Khoj International Artists' Association Fosters Community Networks Through Khirkee Voice Newspaper and Artist Projects

Khoj International Artists' Association operates from New Delhi's Khirkee Village, a neighborhood undergoing rapid gentrification while hosting diverse migrant populations from Afghanistan, Somalia, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Guyana. The organization publishes Khirkee Voice, a quarterly newspaper edited by artists Malini Kochupillai and Mahavir Singh Bisht that compensates community contributors fairly. Artist Swati Janu established a phone recharge shop and recording studio in Khirkee to research informal economies and enable music creation. Congolese refugee Romeo Kiseke Lembisa became a local sensation after using the studio following his 2017 arrival in India. Khoj's small team includes curator Mario D'Souza, programmer Radha Mahendru, administrator Mila Samdub, and director Pooja Sood, who has led since the association's 1997 founding. The organization launched its PEERS residency program that same year, providing early support for now-prominent Indian contemporary artists. Khoj positions itself as an alternative to competitive gallery systems by building long-term community networks and addressing political polarization through artistic engagement. The Spring 2018 issue of ArtReview Asia documented these initiatives amid India's ongoing economic reforms affecting migrant communities.