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Weekend events you can’t miss in Chennai (Feb 6-8)
From paper-based art and Puducherry painters to heritage walks, freshwater fish talks and comedy gigs, Chennai offers a culture-packed week
The Weight of Surface (Art Show)
What: Art on paper by Achuthan Kudallur and C Douglas, whose practices were inspired by shared geographies and material engagement. The artists, both born in Kerala, moved to Madras to nurture a creative career. The city and its art movement became their site of shared experience. Kudallur, expressed himself through painting and drawing. C Douglas used words in his artistic endeavours. This show is a celebration of creating on paper where abstraction and figuration, word and image, are in constant negotiation.
When: Friday; 11am- 7pm
Where: Ashvita’s, RK Salai, Mylapore
Entry: Free
Art Fusion: Quartet in Colour (Art Show)
What: Presenting the work of four artists from Puducherry, this exhibition is curated to highlight different artistic styles that blend traditional technique with contemporary expression. C Mounissami, S Kothainayaki, K Silambarasan and R Radjoucannane create worlds on canvas that blend modernism, abstract expression of natural worlds and human portraiture.
When: Saturday; 10am-6pm (through Feb 9)
Where: Kadambari Gallery, DakshinaChitra Museum, Muttukadu
Entry: Free
Time Travel through Mount Road (Heritage Walk)
What: Mount Road isn’t a place, it’s an emotion. In the 1700s, it was lined with garden houses and colonial mansions. By the 1900s, it had become an entertainment hub for the British. The walk takes in the history of the LIC building on Mount Road, modelled on the NYC UN building, India’s tallest skyscraper until 1959, and also the first in the city to have an electrical elevator. You will also be treated to tales of the family of the famous Nawab of Arcot and an Englishman who struck gold with a humble bookstore (Higginbotham’s). Of course Mount Road is also famous with foodies, for midnight pitstops at Mount Road Bilal for their iconic bun butter jam or the legendary biriyani from Buharis (serving hungry residents since 1951).
When: Sunday; 6:30am-8:30am
Where: Agurchand Mansion, Anna Salai
Entry: ₹450 (students), ₹700 (adults), including souvenirs. Book on MadrasInherited
Secret Life of Fish (Lecture)
What: Did Jaws make you reconsider your beach holiday? This talk might make you want to go back into the water. This talk is all about the fish in India’s rivers and ponds. Enjoy a cold beer as Beta Mahatvaraj, a freshwater fish conservation expert and visual documentarian, conducts a deep dive into aquatic life, freshwater conservation spots and tidal eccentricities. From the torrential hill streams of the Western Ghats to the tidal pools of Wayanad, get ready to explore the breathtaking biodiversity of India’s freshwater fish species.
When: Sunday, 4pm - 6:15pm
Where: Madras Tap Room, Egmore
Entry: ₹1199 (includes a beer/ mocktail). Book on Kynhood
Villain Era (Stand Up Comedy)
What: Shrirpua Sengupta gives her audience a spectacular one-hour tutorial on how to live your best life being a baddie, but without a tragic backstory. From disappointing her parents (who hasn’t?) to plotting world domination, each story is a tragicomic take on how to tackle vice while projecting virtue. This set is full of ways to negotiate regular Gen Z and Millennial problems while trying to be your petty best. Who wants to be a Good Girl, anyway?
When: Sunday; 6pm
Where: Punch Unpaid Therapist, Alwarpet
Entry: ₹299. Book on BookmyShow
No Strings Attached by Armando Anto ( Musical Stand Up Comedy)
What: French musician-comedian Armando Anto performs in Chennai for the first time, accompanying his stand-up act with a violin performance. Anto even throws in a little breakdance. He firmly believes there is no better cure to the malady of the human condition than music and a few laughs.
When: Sunday; 8pm
Where: Sir Mutha Venkatasubba Rao Concert Hall
Entry: ₹1,000. Book on BookmyShow
