A celebration of art and music

This week witnessed the inauguration of the much-awaited Whitefield Art Collective, as VR Bengaluru opened gates to its third edition. The event that, in its short span, has made its way into the diary of art lovers and aficionados in the city, was inaugurated by Bose Krishnamachari, co-founder and President of the Kochi Biennale Foundation.
The 2018 edition began on an engaging note as an eminent panel — comprising renowned artists Bose and Veer Munshi, Shashidharan M (Professor at MSU Baroda) and Nalini S Malaviya (Art Critic and Consultant) spoke about public art and its relevance in a discussion moderated by Sumi Gupta — Director at Virtuous Retail and curator of the festival.The discussion highlighted how public art influences lives of people and becomes a commentary on the times one lives in. Public art becomes especially relevant when it proffers a strong
platform to upcoming artists for showcasing their talents or even making a strong statement.
The discussion was followed by the unveiling of the VR Art Car Project by Veer Munshi, now in its 4th avatar, to an overwhelming reception. The installation, a befitting centrepiece to the initiative, has already attracted art lovers of the city and offers a promising backdrop to the selfie-loving crowd of the city. The launch was also marked by the installation of the Interactive Wall Art, taking forward the ‘Art is for All’ initiative, with the inaugural strokes of all artists and aficionados present at the event, and continues to be one of the biggest pulls for all visitors.
The day drew to a close with a performance by Best Kept Secret. The band lit up the atmosphere with their original compositions and some well-known covers. Patrons at The Whitefield Arms, the Anglo-Indian Pub and Microbrewery, were treated to an evening of art-meets-music.

The transformation of the Black Box into an aesthetic platform for art lovers and connoisseurs is remarkable. The month-long festival, from January 19 to February 15, has on display more than a hundred unique artworks — including paintings, sculptures and audio visual installations — a collection curated from partnering organizations from best Art Institutions in the country. Some of the featured artists include Mayadhar Sahu, Yati Jaiswal, Shobin Bhattacharjee, Mukesh Singh, Kanwal Pal and Shubham Agarwal among others.
One of the most awaited event is the Mini Art Project — a children’s art competition in collaboration with 3M, which is scheduled for this weekend i.e. January 27 and 28. The search for the next generation of talent began with the Children’s Art Competition. The previous edition saw the participation of over 300 students taking inspiration from the art installations across the centre, and painting their interpretations or giving language to their own imagination. Some of the best schools from the city geared up to go head-to-head in this prestigious art competition while lending to our theme of ‘Connecting Communities’. This edition has already generated a lot of interest among talented young artists who are keen to make this most of the artful ambience that Whitefield Art Collective offers.
The festival will also feature unique art related events throughout the duration Art pop-up stores, The Basement Art Project and Art Cinema under the skies at the Skydeck.