Astha Butail Wins Sixth BMW Art Journey for Oral Traditions Research

Astha Butail has been named winner of the sixth BMW Art Journey, a collaborative award from Art Basel and BMW. Selected from a shortlist including Julian Charrière and Lin Ke, whose work was shown in the Discoveries sector at Art Basel Hong Kong, Butail's winning proposal is titled 'In the Absence of Writing'. The Gurgaon-based artist will investigate memory and living traditions through oral poetry, traveling to Iran, Israel, the UK, and India to study Zoroastrian Avesta, Jewish Oral Torah, and Indian Veda traditions. Her methodology involves observing memory techniques and interviewing scholars and practitioners, aiming to document endangered oral traditions. Art Basel and BMW will work with Butail to document the journey through print publications, online platforms, and social media. The jury, which included Claire Hsu of Asia Art Archive, Bose Krishnamachari of Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Matthias Mühling of Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus and Kunstbau, Alexandra Munroe of Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and Pauline J. Yao of M+, praised the proposal's sensitivity and its expansion of Butail's practice exploring history and identity. They noted how the project combines ethnography, spirituality, and sociology.