Curator (Residency Mentor)

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Curator (Residency Mentor) at Hampi Art Labs

Organisation: Hampi Art Labs
Location: Karnataka, IN (Hybrid – remote and on-site at JSW Vidyanagar Campus)
Fee: To be agreed; on-site accommodation and reasonable travel expenses provided
Contract: Part-time, annual appointment, renewable by mutual agreement
Time commitment: Approximately 9 weeks per year across three residency batches
Application deadline: Not specified

About the Role

Hampi Art Labs is seeking an experienced Curator (Residency Mentor) to support artists throughout their residencies, offering a generative, critically engaged experience and contributing to the institution’s role as a place of experimentation and exchange.

Hampi Art Labs is a contemporary arts and cultural institution in Karnataka, India, providing a platform for artists, curators, researchers and cultural practitioners through residencies, exhibitions, research, education, workshops, masterclasses and international collaborations.

Reporting to the Director and working closely with the programmes team, the Curator will follow each artist through their three-month residency, providing studio visits, critical advice and relevant connections. Hampi Art Labs runs three residency batches annually, each with up to five artists.

The role requires someone who can move comfortably between studio-based dialogue and wider critical and conceptual thinking, encouraging artists to question their practice, take creative risks and develop compelling conceptual frameworks around their work.

Key Responsibilities

Mentor resident artists through regular studio visits, one-to-one conversations and constructive critical feedback.
Encourage experimentation with new materials, processes and ideas, including through the centre’s production facilities and local artisanal knowledge.
Support artists in developing conceptual frameworks, artist statements, research maps and project proposals.
Design and lead peer critiques, shared readings, informal presentations and group discussions.
Work with the Director and Programmes Manager to shape each residency, balancing independent studio time with critical exchange and reflection.
Support artists in developing open studio presentations that communicate their research, processes and emerging ideas.
Introduce resident artists to relevant curators, writers, galleries, institutions and professional networks.
Connect artists with local artisans, makers and communities where relevant to their research.
Contribute to the selection of residency artists through the open call jury.
Document artists’ progress, provide reports after each residency batch and contribute to programme evaluation.

Qualifications and Experience

Degree in Curatorial Studies, Art History, Fine Arts, Cultural Studies or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
At least five years of curatorial experience, including sustained work with artists in studio-based, residency or research contexts.
Demonstrated experience providing critical feedback to artists and supporting the development of their practices and ideas.
Experience with experimental, material, craft or interdisciplinary artistic practices.
Strong national and international networks of curators, writers, institutions and artists.
Experience facilitating critiques, discussions or other discursive formats.
Strong critical, analytical, writing and interpersonal skills.
Ability to build trust with artists from diverse backgrounds and work collaboratively with institutional teams.
Comfortable working remotely and on-site, with strong organisational and time-management skills.
Willingness to travel to Hampi and work occasional evenings during residency activities.

Familiarity with the Indian and South Asian art context is desirable.

Working Arrangements and Support

The Curator will work approximately one week per month during each three-month residency, across three residency batches annually, amounting to around nine weeks per year.

The balance between remote and on-site work will be agreed with the Director. The role includes studio visits, mid-point reviews, critical discussions, open studio preparation and reporting.

Hampi Art Labs provides accommodation on campus during on-site mentorship and covers reasonable travel expenses for on-site weeks. The professional fee will be agreed with the selected candidate.

Image: Courtesy of Hampi Art Labs.