kapoor [moderator] and Mr Ibrahim Alkazi at lecture given by Mme Catherine David, Artistic Director of –Documenta X 1997- on 2dh January 1998 at the Library of the Max Mueller Bhavan, New Delhi.
• Observer at the 'International Seminar on -Home and World-. Organised by the Lalit Kala Akademi on 4-6 December 1997 at the Sahitya Akademi Auditorium, Rabindra Bhavan, 35, Ferozeshah Road, New Delhi.
• Seminar on Monasteries of Ladakh organised by the Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies, sponsored by the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation at New Delhi on 19m November 1997.
• Survey and documentation of Folk Musical Instruments of Punjab under the auspices of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Punjab. The Report titled 'Punjab Folk Musical Instruments: An Ethnographic Exploration' was submitted to the Director; Department of Cultural Affairs, Punjab in September 1997.
• Documented Mauratian Folklore from the Institute of Folklore, Fine Arts Department, Mahatma Gandhi Institute, Moca, Mauritius.
• Surveyed handicraft traditions of Sri Lanka and the architectural planning of the Buddhist shrines with special reference to the Temple of the Tooth Relic at Kandy, Sri Lanka, August 1997.
• Resource Person at the International Festival of Dance and Theatre at Avignon, France in June 1995.
• Presented a paper titled 'Rereading of Ardhnarisvara' at Rashtriya Kala Mela organised by the Lalit Kala Akademi in January 1995 at Calcutta.
• Written' Musical Instruments of Punjab' brought out by Mapin Publishing Pvt. Ltd.
• Converting PhD Thesis into book under the auspices of the Books and Books. New Delhi.

• Correspondent for Femina and Art Columnist for Indian Express till July, 2000. 

• Regular contributor to National dailies and periodicals like The Pioneer, Hindustan Times, Times of India, Statesman, Asian Age, The Hindu and Outlook. Writing interests include development and gender issues, Art critiques and evaluational studies, character sketches and human-interest features.

• ' Jal Sutra' a seminar in celebration of Water Day, India Habitat Centre, 31 March 2003
• Scenographer for the Rue Musicale 'Tribute to the Gods, Glory of the Princes - The Festival of North Indian Music 14 - 18 Century' organized by the Cite de la Musique, Paris, France March 2003.
• 'Bhuj - A Commemorative' in collaboration with Voluntary Health Association of India, 10 -21 August 2002.
• 'Navarasa - In Contemporary Indian Art' 12 -15 august 2002.
• 'Borderless Terrain' dealing with issues of identities, pluralism, cross cultural fertilization, border crossings and geographical mappings. 9 - 13 September 2002..
• 'Aesthetic Experience - A Dialogue in Appreciating the Arts' Eight week workshop.
• 'Cross Talks in Design' a series of talks by eminent Designers in collaboration with NID 2001-2.
• Initiated 'Art Space' - Urban Art Project at the India Habitat Centre.
• Organised Illustrated lecture presentation by Nadira Babbar, eminent theatre personality, on 2811 February, 1998 at the Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh.
• Organised Special Lecture by Professor Yashpal, Ex Chairman, UGC and eminent National Scientist on 'Between the Cosmic and the Intimate' in March, 1998, at the English Auditorium, Punjab University, Chandigarh.
• Organised Special Lecture by Taron Puri, Spiritual Healer, on 'Complementary Medicine' on 1st April 1998,at Gandhi Bhavan Auditorium, Punjab University, Chandigarh.
• Organised a two-day cultural festival of Punjab called 'Rooh Punjab Di' at the India Habitat Centre, Delhi on May 2-3, 1998 in collaboration with the Department of Cultural Affairs, Punjab
• Set up the first Holistic Centre for the Arts, Art Folio at Chandigarh. December 1998.
• 'Vartalap' a three-day lecture series on the traditions of the Miniature Paintings at the Government Museum and Art Gallery, Sector 10, Chandigarh. Feb 28th to March 2nd, 1997.
• ' Rasanubhuti' a festival of classical music and dance at Nek Chand's Rock Garden, 2ath Feb to ~ March, 1997.
• 'Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow' a three-day lecture series on the occasion of the 5dh Year celebrations of India's Independence at the Government Museum and Art Gallery, Sector 10, Chandigarh. 3dh August to 15'11 September 1997.
• Organised Special Lecture by Professor Shahid Amin, Professor of Subaltern Sstudies, Delhi University on ‘Alternative Approach to History-Writing Differently’ in December 1997, at the Gandhi Bhavan Auditorium, Punjab University, Chandigarh.
• Organised Collection and Exhibition of works of artists under 30 from Chandigarh, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. The selection of seven awards in the areas of painting, graphics, sculpture, installation and drawing was done by a high powered committee comprising Shiv Singh, Sculptor, Jagmohan, Graphics and Devraj, Print maker. The exposition is the first of its kind in the region at the Fine Arts Museum, Punjab University, Chandigarh.
• Organised a five-day festival of Nritya, Natya, Sangeet, as part of the closing celebrations bf 50 years of India's Independence, featuring Shubha Mudgal, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Shovana Narayan, and Ketaki Naryayan and Sharon Lowen.
• Organised special lectures at Punjab University by Mark Tully, Shyam Benegal, Khushwant Singh, Benoy Behl, Pankaj Butalia, Shahid Amin and Arvind Gupta.
• Conceptualised and set up the Visual Arts Gallery for the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.
• East West Encounter-Vishwa Bharati, Shantiniketan
• Shifting Demographics.-East West Encounter.
• Osians and Lalit Kala.
• TAC- Perception – The Self and the other.
• Australia India Council- Managing Public Spaces
• ‘At the Feet of Vishnu, in the locks of Shiva, Ganga Lives’ at the ‘Ganga day’ a lecture organized by the Sankat Mochan Foundation on the 15th of September 2005.
• Tommorow’s Bluechip-Indian contemporary Art’ a presentation at the FICCI presentation on 7th September 2005.
• ‘Mahishasurmardini: The mode of representation and its interpretation within the illuminated manuscripts of India.’ In a seminar on ‘The Cult of Goddess,’ at the National Museum on 23rd September 2005.
• ‘Creativity and Individuation’ at the R.S Bisht Memorial lecture in Lucknow, on the 26th September 2005.
• ‘ Hybrid voices’ a lecture in Rome on 24 Feb. 06 .
• Lecture on “ Bhimbhetica to Hussain” on aesthetics of art in India habitat center during the Art appreciation course on 21 march 06 .
• Lecture on “The eye of the collector” on art collection in India habitat center during the Art appreciation course on 4 April 06 .
• Lecture on “ Authentication of art” on Fake art in National Museum on 20th April 06.
• International festival of the image 2007 | RHUBARB – RHUBARM held in Birmingham
  Topic of discussion: - East meets Eastside
  The speakers will discuss their travels with the image, how new journeys and technologies affect their practice in the fine art world, as either producers or curators, and the potential for showing work in the East.
• Kitab Festival 2007 | International Literature and Media Festival held in Mumbai opic of discussion: - Gender Dictators
• Bombay’s Kala Ghoda Festival 2007
  Topic of discussion: - Gender, Sensuality and Sexuality
• PRAKRITI FOUNDATION, Chennai 2007

• THE THINK TANK

Topic of discussion: - Stree: Sharira: Exploring Sites of Women’s Sexuality Today.

• The fourth Fountain has Festival of the Arts 2007 held in Goa.
  Topic of discussion :- Ways  of  seeing  DRSTI  into understanding  and   appreciating  the  two  trajectories of  art.
• RMIT KING POWER
  Designing Masculinities Symposium
  RMIT University, Australia
  Addressing the expression of masculinity through notions of style, identity and appearance. King Power appeals to those with interests in fashion, design; cinema, cultural and performance studies; media, history, fine art, philosophy and theory.

WORKSHOPS

• The Great Arc Workshop on Visual Art’-a visual Dialogue between the traditional and contemporary, Truman Gallery, London. October 2003
• Organised Garden Workshop and Audio-visual presentation with Rachel Sutherland, eminent landscape Architect and Designer on 6th March 1998 at the government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh.
• Organised Mono-Print Workshop and audio-visual presentations by Bulbul Sharma & Kanchan Chander on 31st January 1998 at the Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh.
• Two-day workshop conducted by Sukhwinder Singh, a practitioner of the UKEIYU -e or the traditional Japanese woodcut technique at the College of Art, Chandigarh. 1st-2nd September 1997.
• 'From the Bowels of the Earth' a ten-day, ceramic workshop at the College of Architecture, Chandigarh, November 1996.
• Organised a Painting Workshop with three eminent French artists, Prof Abraham Hadad from the Ecole de Beaux Arts, Gia Miniet and Bhawani Katoch as well as the lyoung artists from Chandigarh at the Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh.
• Organised an Indo French Painting Workshop at the Government and Art Gallery between the artists from Chandigarh and Paris.

EXHIBITIONS CURATED

• ‘Cosmic Matrix’, a solo exhibition of artist Satish Gupta at the Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre from 15th-23rd November 2005.
• ‘Imaging Materiality: Gesture of the city’ a group exhibition of twelve contemporary Delhi based artists. Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre, 14-19 March 2005.
• ‘Single Medium Multiple Frames’ an exhibition of 28 Photographers from the SAARC region organised by Women’s Initiative for Peace in South Asia, Italian Cultural Centre, 15-18 January, 2005
• ‘Home Life’ an exhibition of photographs by Street children from 11 Cities across the world, organised by Plan India. India Habitat Centre, 4 December 2004-15 January 2005.
• ‘Shandanga’ a show of mainstream contemporary India Artists. Visual Arts Gallery, 15-27 December, 2004
• ‘Singular Identity’s’ a show of young contemporary Indian Artists, Visual Arts Gallery, 8-14 December 2004.
• ‘Shadow Play’ by Meenakshi Salve, Visual Arts Gallery, 1-7 December, 2004.
• ‘Indian Wisdom’ a Show of photographs by Daniel and Olivier Follmi, twice winner of the World Phot-Press award, organised along with the French Embassy, at India Habitat Centre,19 November-15 December.
• 'A Moment in Time' a Retrospective on S. L. Parasher, Principal of Mayo College of Art, Lahore and Founder Principal of Government College of Art, Chandigarh. A multii disciplinary trajectory was added to the visual component of the exhibition through gallery events. Visual Arts Gallery, 1-13 August 2004
• ‘Androgyne’, a show exporing the bisexuality inherent in all of us through a visual medium, Visual Arts Gallery, 25-31 March, 2004.
• ‘Secrets – The Spectacle Within’, a group show of five international artists including, Suhasini Kejriwal, Diann Bauer, Young In Hong, Christian Ward and A. Balasubramaniam, held at the Queen Gallery, British Council, New Delhi, 12-26 March,2004
• ‘Unveiled’ an exhibition by Rajiv Puri. Visual Arts Gallery, 8-14 January 2004.
• 'Root Enroot' co-curated by Sushma Bahl at the Queens Gallery, British Council March 2003
• ‘Reclaiming the Lotus’ dealing with retrieving the status of the lotus from both the sacred and the profane, Triveni Kala Sangam, 18-28 September 2003.
• ‘Performative Textures’ dealing with preoccupation and fascination with texture and the materiality of surfaces Visual Arts Gallery 4th -10th September 2003.
• ‘Solitude’ dealing with philosophies, ideas and concepts of solitude within the ambit of Visual Arts, centering on a palette of white. Visual Arts Gallery, 17 - 22 July 2003
• The Tree to the Seed' an exhibition of contemporary Indian art co-curated by Gavin Jantjes at the Henie Onstad Art Centre, Oslo, Norway, January - April 2003.
• ‘Turning the Wheel: Traditions Unbound’, presented by two prominent galleries of South India namely, Dravidam and Time & Space at the Visual Arts Gallery from 19th-26th October 2005.
• ‘Cosmic Matrix’ by Satish Gupta from 15th-23rd November 2005 at the Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre.
• ‘Vasundhara’ by Rajiv Puri from 15th-22nd December 2005 at the Visual Arts Gallery.
• ‘Jaipur Revisited’ a group show at the Virasat Festival from January 2006 14th- 22nd at the Jawahar Kala Kendra.
• OTT a group show of 10 artist from various fields at the Gallery Moon River from 3rd of February 2006, designed by Vishal Dar.
• “Of elephants,spices and the everyday” a solo exhibition of Murali Nagapuza at Alliance Francaise from 4th may to 13th may 2006.
• “ Parallels” an exhibition of two artist Mini Sivakumar and Charuvi Aggarwal by Galleria at Visual arts gallery from 19th to 24th of may 2006.
• “ Multiplicity and the self ” a group show at Visual arts gallery from 18th to 24th of august 2006.
• “Cross pollinations” a group show at Visual arts gallery from 27th sep to 3rd Oct 2006.
• “Sensuality and the self ” a group show in collaboration with Galleria of ten senior artist at Visual arts gallery in Oct 2006.

• 'Of Aladdin’s Lamp And Tigers & Elephants' at Honolulu, Hawaii, 13 July 2004
• 'Music of the Diaspora' Leading discussion at the Cite de la Musique, Paris 12 April 2003.
• 'The Mythologies of Water', Jal Sutra a seminar in celebration of Water Day, India Habitat Centre, 31 March 2003.
• 'Ardhanrishvara - Understanding Bisexuality' National Museum Institute, 16 January 2003.
• 'Enactments of the Non-Verbal' essay for the catalogue of 'The Tree to the Seed', Henie Onstad Art Centre, Oslo, Norway January-February 2003.
• Lead Essay for 'Bhuj - A Commemorative' in collaboration with Voluntary Health Association of India, 10 -21 August 2002.
• Lead Essay for 'Navarasa - In Contemporary Indian Art' 12 -15 august 2002.
• Lead Essay for 'Borderless Terrain' dealing with issues of identities, pluralism, cross cultural fertilization, border crossings and geographical mappings. 9 - 13 September 2002.
• Lead Essay for 'When Seeing Stops' - Bandeep Singh 2002.
• Essay for Catalogue - Raza Retrospective 2002
• Essay for 'Sidewinder' Catalogue 2001.
• Pande, Alka and Rajni Lamba. 1998. 'Folk Musical Performers of Punjab - Some Case Studies'. Man in India, Ranchi
• Pande, Alka. 1998. 'Folk Traditions of Punjab- A Languishing Heritage'. Lavanya, Chandigarh.
• Pande, Alka. 1997. 'Ardhnariswara: The concept and the manifestation' to be brought out by Journal of the Lalit Kala Akademi.
• Pan de, Alka. 1997. 'Handicraft traditions in Punjab' brought out in the Proceedings of the Handicrafts Festival organised by the Punjab Art Heritage at the Apeejay College of Fine Arts, Jalandhar, 4th to 1 dh October, 1997. Pande, Alka. 1997.

• 'Indian Sculpture and Iconography' by Ganapathi Sthapathi for the Hindu 2002.
• 'Ganga Devi Tradition and Expression in Mithila Painting' by Jyotindra Jain. 1997. Ahmedabad: Mapin Publishing Pvt Ltd in the Indian Express, 1997.
• 'Bridal Durries of India' by Ann Shankar and Jenny Housego. 1997. Ahmedabad: Mapin Publishing Pvt Ltd in the Indian Express, 1997.
• ‘Intuitive Logic II' by Neville Tuli. 1997. Delhi: The Tuli Foundation for Holistic Education and Art. Indian Express, 1997.
• ‘Creative Arts in Modem India', Volume 1 & 2, edited by Ratan Parimoo and Indramohan Sham7a. 1995. Delhi: Books and Books.
• 'Women and literacy' edited by Alka Raghuvanshi. 1996. New Delhi: National Literacy Mission, Ministry of Human Resources Development and UNESCO. Femina, 1997.

ART CONSULTANT:

• ‘Devotion’ a group show presented by Gallery Art Positive and curated by Annu Bajaj in the Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre from 1st-7th September 2005.
• ‘Papermark 2005’ a group show of eminent artists, presented by Galleria at the Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre from 10th-15th September 2005.