Art for (of and by) All
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July 25 to 31, 11 am to 6:30 pm*, Goethe Institut Max Mueller Bhavan, Kolkata
What happens when residents, local organizations, artists and ordinary citizens come together to transform their everyday environments into art spaces? Could you imagine an art space in a little known mental hospital or through the back alleys of an abandoned colony? Art for All is a week-long exhibition that explores these questions through two community art projects - CPT Chalo Painting Tangai at the Old Port Trust Colony in Taratala, and Across the Lines at Pavlov Mental Hospital in Gobra. These projects took shape over three months, with each collaborator stepping out of their comfort zone to make art together. The artists had the unusual challenge of working in unfamiliar spaces outside their studios, and had to find ways to make art interesting and accessible to children and residents with no formal training. The community members suddenly found their everyday schedules were altered as they spent more and more time immersed in paints and plaster, while local organizations worked tirelessly to build networks that could help secure the right permissions and raise funds. For a week in January 2019, the projects were brought to life, temporally transforming these peripheral corners of Kolkata into a hub of activity. These two projects will now culminate in a week-long exhibition at the Goethe Institut that explores the rippling affects of coming together and infusing our shared spaces with art. It makes a case for collaborative art-making in communities, while unpacking the challenges, and explores how artists, communities, government institutions and local organizations can start to make ‘art for all’. *Free and open to all on all days except Sundays |
Events
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Opening and Art for All Portrait Studio
25 July, 2019 6 pm to 8pm We are redefining who is called an artist for the opening so you can experience first-hand what happens when art is truly for all. Come by for an walk through of the exhibition, have your portrait painted by the participating artists and join the conversation and debate on why we think art should be for, of and by all. |
Social Art Lab
27 July, 2019 1 pm to 4 pm What is the role of art in society, especially in these divisive and fast changing times? Should artists and civil society organizations collaborate? What to do we need to learn from each other in order to shape a more critical, empathetic and inclusive society? We will be exploring these critical questions and working towards building new collaborations through a half day Lab. This Lab will be facilitated by some of the leading NGOs, arts organizations and artists in Kolkata including Anjali, Jungle Crows Foundation, ThinkArts, Art Rickshaw and Hamdasti and is free and open to all. |
Artist Presentations
27 July, 2019 5 pm to 7 pm The artists, participants and organizations who came together to develop the community art projects at the CPT Colony and Pavlov Hospital had to step out of their comfort zones, devise new methodologies of collaboration and art-making, while attempting to create something that is meaningful. Come experience their journeys and explore the process of developing CPT Chalo Painting Tangai and Across the Lines. Help us unpack the questions, challenges and traces that remain and chart the road ahead. |
