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Shilpa Rao, Akhil Sachdeva come together for Contemporary Arts Week
The fourth edition of Contemporary Arts Week is back in the city with events that include theatre, music, dance, short films, stand-up comedy, silent and much more. The festival is a celebration of various art forms and also a platform for budding artists.
Fifteen venues, 450 artists, 55 events and 12 genres — this is one of the biggest artsy affairs in the Capital. Coming back with the fourth edition of Contemporary Arts Week, the week-long festival has a generous dose of theatre, music, dance, puppetry, short films, photography, stand-up comedy and much more.
The event has been organised by the NGO Friends of Art to promote emerging artists, and stages some renowned names like singer Shilpa Rao, flautist Panjit Ajay Prasanna, folk musician Kutle Khan and singer Akhil Sachdeva from Nasha band, among others.
“For new artists, the biggest challenge is to have an audience during performances. We have invited some known names as crowd pullers so that these newbies can also showcase their talent. Artists from across India have participated in this ‘arts in your neighbourhood’ festival,” says Pankaj Bajaj, one of the organisers of the event.
For the first time ever, a silent flash mob is being organised during the event. “The silent flash mob, which will be performed by specially-abled kids, has been put together by a Delhi-based NGO, Atulyakala, and this the first time the Capital will witness this performance,” adds Bajaj.
Aarti Tiwari, a Pune based theatre artist, is quite excited to perform in the festival. She says, “The festival is not restricted to only one art form. The best part is that we will be able to meet and collaborate with other artists.”
Sukhmani Kohli from Chandigarh, a clown artist says, “I have been performing for 13 years in theatre, and for four years in clowning. It’s always exciting to perform in Delhi; this time I will stage a clown piece which is about being playful and joyful in life. I am really excited.”
The opening ceremony took place at Nehru Park and other venues for the next seven days are DLF Cyber Hub, Gurgaon; LTG, Mandi House; Instituto Cervantes, Hanuman Road; Sangeet Shymala, Vasant Vihar; Lok Kala Manch, Lodhi Road; Korean Cultural Centre, Lajpat Nagar-IV; Epicentre, Gurgaon; Zorba the Buddha, Sultanpur; Bunta Bar, Janpath Road; Courtyard Unplugged, Middle Circle CP; Number 8 Club, Sundar Nagar; Summer House Cafe, Hauz Khas; Lodhi - The Restaurant, Lodhi Road; NIV Art Centre, Neb Sarai.
