Delhi has the glitzy India Art Fair, Mumbai has its multicultural Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, Kerala has the world-class Kochi-Muziris Biennale and Namma Bengaluru has Art Bengaluru. Though the festival focuses on visual arts, it has music as an integral component, and now in its seventh edition, world cinema has joined the roster.
Hundred and fifty art works varying from photographs to paintings to sculptural installations by 30 artists who range from upcoming to well-established Indian and international names make up this bouquet.
As soon as you enter UB City, you are greeted by the tactile ceramic sculptures of Adil Writer. The ceramic cubes and books, displayed right next to the elevator, beckons one to come and touch it. And touch you can, because Adil wants you to. He has even put 'Please Touch Me' stickers on the work. “But people are still scared to touch an art work. That is because of the conditioning. But unless you touch a ceramic work, how would you know...,” says the Auroville-based artist known for his mastery over clay.
A second-time participant, Adil says his work may or may not sell here but what is crucial is its presence in a public domain. “I have been observing people here. Two boys came. One of them wanted to touch the work, the other one stopped him saying ‘Arre you are not supposed to touch it. It is art’,” recalled Adil, who is now preparing to go to Barcelona for a collaborative mural project.
Curator of Art Bengaluru 2016, Abhishek Naidu feels that the accessibility the festival affords to the public is one of Art Bengaluru's biggest strengths. “A vast majority of people who come here don't go to the galleries. They feel they don't understand art and are not comfortable entering these serious art spaces,” expresses Abhishek.
The same plus point of accessibility to a common man becomes a challenge as well. How do you capture the attention of people who are not serious art lovers? How do you get them to revisit? How do you develop a taste? “That is a curatorial challenge that we have tried to deal with. Offering a variety which has something for everyone seemed to be the best bet,” says the young curator.
And that's how there are some museum-quality works for nuanced sensibilities and fun interactive art for the uninitiated. Right next to Louis Vuitton showroom are some sculptural works by Gao Rong. The Chinese artist has created some sublime works using threads. For someone who appreciates craft and textiles, these are sheer poetry.
There is no chance of a photography enthusiast missing out on Sharad Haksar's breathtaking visuals of Iceland and Japan displayed so prominently on the bridge. The element of fun is brought in by the light paintings of well-known French grafitti artist Marko93.
On the day of the opening, on August 19, Marko gave a glimpse into his process as he created one of the works installed outside. The artist also conducted a workshop on light painting. “We had to be little careful about not having highly conceptual works in order to enable a common man to be able to relate to it,” expresses Abhishek who is quite proud of the line-up. If Shashi Bharti's works explore the subject of erotica, Suresh Pushpangathan's abstracts are soaked in his travels. A home-grown artist, Suresh says he has seen the festival evolve. “From being a haphazard event to this, it has come a long way. The display part is amazing,” says Suresh.
KNOW YOUR FESTIVAL
1) One of the most senior artists participating in the festival is S.G.Vasudev, who is showing his small format works at Sublime Galleria.
2) Subodh Kerkar is another well-known artist at Art Bengaluru who exhibits his works made out of truck tyres. He has brought a few other significant artists along from his Museum Of Goa.
3) Going by the number of photographs on display, there seems to be a thrust on the medium at this platform as well.
4) Trained art guides are hosting curated art walks. The Art Bengaluru App will provide information on the same.
5) Dutch artist Daan Oude Elferink conducted an extensive talk on his photographs of abandoned structures around the world and on popular demand, he gave another one.
6) World Cinema is the latest addition to the festival with English, Spanish ans Italian films being shown at the festival. Music remains an integral part. While the festival opened with a performance by Karsh Kale Collective, the closing night on August 28 will have Sivamani Siraha Trio.
7) The festival is presented by The Collection -UB City and Sublime Galleria in association with The Prestige Group. One of its major sponsors is Yes Bank, the bank which was associated with India Art Fair, one of the biggest visual art fairs in the country.
