From among 610 participants from across India, Subir Hati stands out as the fifth recipient of Glenfiddich's Emerging Artist of the Year 2016 award. Subir has been working in the discipline of visual art and draws much of his inspiration from folk as well as urban art. He says, "Folk art has always been spontaneous. In a different perspective, design is the by-product of utility. My attempt was to seed the essence of art in design. I call it design art."
The Emerging Artist of the Year Award is a part of Glenfiddich's 15-year-old Artists in Residence (AiR) programme, where winners from different countries get to spend three months at the Glenfiddich Distillery in Scotland. In addition to this, Subirwill be awarded INR 10 lac, an international allowance of INR 120,000 per month and a work allowance of INR 500,000. Subir will also be awarded a solo show at Art District XIII at Lado Sarai in New Delhi.
On the thrilling occasion, Kolkata's Subir said, "I am very excited about being selected as India's winner for Glenfiddich's Artists in Residence (AiR) programme. Art goes beyond boundaries, and this is going to be an enriching experience for me. It's my chance to meet new people, get inducted into a new culture and expose myself to the steep history attached with the Glenfiddich distillery in Scotland."
The global coordinator of Glenfiddich's AiR programme Andy Fairgrieve is in India to personally hand over the award to India's emerging artist. Andy believes that India is a very vibrant country. He says, "India can become a world-class centre of excellence for creativity given the diversity and talent it houses. The Indian art market is growing. Globally, the art market is an underestimated economic factor. India is known for its doctors and engineers and scientists. It also produces some of the best artists in the world."