Sursuna Environmental Art also known as Chander Haat, is a non-profit organization, run by a group of artists for the benefit of artists and those interested in the arts. Sursuna Environmental Art was founded twenty two years ago by Mr. Tarun Dey and some time along the way it became to be known as Chander Haat. Sprawling over approximately 25000 square feet of land with studios and artist residencies, the primary aim of Chander Haat includes the fostering and promotion of art, to further the understanding of it, and to encourage and stimulate artists to bring out the best in them.
Chander Haat is a collective art space, that encourages inter-disciplinary activities, to generate a broad platform for community based art practice. Over the years Chander Haat has become quite popular because of the creative engagements with artist who are strongly dedicated to their works, which involves different cultural activities like music and dance. Drama has played a vital role and has become integral to the community based art practice nurtured at Chander Haat.
The focus of art has moved more onto the Visual Language and its possibilities, Chander Haat has also gradually become a lively and active center for the practice and promotion of visual language as its primary zone of interest. However, the art practice at Chander Haat is not constrained by conventional mediums, like painting or sculpture, but is open to new genres and innovative fields which give complete justification to the phrase contemporary art, by engaging with other alternative arts such as installation, video art and performance art. The activities at Chander Haat have expanded to include art education and art residencies. It supports and encourage innovative and experimental ideas among the artist.
The Artist-in-Residence program provides opportunities to artists, academics, curators, and people of all forms of creative arts with time and space away from their usual environment and obligations. They allow an individual and/or group to explore his or her practice in a different culture, by meeting likeminded people, using new materials and experiencing life in a new environment. The residency emphasizes the importance of meaningful and multi-layered cultural exchange thereby allowing immersion into another culture.