The Vera List Center for Art and Politics declared Avni Sethi as recipient of the Jane Lombard Prize for Art and Social Justice for 2020-22 for her project Conflictorium, a museum of conflict in Mirzapur, Ahmedabad. “Museums are not normally formed around conflicts, yet Conflictorium is not a normal museum. Initiated and directed by Avni Sethi, a cultural organizer, and trained Kathak dancer, it reflects Sethi’s interdisciplinary, boundary-crossing practice and ethos,” the jury citation mentioned. Curated by Avni Sethi at the age of 23, in 2013, 'Conflictorium', with its tagline “keep talking”, aims to encourage people to discuss conflicts in a healthy manner rather than brushing these incidents under the carpet by simply refusing to talk about them. Hosting Conflictorium in New York in the fall of 2021 will shed light on the current political relationship between India and the United States, one based on mutual complicity, without criticism or reproach, the jury citation mentioned. Established at The New School in 1992, the Vera List Centre for Art and Politics is a scholarly research centre and a public forum for art, culture, and politics. The New School’s Jane Lombard Prize for Art and Social Justice is awarded by the Vera List Center for Art and Politics to an artist or a group of artists in recognition of a particular project’s long-term impact, boldness, and artistic excellence.
