The staircase at Wandering Artist, RA Puram, is like the door to Narnia. A peek inside and there’s not a clue as to what you’ll find. At Sriram Ayer’s space for art, artists, and art-lovers alike, no two events are the same. It’s exactly how he envisioned it in October of 2016, when he and partner Kavery Poovanna first opened it.
“I wanted to create a non-elitist environment where someone could learn, experience, and get inspired artistically while also learning from the masters,” Ayer says. For him, art is boundless. And so, Wandering Artist hosts everything from Carnatic and Hindustani performances to more eclectic blends.
“We’re very agnostic to any form of culture and genre,” Ayer explains. He calls it a mindset, one that led him straight to musician Anil Srinivasan. “We’ve been friends and have collaborated over the years,” he says. When looking for a creative mind to curate projects, he says that Srinivasan was an “obvious choice”.
“Anil has been instrumental in bringing independent music to the forefront here in Chennai. He has a sensibility of what works in what space, and his network of musicians is immense,” Ayer says.
Srinivasan’s series will feature singer Sharanya Gopinath in its fourth segment this weekend.
“I was asked to present music from the 50s through the 70s, and will be featuring some of my favourites — Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald. I love jazz and R&B, so I hope to bring a certain amount of nostalgia to the crowd,” says Gopinath, thrilled with the brief.
Having performed extensively both in and out of the city, Gopinath says this performance is different in some respects: she’ll be taking the stage with percussionist David Joseph, guitarist Naveen Samson, and bassist Elvis Gabriel for the first time.
Ayer notes that it’s the first Western music performance they’ll be hosting.
“I was blown away by Sharanya’s musicality, range and repertoire when I heard her first,” Ayer says. The admiration is mutual. “Wandering Artist, as a concept, is brilliant because the audience is given the art in a very intimate and honest way. There’s nothing to distract from the music and I think that’s a truly beautiful thing,” concludes Gopinath.
The band presents Summer of Love at Wandering Artist, today, at 7 pm.
