MJF Art Residency Widens Artistic Imagination

What is M.A.R.S?

The Motwani Jadeja Art Residency (M.A.R.S.) is an interdisciplinary arts residency program. It aims to stretch the artistic imagination beyond its usual boundaries as we plunge curious visual inventors into the magical world of algorithms, wave functions and quantum walks.

Operating and functioning at the intersection of the arts, sciences, technology, and society, with a particular focus on South Asia, the residency is based in Palo Alto, with opportunities to travel to and stay in New York.

M.A.R.Stypically host artists for 4-8 weeks and applications are open annually on March 15th until June 15th. Residencies then begin on August 1st. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, 2019 and 2020 residencies are postponed until further notice. Successful M.A.R.S. applicants will be not just considered as artists, but also as change-makers in society.

Why Art & Technology?

Establishment of new technologies is a very creative process. Humans express what is otherwise impossible to grasp through the languages of art, poetry, technology, fiction and dance. Just like making art, technology emerges out of our zeitgeist through a process of engagement with the human condition at various levels. It is a medium through which our deepest longings and questions are expressed. In essence, art is a technology of expression.

The M.A.R.S. program aims to meet the following objectives on the way to achieving its primary goal of creating a space that creates greater cohesion between the arts and technology, and which speaks specifically to the intersection of these two fields in South Asian practices:

M.A.R.S Aims

• Foster emerging South Asian artists as they engage with digital media
• Provide real impact on the South Asian art world through tangible means such as exhibitions and performances as well as intangible ones
• Build relationships between artists and technology experts that will result in ongoing collaboration
• Develop new and innovative communication channels

Through these objectives, the M.A.R.S. program hopes to nurture South Asian talent, establish key connections, and lay the groundwork for an innovative, well-connected and successful South Asian artworld.