For an art and cultural aficionado, there no better place than Mumbai for a daily fix of the arts. Whether it’s a new photography exhibition, poetry slam, dramatic recitation, art walk, or a simple display of graffiti on the street walls, the city thrives on creativity.
One festival that has become synonymous with art and Mumbai is the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival (KGAF). The annual event brings together a number of experts and enthusiasts to discuss the impact, influences, or just plain ‘art talk’.
Now, in the hope of keeping the momentum going throughout the year, the festival, in partnership with AVID Learning (the cultural philanthropy arm of the Essar Group) and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) is starting a monthly programme, ‘The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival series 2016-17: A Series around Arts and Culture in the City’. The events will discuss everything from art, to design, architecture, music, food, theatre, fashion, environment, literature, innovation and film.
The first programme, ‘Heritage Goes Pop: Design and Culture in Contemporary Times,’ is being organised in tandem with the Italian Consulate, and features Giorgio Galleani, head of collections at the Triennale Design Museum of Milan.
The talk brings together a dynamic tapestry of voices from art history, museology, anthropology, fashion and design to discuss the contemporary imagery of Italy and India, the significance of history in the designing of a country, architectural icons who have helped shape a city’s characteristics, and the need to preserve the old alongside the new.
“India isn’t quite there yet when it comes to designing spaces in museums, and we’re going to understand how to change that with Galleani’s expertise,” says Asad Lalljee, CEO of Avid Learning, curator of the KGAF monthly Series’16 and co-curator of the KGAF Literature section. Other panellists include Alok Nanda, advertising and branding professional, and Rooshad Shroff, architect-designer for the Christian Louboutin store in Bangkok, who will be in conversation with art critic Dr. Alka Pande.
“The cultural consumption in the city has grown by leaps and bounds, I’m always looking for new places for my culture fix,” explains Lalljee. He believes that it’s heartening to constantly work on projects that define the soul of a city. “In our previous AVID workshops it was surprising if we even had 15 people attending, and now we have over 50 on a daily basis,” he says.
Future workshops will feature a food map of Mumbai, with talks on the city’s culinary legacy and fusion cuisine with Bombay Canteen’s Chef Floyd Cardoz, Rohan Mirchandani’s Hokey Pokey Ice Cream and Epigamia Greek Yogurt, and a food tour by journalist and food writer, Vikram Doctor.
The flow of creative conversation keeps the charisma of an extensively romanticised city alive. And with monthly sessions bringing together a culmination of diverse voices using the city as a stage, it proves that some things are worth romanticising over.
The author is a freelance writer
‘Heritage Goes Pop: Design and Culture in Contemporary Times,’ August 1, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Fort, from 6.30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Entry is free.
