Chirag Jindal
About
Artist and surveyor Chirag Jindal works at the intersection of documentary journalism and contemporary cartography. After graduating with his Master of Architecture in 2016, Jindal began practicing with terrestrial LiDAR - an emerging form of lens-based imaging applied in archaeological surveying and criminal forensics. He employs this technique to document our relationship to marginalised landscapes, seeking to “unravel the hidden effects, and unseen layers, of human presence.” In his 2018 debut series “ Into The Underworld”, Jindal creates tracings of ancient lava caves underneath the city of Auckland. Unique to the volcanic region and held sacred by local iwi, the sites now lie dilapidated by a century of rapid urban sprawl. Through exercises in exploring, mapping, and revealing, Jindal takes an empirical approach to bring a mythified world into the domain of public visibility, offering it as something to be recognised, preserved and managed as a shared heritage.
Education
2013
University of Auckland, Bachelor of Architectural Studies
2016
University of Auckland, Master of Architecture (First Class Honours)
Work
2018-present
Founder & Director, A RCLAB | Auckland NZ
2016-2017
Architectural Assistant, Architectus | Auckland NZ 2018, Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Auckland | NZ
Exhibitions (Group)
2020
Nuit De La Photo, Musée des beaux-arts | La Chaux-de-Fonds, SWITZERLAND
International Photography Exhibition, Royal Photographic Society | London UK
Framing Vision, Copenhagen Photo Festival | Copenhagen DK
Related Realities, Backlight Photo Triennale | Tampere FI
Aesthetica Art Prize, York Art Gallery | London UK
Arte Laguna Prize, Arsenale di Venezia | Venice IT
New Zealand Garden, Ars Electronica (virtual) | Auckland NZ
2019
RT Nelson Emerging Artist Award, NZ Art Fair | Wellington NZ
Central Otago Arts Gold, C entral Stories Museum | Otago NZ
Sunny Art Prize, Sunny Art Centre | London UK
Malamegi Lab 13, Piazza Di Pietra Gallery | Rome IT
Interphoto Grand Prix, Interphoto Festival | Bialystok POL
Bird in Flight Prize, SET art Space | Kyiv UKRAINE
BBA Photography Prize, BBA Gallery | Berlin, GER
London Group Open, The Cello Factory | London UK
Meitar Award, Photo Israel Festival | Tel Aviv ISRAEL
Exhibitions (Solo)
2021
Untitled Solo Exhibition of New Project, Interphoto Festival, Bialystok POL
Into The Underworld / Ngā Mahi Rarowhenua, BBA Gallery, Berlin GER
The Palisade, Wright’s Hill Fortress, Wellington NZ
2020
Into The Underworld / Ngā Mahi Rarowhenua, Copenhagen Photo Festival (Forthcoming June 2020)
Into The Underworld / Ngā Mahi Rarowhenua, BBA Gallery, Berlin GER (Forthcoming September 2020)
The Palisade, W right’s Hill Fortress, Wellington NZ (Forthcoming 2020-2021)
2018
Into The Underworld / Ngā Mahi Rarowhenua, Silo 6, Auckland NZ
Publications (featured in & self-published)
Accompanying Festival Catalogues
2021
International Photography Annual 8 (INPHA 8)
2020
Future Now 2020: 100 Contemporary Artists, Aesthetica Art Magazine.
European Photography 106.
2018
The Architecture of Katabasis, The Art of the Point Cloud.
Into The Underworld / Ngā Mahi Rarowhenua: A Selection of Critical Texts.
2016
The Architecture of Katabasis, March. Thesis.
Recognition
Winner, Under 30s Award, Royal Photographic Society | London UK 2020
Winner, RT Nelson Emerging Artist Award | Wellington NZ 2019
Winner, NZ Art Fair People’s Choice Award | Wellington NZ 2019
Winner, Interphoto Grand Prix | Bialystok POLAND 2019
Winner, BBA Photography Prize | Berlin GER 2019
Winner, LAB 13 Art Prize | Rome IT 2019
Winner, Schauerman Digital Art Prize | London UK 2019
Winner, Tall Poppy Prize, Central Otago Arts Gold | Otago NZ 2019
Finalist, Majaoja Prize | Tampere FINLAND (winner TBC Sep 5 2020)
Finalist, Bird in Flight Prize | Kyiv UKRAINE 2019
Finalist, Aesthetica Art Prize | London UK 2019
Finalist, Meitar Award | Tel Aviv ISRAEL 2019
Finalist, Arte Laguna Prize | Venice ITALY 2019
Finalist, Lumen Art Prize | London UK 2018
Articles & Interviews
2020
UOA RPS promotion 2020 ARTDOC RPS award win
2018
NZ Geographic
Stuff NZ
Metro NZ
UOA Interview
Radio NZ Interview