QUANTUM: Curatorial Fellowship

What does it mean to measure something? What roles do observation and measurement play in determining what can be known about a quantum system? And what can we say about possibilities that are not observed?

Science Gallery Bengaluru invites emerging curators and curatorial collectives of Indian nationality, based in India, to apply for our inaugural Curatorial Fellowship, as part of QUANTUM. Artists, researchers, and cultural practitioners with interdisciplinary practice are also eligible to apply.

The fellowship offers an opportunity to develop a companion exhibition in response to QUANTUM. We are looking for practitioners working across disciplines, forms of knowledge, and practices, and interested in developing a curatorial proposition through research and collaboration..

The selected fellow will be mentored by interdisciplinary artist Moonis Ahmad Shah, whose practice moves across installation, sculpture, and computer programming. The mentorship will involve conceptual dialogue, feedback, and discussion throughout the development of the curation.

The fellow will have access to the QUANTUM exhibition and relevant research materials, as well as opportunities to engage with artists and researchers involved in the exhibition. They will also work with the Science Gallery Bengaluru curatorial and programmes teams and, where appropriate, relevant researchers and subject experts.

We are interested in proposals that use quantum physics as a starting point for developing new questions and connections across disciplines. These might consider observation and measurement, uncertainty and probability, histories of scientific discovery, computation and information, quantum technologies, or relationships between quantum physics and other forms of knowledge and practice.

The fellow may work with existing works, research, archives, or practices, and may commission new artworks as part of the exhibition. New commissions and production are to be developed within the available budget, however, independent streams of funding will not be discouraged provided they fall within our guidelines. 

The companion exhibition will be presented in a designated gallery space at Science Gallery Bengaluru, accompanied by a public programme. The fellow will be responsible for developing the curatorial proposition and implement the installation of the exhibition at Science Gallery Bengaluru. 

The fellowship will run from November 2026 to March 2027, with the companion exhibition opening in June 2027.

What makes a strong proposal?

We are looking for proposals that:

● have a clear and considered curatorial proposition;

● demonstrate experience working across disciplines, practices, or forms of knowledge;

● engage meaningfully with the questions raised by QUANTUM;

● demonstrate an ability or willingness to develop an exhibition through research and collaboration; and

● are feasible within the available resources and timeline.

We are particularly interested in practitioners who are still developing their curatorial approach and would benefit from sustained mentorship. Applicants may come from curatorial, artistic, research, or other interdisciplinary backgrounds, and should demonstrate previous work, projects, or experiences that speak to their ability to develop ideas through research, collaboration, or engagement across disciplines.

What should I submit?

1. Curatorial proposal —      500  words

Your proposal should outline the curatorial proposition for the companion exhibition and accompanying public programme, including the questions it will explore, its relationship to QUANTUM, and the kinds of works, practices, research, or contributors it might bring together. You may also indicate any new commissions you are considering.

The proposal does not need to be a fully resolved exhibition plan. We are interested in your curatorial thinking, point of view, and the connections you see between QUANTUM and the proposition you are developing.

Please review QUANTUM before responding to this prompt: https://quantum.scigalleryblr.org/exhibition

2. CV 

Please submit a current CV 

 3. Statement of Purpose

Please share a statement outlining your approach to curation and the ideas that inform your understanding of the curatorial process. We are interested in how you think about the what, how, and why of curation — the questions you believe curation can ask, the kinds of relationships it can create, and the ways you imagine working with artists, ideas, audiences, and contexts.

You do not need to have previous curatorial experience to respond to this prompt. You may draw on your experiences across art, culture, research, or other fields, as well as projects or encounters that have shaped your understanding of what curation can be.

4. Two references

Please provide the name, email address, phone number, and relationship to the applicant for two referees.

5. Indicative budget

If your proposal involves new commissions or significant production, please briefly indicate how you anticipate using the available budget.

Fellowship support

The selected fellow will receive a curatorial fee of ₹60,000 and a production budget of up to ₹2,00,000. The production budget can be used towards artist fees, commissions, fabrication, materials, and other production requirements for the companion exhibition.

Timeline

Open Call: 27 September – 27 October 2026

Interviews: 6–7 November 2026

Fellowship: November 2026 – March 2027

Production & Installation: April – June 2027

Showcase: 5 June – 7 August 2027

About QUANTUM

QUANTUM is Science Gallery Bengaluru's current exhibition-season, exploring questions around measurement, observation, uncertainty, possibility, and the nature of reality.

Bringing together artists, scientists, researchers, and other practitioners, QUANTUM considers quantum physics through multiple forms of inquiry and asks how ideas emerging from quantum science might connect to the ways we understand knowledge, matter, technology, and the world around us.

QUANTUM launched on 8 August 2026 and runs until August 2027. 

About the Mentor

Moonis Ahmad Shah is a visual artist whose practice moves across installation, sculpture, and computer programming. His work explores the emergence of counter-worlds and relationships between physical, technological, and imagined environments.

About SGB

Science Gallery Bengaluru (SGB) is a public institution for research-based engagement at the interface between the human, social and natural sciences, and engineering, art and design. We do so through Living Exhibitions, Public Engagement Programmes, Mentorship Initiative, and a pioneering Public Lab Complex. Our founding partner is the Government of Karnataka. We also draw on the intellectual capital of three of India’s leading research institutions: the Indian Institute of Science is our lead academic partner, and the National Centre for Biological Sciences, and International Centre for Theoretical Sciences are our collaborating academic partners.

Science Gallery Bengaluru is Asia's first, India’s only, and the world’s largest member of the Global Science Gallery Network with sister galleries in London, Melbourne, and Monterrey. We are the only free-standing gallery in the network, located outside the walls of a university.

Questions?

For any queries regarding the open call, please contact us at:

programmes@bengaluru.sciencegallery.com