Khoj started as an annual workshop in 1997 founded by Ajay Desai, Anita Dube,
Bharti Kher,
Subodh Gupta, Prithpal Singh Ladi, Manisha Parekh and Pooja Sood, collectively known as the 'working group'. Led by artists, it was an initiative
for artists
by artists. The cooperative structure of Khoj is modelled on various workshops held in the
UK and
Africa which were supported and guided by the
Triangle Arts Trust, based in
London. The first international workshop, coordinated by Ajay Desai, took place in 1997 with twenty-two artists from India and countries like Cuba, Kenya, Namibia, Austria, Australia, United Kingdom, South Africa, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Supported and guided by
Robert Loder of Triangle Arts Trust, Dayawati Modi Foundation and Eicher Gallery,
Delhi, the two-week workshop took place in Sikribagh, situated on the edges of Modinagar, an industrial town north of Delhi, which remained its venue for the annual workshops for the next five years. In India, when art was still reserved for the institutional confines of galleries, Khoj 1999 workshop produced some new language with performance art by artists like
Subodh Gupta from India, Michael Shaonawasai from Thailand and
Song Dong from China. Known for providing an alternate forum for experimentation outside of institutional frameworks, Khoj started first of its kind, 'itinerant' workshops. The first 'itinerant' workshop was held in
Mysore, Karnataka in 2002 which was followed by Khoj
Mumbai in 2005 and Khoj
Kolkata in 2006. These workshops were organised by artists who had experienced Khoj workshops earlier. In 2007, Khoj organised Khoj Kasheer in Lalmandi,
Srinagar, the first international art project to be held in
Kashmir since 1947. With the help of Robert Loder, Khoj set up its studio building in Khirkee Village, near Malviya Nagar, New Delhi in 2002. ==Khoj Studios==