Art can make India stand tall and proud in the world - Sonu Mulchandani, eStudio
We dig deeper into the ArtSci Festival 2018 in the second part of our photo essay, as we showcase more of the displayed artworks and interview the curator.
PhotoSparks is a weekly feature from YourStory, with photographs that celebrate the spirit of creativity and innovation. In this edition, we feature more creative works on display at the two-month ArtSci Festival, and share insights from its curator.
In the earlier 170 posts, we brought you a wide range of creative photographs from an art festival, cartoon gallery. world music festival, telecom expo, millets fair, climate change expo, street art festival, wildlife conference, startup festival, Diwali rangoli, and jazz festival.
The inaugural ArtSci Festival at Phoenix MarketCity in Whitefield features over 200 artworks, including the 32-foot outdoor installation by Rupchand Kundu, titled ‘Man Without Wings’ (see Part 1 of our photo essay here).
“Many malls exhibit mass-produced crafts but not arts,” said festival curator Sonu Mulchandani, in a chat with YourStory. The choice of a mall as an art venue may actually work well because there are many people wandering around and can end up discovering art.
Sonu is also the founder of eStudio in Bengaluru, specialising in arts trade. India’s culture and science was renowned in bygone eras, but today we are ignorant of some of these achievements, she says. She joked that more people think of ‘Patanjali’ as a store or brand than as the ancient Indian mathematician.
The exhibition deliberately includes science and not just art. Sonu cited a famous quote by Albert Einstein: “After a certain high level of technical skill is achieved, science and art tend to coalesce in aesthetics, plasticity and form. The greatest scientists are always artists as well. It's beautiful how art and science, despite being on opposite ends of conventional academic studies, always walk hand in hand and can't exist without the other.”
“It’s so beautiful to be in the Indian art world,” Sonu said, referring to the diverse range of traditional, modern and fusion works. India has lots of talent and beauty, and is blessed with nature and spices – but we should not mess it up and reduce it to chaos, she joked.
“Art connects to the soul, and meditation and observation help deepen this connect,” said Sonu. Artists are truly gifted and can see beyond what others can see.
“Art gives you direction. Art can uplift a country and make it stand tall and proud in the world,” said Sonu, drawing on her experiences with Indian art shows overseas. Art is not just a joy to the senses but the hope of a country.
“Don’t just count money, explore your passion quotient. Discover it and everything else will follow. Platforms for getting discovered are everywhere,” Sonu signs off.
Now what have you done today to help promote art in public spaces, and indulge your creative side?
Got a creative photograph to share? Email us at [email protected]!
See also the YourStory pocketbook ‘Proverbs and Quotes for Entrepreneurs: A World of Inspiration for Startups,’ accessible as apps for Apple and Android devices.