Whitefield Art Collective (WAC), the award-winning public art initiative, inaugurated its month long fifth edition on Friday. WAC 2020 encourages creative explorations around the theme of “sustainability”, through partnerships with leading institutions and notable individuals from the artistic community. Collaborators this year included JD Institute of Fashion Technology and Srishti Institute of Art, Design & Technology.
JD Institute of Fashion Technology, Bangalore showcased an exclusive fashion show choreographed by Rahul Dev Shetty, on the theme “Wearable Art”. WAC 2020 encourages creative explorations around the theme of “Sustainability”. The association with JD Institute of Fashion Technology, included segments on Art Flute, Indian Garbage Collective, The Broke Artist Collective, Aravani Arts Project, and Synesthesia Collective.
WAC 2020 is supported by Yuj Kutumb, The Yog Foundation. VR Bengaluru as part of its Connecting Communities© initiative that aims to encourage civic pride, strengthen the local economy and enhance the city’s national and international image, will be the primary venue partner. WAC 2020 is also supported by The Waverly Hotel & Residences, Gravity Events, Burger King and Grover Wines.
Bose Krishnamachari, President, Kochi Biennale Foundation inaugurated the festival by unveiling the annual VR Art Car, painted this year by the Bengaluru based women and trans-women art collective – Aravani Art Project.
The unveiling was followed by a fireside chat between Bose and WAC Curator Sumi Gupta, at the Living Room of The Waverly. The inaugural event culminated with “Wearable Art” – a show by JD Institute of Fashion Technology at Skydeck.
Sumi Gupta, Curator of the festival said, “I am thrilled to steer this fantastic public initiative in its fifth year. This edition of WAC has incredible collaborations with institutions and student artists from across Bengaluru, creating a vibrant platform for large-scale installations & sculptures. Over the next month, WAC 2020 will bring together a community of connoisseurs, art students, patrons, and the citizens of Bengaluru in a celebration of the city’s art and culture.”
Special guests at the inauguration included senior artist Seema Kohli, Director, Writer & Producer, Shonali Bose and author Sreemoyee Piu Kundu. From tomorrow, visitors will enjoy a dedicated month of artistic immersion during which VR Bengaluru, the venue partner will be a hub of activity, with installations, exhibitions, an art bazaar, art cinema screenings, art workshops, a children’s art competition and several other exciting events.
Day two of WAC 2020 saw a panel discussion moderated by ‘Sreemoyee Piu Kundu with panelists Sumi Gupta, Shonali Bose, Shonali Bose, Director, Writer, Producer and Seema Kohli – Contemporary Artist on the topic of “Women in Art”. This was also the first episode of Season 2, part of the ongoing Salon with Sree series held in association with the Whitefield Literary Society.
Billed as a show designed to reinforce Bengaluru’s position as one of India’s premier art destinations, visitors will enjoy a dedicated month of artistic immersion during which VR Bengaluru will be a hub of activity. Lined up are installations, exhibitions, an art dessert bazaar, an art bazaar, art cinema screenings, art workshops, a children’s art competition and several other exciting events.
Getting the young brains on board, WAC 2020 will get The Art Yard kicking with children aged six and above invited to transform waste from their homes into works of art. They could add their creations to the larger installation and grab that opportunity to look beyond ‘use and throw.’ That way, the young talents would be giving a big push to creative alternatives that banks on repurpose and reuse.
Ensuring that the two-day engagement goes ahead flawlessly will be trained art facilitators of ArtFlute and Dream-a-Dream. The latter is an NGO that empowers children and young people from vulnerable backgrounds to overcome adversity through a creative life skills approach.
UnGallery, with its promise to turn spaces into gallery nook; Re-Imagine Bengaluru, and a Base Art project to beckon students from Art Schools and reputed city art groups to paint on the walls of the basement, is bound to make WAC 2020 even more exciting.
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