Launched in Mumbai in October, the multi-format event will debut in Delhi in early 2025; Mumbai edition spotlights and celebrates the diversity of Indian art forms, traditions and artists via curated and immersive experiences
Artworks is a vibrant, multi-disciplinary curation of experiences that spotlight Indian creativity through a lens into groundbreaking local creatives, their boundary-pushing projects, immersive spatial installations, and unique collaborative commissions between Indian artists of various forms.
Conceptualised by creative agency Arcade in collaboration with culture-forward agency Nrtya, Artworks is a month-long series of experiences, varying in shapes and sizes, to bring to the fore a celebrated community of Indian artists, and is driven by its commitment to celebrating creativity without constraints or borders.
Most events are free to attend via registration on www.artworksfestival.com except for a few ticketed events.
Scheduled from October 3 to October 27 to take place across different venues in Mumbai, Artworks’ inaugural edition showcases commissioned works of art that uniquely and seamlessly merge at least two art forms – like visual arts, technology, performing arts, music, culinary arts and film.
“Artworks started with the intention of celebrating diverse art subcultures and making it accessible,” says festival director Dame Rynjah. “We’re a dynamic platform that aims to provide artists and enthusiasts in the city with innovative experiences and opportunities to engage with the creative community. Mumbai seemed like an obvious choice, due to the lack of events of this format. Plus, it’s a city we all know and love,” he adds.
The first phase of announcements include an integration with Mumbai Gallery Association for their Thursday Art Night experience on October 10, where ArtWorks co-programmes music artists at multiple Mumbai galleries associated with MGA. The aim of this collaboration is to engage art enthusiasts outside of the art community and raise awareness of the rich cultural art heritage of the city among younger demographics.
At APRE Art House’s Alternate Gaze exhibit by Georgina Maddox, Artworks presents a special acoustic Art Night Thursday performance by multi-instrumentalist, performer, and singer/rapper Lojal.
At Chemould CoLab’s Mind Echo exhibit, Artworks x Art Night Thursday special includes a performance by frequent collaborators classical musician Nush Lewis and classical vocalist Chandana Bala Kalyan whereas selectors Sumit Vaswani and Sumer Mehta will take audiences on night-exploration of hip-hop at Gallery XXL where Marina Zumi’s artworks will be on display as part of her first solo exhibition in India titled SEW DENTS ON EVERY SKYLINE.
The culmination of Art Night Thursday will be a mixer at Kala Ghoda Café’s Wine Bar, audiophile-forward space, where Abhi Meer, a musician, DJ and educator from Mumbai will be behind the decks.
Also part of the calendar is a special collaborative commission, Immersive Soundscape, featuring Mumbai-based innovative electronica producer Three Oscillators at Chemould CoLab. Produced in interpretation of the gallery’s Mind Echo exhibit, the auditory experience is built to soundtrack your surroundings and for deeper immersion into the art on show. The auditory soundscape experience is available all day until October 19.
One of the marquee events of the multidisciplinary festival is a film showcase at the G5A Warehouse led by award-winning Mumbai filmmaker Reema Maya on October 11. The experience will feature screenings of Reema’s films, Nocturnal Burger and Counterfeit Kunkoo, followed by a masterclass, and an audience Q&A.
Nocturnal Burger addresses heavy themes such as trauma, fantasy, paranoia, and child abuse, all set within the chaotic confines of a dysfunctional police station in Mumbai. Counterfeit Kunkoo – which premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2018 – is a story of housing discrimination in Mumbai and the patriarchal propriety which undergirds it. Tickets for the October 11 event can be bought here.
On October 19 at an old Bandra landmark, Artworks’ concept comes to life with an all-encompassing celebration of its multidisciplinary approach. The Artworks Experience will bring together artists of varying formats, mediums and styles under a single roof – the iconic Pioneer Hall.
From art installations to fashion workshops, from hyperlocal environmental exhibits to screen printing activities and a spotlight on forgotten ancient culinary traditions, The Artworks Experience assembles a day-to-night curation of immersive art experiences at the intersection of multiple creative ideologies and features artists like celebrated sculptor Arzan Khambatta, Bandra-based printing initiative Dirty Hands Co, multi-disciplinary project BWBT (Boys Will Be Toys) featuring artists Humhu, Ankit Verma and TITO, and electronic music producer and digital art innovator Spryk, among others.
More events as part of Artworks inaugural edition will be announced soon. Please follow @artworksfest on Instagram for more details.
