By Tricitynews
Reporter
Chandigarh 02nd
November:- Virtuous
Retail South Asia’s regional flagship center, VR Punjab, today announced the
inaugural edition of an annual festival that seeks to highlight the regions
unique heritage, art & culture and catalyse civic pride.’
True to its core philosophy of ‘Connecting
Communities’ ©, Virtuous Retail’s VR Punjab today launched a 45
day long annual art festival, “Punjab Art Initiative” (PAI). The festival is
curated by Sumi Gupta, Director – International Marketing & Product
Development, Virtuous Retail in association with artchutney.com and
will be open to visitors from 1st November till 15th December. The PAI logo which was
unveiled today, takes inspiration from the Shivalik Mountains and the
Chandigarh Capital region’s unique positioning as a Tri-city area.
PAI 2017 will host an immersive art
experience, away from a typical gallery setting, where patrons can meet artists
and interact with art and installations. This year’s inaugural edition features
a unique collection of installations and fine art work created by established
and emerging artists from across India, including Gigi Scaria, George Martin,
Murali Cheeroth, Vikash Kalra, Nilesh Kinkale, and
Yati Jaiswal among others. Importantly, students from The Government
College of Art, Chandigarh, The College of Architecture,
Chandigarh, Lalit Kala Akademi,
College of Art, Delhi, MSU Baroda, and JJ School of Art, Mumbai will also share
space with the independent artists over the duration of the festival.
Speaking on the occasion, Sumi Gupta said
“Building on Virtuous Retail’s enduring relationships with premier art
institutions, I’m particularly excited to see works from students of The
Government College of Art, Chandigarh which have been specially curated for PAI
2017. This adds to the great range and diversity of work shown from across the
country. An interesting installation to watch out for is the Bench Art Project
from the College of Architecture, Chandigarh. The 130 installations and curated
events contribute to the many elements that will make this an unmissable 45
days”.
PAI will also feature unique art related
events throughout the duration including performance Art by Chandigarh based
Manjot Kaur who recently showcased her work at the Swiss Biennale 2017. The
basements at VR Punjab will undergo a metamorphosis, courtesy the Basement Art
Project undertaken by the students of the Government College of Art, Chandigarh
who will showcase their artistic interpretation of Connecting Communities© across
a concrete canvas. The festival will conclude with a children’s art competition
where over 300 budding young artists from schools across the Tricity area will
get an opportunity to showcase their talent.
To mark the launch of PAI 2017 on Wednesday,
1st November, 2017, VR Punjab will unveil
the VR Art Car Project that features a Mercedes Benz painted by renowned
artist Gigi Scaria, followed by a performance art feature by senior
contemporary artist Murali Cheeroth. The launch event will also host a
music concert by The Local Train, a leading Indian Rock Band originally
from Chandigarh.
The Punjab Art Initiative is modelled on
Virtuous Retail’s award-winning art festivals at its other centers in India -
the annual Dumas Art Project at VR Surat (since 2013) and the
Whitefield Art Collective at VR Bengaluru (since 2016). The Whitefield Art
Collective 2017 edition recently won international recognition
securing the coveted Public Relations & Events Gold Award at the ICSC
Asia Pacific Shopping Centre Awards held in Bangkok last month.