Where The Mind Is Without Fear: Behind the scenes is an open conversation between different practices coexisting at the same time and sharing the same space. This section, juxtaposes works by fine art students on the verge of completing their master from JJ School of Art, Bombay, Kala Bhavan, Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan and MS University, Baroda.

Sisters Sangam is sixteen artists from very different backgrounds and with very different practices: South Australian, Rajasthan, senior, emerging, female, male, conceptual, digital, audio, sculpture, painting, socially engaged, photography, traditional craft, animation and portraiture.

The states of South Australia and Rajasthan now have a formal link. This tie is called a sister state relationship. It is because of this formal tie that these sixteen artists came together to work in a collaborative model over seven days in the new City Palace Gallery, Jaipur. Each artist was asked to collaborate with at least one other artist using any material, to investigate why we use the word "sister" to describe a state to state relationship. Sponsored by Adelaide Central School of Art, one of Australia's leading art colleges and the Department of State Development South Australia, this project is an initiative of Raju Narayan and me the curator, Daniel Connell.

It is the role of the artist to ask simple questions, and in doing so it is artists who often uncover answers to more complex questions. The artists in Sisters Sangam began by asking the question, why is the word "sister" appropriate in describing the formal connections between our states?

Transnational relationships take place in many forums, most often sport, politics and trade, all of which are defined by competition and seeking to gain personal advantage. This exhibition is about transnational engagement in the arts, guided by the consideration of the word "sister" and our sister state relationship. It is an exhibition that values process over object, as outlined below.

The word "sister" invokes the feminine. The female body hosts the stranger, the other, nurturing the foreign body, and allowing it to realize its potential. To expel or exploit the other is anathema to the female body. This sets the scene for us to enact the hosting of new forms, new materials, new ideas and new relationships. Through this questioning, artists are allowed to build new and unexpected works and relationships.

The Indigenous artists of Australia are sadly all too familiar with the colonial model of exploitation and have tried to teach the white Australian artists that cross cultural collaboration should not be avoided but must also go beyond tokenism. Sustained relationships which endure all the obstacles are the only way forward. I have spent more than ten years living and working in Jaipur with many of the people who have made this exhibition. Amit Kalla and Himanshu Viyas, two of the Jaipur artists, have also worked in Adelaide in the Oz Asia Festival, 2012. This exhibition is the result of those years. It is the product of trust and friendships, travel, discussion, arguments, deep love and welcoming new people into that relationship.

In the recent years contemporary art has undergone revolutionary changes in terms of content, medium and style. If we look the world art scenario of last fifty years, one aspect is found remarkable, that content and story which had lost relevance has declared its return in the last decade particularly.

Modern stream of art has close nexus with the conceptual reality. As far as paintings are concerned the boundaries of medium, style and technique have broken down yielding new experimentation giving wider scope for intersections and harmonious acceptance of other forms. The impact of globalization vividly reflects on various art streams with its continued traditional and folk elements. This is where Indian artists have been successful in carving out their space in the increasing uniform art scene. It needs to be emphasized that most of Asian and African countries remain stuck to their legacy. In this show we have tried to assimilate the works of artists who have gone ahead and experimented in the prevailing medium and styles... thus the name Melange.

Quite a task indeed. In Indian context, it takes another dimension as institutional backing for Art & Artists is at bare minimum. Quite a struggle it is to convert one's vision in to reality. Installations are synonymous with experience. The volume, materials, chemistry & play of elements create diverse experience through minds of artists. The name Across Dimensions surfaced through this thought. Across Dimensions 2017 will truly create experiences across dimensions through the minds of artists from length & breadth of India. The amalgamation of cultures, thoughts & sheer creativity of Artists coming from different geographies will create a symphony in single language of experience. A good part of the show will be site specific, to embrace the environment & the landscape. This will create an inseparable visual experience of being one with the structures, nature & elements of the site. There will be digital experience as well as diverse material used through larger than life scale creating treat for thinking minds & feeling hearts.

All this while keeping fidelity to the context intact. Quite a task indeed. In Indian context, it takes another dimension as institutional backing for Art & Artists is at bare minimum. Quite a struggle it is to convert one's vision in to reality. Installations are synonymous with experience. The volume, materials, chemistry & play of elements create diverse experience through minds of artists. The name 'Across Dimensions' surfaced through this thought. Across Dimensions 2017 will truly create experiences across dimensions through the minds of artists from length & breadth of India. The amalgamation of cultures, thoughts & sheer creativity of Artists coming from different geographies will create a symphony in single language of experience. A good part of the show will be site specific, to embrace the environment & the landscape. This will create an inseparable visual experience of being one with the structures, nature & elements of the site. There will be digital experience as well as diverse material used through larger than life scale creating treat for thinking minds & feeling hearts.

Indian handicrafts have evolved over thousands of years. They are the products of our skilled artisans and craftsmen. The tradition of crafts in India has grown around religious values and needs of the common people. In addition to this foreign and domestic trade have played an important role in the evolution of different craft forms in India. The craft traditions of India have withstood the depredation of time and several foreign invasions and continue to flourish till date. It is mainly due to the open mindedness of the Indian craftsman to accept and assimilate new ideas. India has more than 20 million craftsmen engaged in various crafts all over the country. What the craftsman makes he makes for us to use. He makes us possible to cook, eat, sleep, stay warm and set down roots on the land. These are the objects that serve functional needs, which delight the eye and satisfy the soul. We must help keep the skills of the world's craftsmen alive.