A play, a concert or a painting?

A theatre with a bookstore and a gallery, a metro station as an installation art space…the possibilities are endless in Bengaluru’s ever changing artistic landscape.

May 27, 2015 08:22 pm | Updated 08:41 pm IST

The shops at Bengaluru Haatresemble market places across Karnataka. Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.

The shops at Bengaluru Haatresemble market places across Karnataka. Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.

Art and performance spaces in Bengaluru are adopting a multi-disciplinary approach to accommodate varied art forms. Jagriti Theatre, for example, has opened their space to activities other than theatre, such as stand-up comedy.

Atta Galatta is known not only for its library, but also for its performance space and bakery. Rangashankara, though primarily a theatre space, is also well-known for its bookstore, café and its recently-opened, art gallery, Kitaki-The Window.

Rangoli Metro Art Centre’s location as a transit point makes it convenient for people to engage with the arts. U.A. Vasanth Rao, General manager (finance), Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), says the Rangoli Metro Art Centre has always looked to patronise art forms. As you stroll down the centre, you will pass art galleries, sculptures, Rangasthala, the auditorium, shops and stalls selling handicrafts, pottery and textiles. Despite the noise of traffic, you will be immersed in the world of art and culture. Vasanth says the space was set up to be a cultural hub. “When the metro was first started, there were protests against it. So we thought why not give back to the people of Bengaluru? Why not set up an urban-cultural space in a prominent place where all kinds of people can experience art. We created three galleries: One large gallery, Vismaya, and two small galleries, Belaku and Chaya.”

The galleries have on display not just prominent artists’ works, but also junior and mid-career artists. The Uncommon Canvas , an exhibition of paintings—on view till June 7— features paintings by senior artists such as Milind Nayak, S.G. Vasudev and Yusuf Arakkal. Vasanth says he endeavours to promote traditional performance art forms such as puppetry and storytelling. “Storytelling sessions by members of the Bangalore Storytelling Society now has an audience of 50 to 80 people.” Music is also a big draw in Rangoli, including busking sessions and drumjams. “For two years, there have been drumjams by Vasundhara Das and Roberto Narain on a Sunday. It is amazing to see how everyone’s beats synchronise, and the way people respond to the music.”

BMRCL’s Bengaluru Haat, at the Swami Vivekanand Metro Station, is a completely different experience from Rangoli Metro Art Center. It is built to showcase Kannada art and culture. “There are 80 shops resembling the different major market places of Karnataka,” says Vasanth Rao. The pathways have been built using waste material from the metro station, while the shops have been built in the style of traditional homes in Karnataka, out of material sourced from the villages.

While discussing vibrant cultural spaces, Rangashankara stands out. S. Surendranath, artistic director, Rangashankara, says setting up Kitaki was a logical decision to extend the art experience.

“We want to give a complete experience for the viewer who comes to watch plays. The bookstore also enhances the experience.” On display, till May 29, at Kitaki, is UK-based photographer Christopher Taylor’s Institutions , which explores Mumbai’s and Kolkata’s imperial buildings.

Initiatives such as India Foundation for Arts’ (IFA) Project 560 seek to bring art and culture alive in ‘found’ spaces, and thereby engage the neighbourhoods. “When we speak about art engaging with the community, we need to ask what do we mean by the community?” says Arundhati Ghosh, Executive Director, IFA, adding, “Under Project 560 we have a separate category of curated walks. Not just artists. It could be anybody who knows the history of a neighbourhood or the life story of a famous person who lived in a particular neighbourhood, who can conduct these walks. At the heart of it lies sharing stories about our neighbourhoods.”

Whether through spaces or through programmes and initiatives, Bengaluru’s art and culture community are choosing to become multi-disciplinary in every sense.

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