Art fest off to grand start

BANGALORE: Having reached a crescendo, the Bangalore International Art Festival, organised by Art Mantram, kicked off on Sunday, with ministers, the city’s gliteratti and the art fraternity lining up. Industries minister P.G.R. Sindhia, who inaugurated the fest, declared that the fest should become an annual event and offered his support next year.
Former minister R.V.Deshpande railed that the government had failed to encourage art and culture to the required extent.
The icing on the cake was a brief performance by violin maestro L. Subramaniam who has composed the theme music for the fest along with wife singer Kavita Krishnamurthy.
The boulevard on M.G. Road wore a festive look giving a peek into the years ahead when the city aims to be the art capital. The entire stretch was lined with an impressive array of art work on display. Mayor Ramesh inaugurated the art walkway and the pottery festival which is open to the public.
Forms of art, rarely seen in an urban environment, like Veeragase, Chet Mela, Chowdike, a day in the life of a potter, studio craft are just some highlights.
The pottery festival features names and works which are a rarity in the urbanscape. Pondicherry-based Angad Vohra is conducting a Raku workshop on studio potters and ceramic artists. Contemporary artist Hamsavardhan will bring forth a public installation on the seriousness of the potters profession. Interested persons can also sign up for pottery classes at the Chitra Kala Parishat.
Another novelty is the hand impressions on clay crafted by Labyrinth Team’s Roshan Sethi from Selvipura. This exercise will culminate in ‘Memento Mural for the Unknown Craftsperson’, a mural of 7X5 feet in dimension.
More novelty will shape up with sculptor John Devaraj’s Gondwana Land, a pot approximately 8 feet in height. There are also slide shows on ceramic sculpture, discussions on the relevance of the potter among other events, which will go on till October 27.
Shuttle bus service are available to and from all the 19 galleries.Dance performance: The city will witness some exemplary dance performances brought to Bangalore by Sanjeev Bhargava’s Purana Qila Dance Festival. The festival will feature three top-notch performing groups from Delhi on Oct 18,19 and 20 at the Band Stand, Cubbon Park, 7 pm onwards. On Oct 18, Madhavi Mudgal and troupe will give an Odissi performance, followed by a Bharatnatyam performance by Leela Samson and troupe on Oct 19.
The final day of the festival will see Aditi Mangaldas and troupe in a Kathak performance. Entry will be from Vidhana Soudha.