About Us

Art for Land – is a collaborative action of Aurovilians and friends of Auroville to raise funds for the purchase of the still-missing lands to consolidate Auroville’s Master Plan area.

Art for Land is organized by Auroville’s Unity Pavilion in collaboration with Auroville Art Service to support the Acres for Auroville land campaign.

More than 120 Artists from Auroville, the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, the worldwide centers of Auroville International, and from all over India, generously donate their works in a wide range of media- painting, sculpture, ceramic, glassware, jewelry, prints and photographs.

All Art for Land proceeds go to the Acres for Auroville Land Campaign to be used exclusively by Auroville’s Land Board for the purchase of missing lands within Auroville’s Master Plan area.

The Land is the material necessity for securing the full development of the Auroville vision - the City of Dawn, thank-you-art-for-land-2021.

see The Charter

see A Dream

see https://land.auroville.org

For more on Auroville www.auroville.org

The need to secure Auroville's Master Plan Land

Currently about 11% of land in the City Area still remains to be acquired; these are remaining plots essential for creating a consolidated urban, cultural and economic center.

Almost 68 % of the Greenbelt area is still missing - guaranteeing life for the township and ecological protection for its bioregion. Rapid urbanisation from nearby Pondicherry and the buying-up of agricultural land for commercial development is now a serious challenge to Auroville’s physical integrity and harmonious development.

For more information on the land and how you can help, please visit the dedicated site: https://land.auroville.org

The Auroville International Township

Auroville is an evolving international township in South India, dedicated to Human Unity and Unity in Diversity. It is hosted by India and works with the Government of India on the central, regional and local level. It has been endorsed by UNESCO resolutions and recognized for its importance to the Future of Humanity.

Auroville was founded on 28th February 1968 by Mirra Alfassa, known as "The Mother," and is based on the philosophy and teaching of Sri Aurobindo, the great Indian Freedom fighter, Seer, Philosopher, and Poet.

Since its inauguration, people from all over the world have been working together towards a new way of living and being.

Today, Auroville is well-established and recognized for both its inspiring vision and its practical material results including its well known environmental achievements. It has collaborative outreach initiatives with 80 villages in its bioregion, with numerous NGO's and international organizations across the world.

Holding the Vision

"Man is a transitional being, he is not final. Evolution is not finished; reason is not the last word nor the reasoning animal the supreme figure of Nature," observes Sri Aurobindo,

"There is something that he is not yet which he has to be; he is reaching always towards the something yet unrealised; his whole life and nature is a preparation, an endeavour of Nature towards what is beyond.”

In this spirit of evolution and endeavor, the 3000+ residents living in Auroville representing almost 60 nations, hold the vision in their hearts, minds, meditations and daily actions. They bring their energies together to build the city, striving to widen and grow with the experiment which will ultimately realize and manifest fully the City of Dawn.

THE JOURNEY OF ART FOR LAND

Auroville as a community is very rich ln art, creativity and beauty.

In the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Sri Aurobindo and the Mother always encouraged the sadhaks to develop these faculties and the Ashram is rich in all the artistic expressions.

Sri Aurobindo was a great poet as well as a writer par excellence and the Mother was an artist, musician and writer. In this context many artists see art as an integral part of their sadhana and this shines through the AfL annual exhibition.

In 2015, Art for Land was born when Ashram artist Sunayana Panda proposed that Acres for Auroville create an art fundraiser for the land. This idea was accepted with enthusiasm and developed by Mandakini of A4A along with Jasmin and Aravinda, who had already created a beautiful collection of African artworks for Auroville. They saw that there could be a way for artists to contribute towards the land through selling their works in a consolidated action with the proceeds going to secure the Land. With this idea they invited artists from Auroville and the Ashram and held a small exhibition followed by an auction of the artworks.

The following year this work was taken up on a larger scale by the Unity Pavilion Team working closely with Mandakini, A4A and the Auroville Art Service.The Exhibition has grown in participation and quality over the years, every year seeing a richer harvest!

This can be seen as the generation of Generosity which flows towards the realization of the land for the City of Dawn that the Mother had envisaged land for the City of Dawn that Mother had envisaged, based on Sri Aurobindos teachings and their shared vision and work.

Over the years this flow was widened as others asked, "How can we who are not artist participate?"

In this way the Grace Lottery,The Generosity Fair and the Afternoon Tea Party developed, as well as the Monthly Contribution project. In 2019 The Art for Land expanded with individual Exhibitions in Pondicherry Galeries and Hotels; this work is on hold presently, due to the lockdown situation.

However it will still be part of the Art for Land ongoing development.

Join us in being part of building the City the Earth needs !

“The Lands for Auroville are to be bought and can be bought. The money is needed.”

How can you help? Purchase an artwork,Volunteer, donate, Get involved.