7 Talking Points From KGAF 2016 | Verve Magazine
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February 10, 2016

7 Talking Points From KGAF 2016

Text by Wyanet Vaz. Images by Prateek Patel

Verve picks out the few but hard-hitting points at KGAF 2016

We braved through a barrage of SLRs and Selfie sticks to get a glimpse of the installations at Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2016. Even though this year didn’t match up to its predecessors (remember the sliced ambassador and the love locks?), we’ve picked 7 interesting projects, and quizzed the artists on concerns they tackled through their art. Check our picks, take those Selfies, but really, don’t miss the point!

Unity within diversity by Siddharth Somaiya
Interactive installation representing unity by asking the audience to engage with the sculpture.

“The reason for this installation was my grandfather’s work and perspective on religion and people. He believed that change could happen in the smallest scale but would have the grandest effect on society, which I have tried to interpret in my installation. Through this art, I’ve portrayed how we need to break borders and unite because that is what humanity needs now more than anything.”

A fish out of water by Rahul Das
An unusual imaginary hybridisation of a species to showcase a world without borders.

“It talks about how when regional, religious, geographical and personal space drops, the very basis of hybridisation occurs. It is also how we see and take things, like in this case, how a man-made fish ended up to be beautiful. We are no one to judge if something is mesmerising or if something is degrading, but it is reflected in our choices. It is the unnatural progression of the world and nature that’s been depicted here.”

Betrayed by Insia Dariwala
Sexually abused children are often targeted by people within their ‘circle of trust’.

“The reason I choose this topic was to interact with people about child abuse, to bring about change and to break the silence. The circle in the installation depicts three things at a time, a globe – the world we live in today, a circle of trust – that is broken when incidents of child abuse happen within the family, peers and friends, and the cycle of trust. This installation shows how child abuse affects and changes the life of an individual, and the sculpture done by Shree Hari Bhosle brings my concept to light.”

Fragmented collective by Aneri Mehta and Anushka Narayan
Breaking physical barriers in order to build social interactions.

“The idea is to see the cities without borders. To break the compound walls and to make the interaction between society happen. The installation has been made by using many materials, parts of which open up in a different ways showcasing social interaction without any restriction.”

The duo for freedom by Chandrakanth Gancharya
Two revolutionary giants. Two routes. One vision.

“The world thinks about just one solution whereas there are many routes for the same problem. The problem here is freedom and the installation depicts two routes – the creative and the non-violent. The creative route is through Picasso’s eye and the non-violent route through the virtues of Mahatma Gandhi.

Existence creation universe by Sabina Aurora Khaneja
The installation uses wheat, rice, brass, steel and other forms to show the greatness of the sun, and the 16 phases of the moon.

“Everybody questions ‘Who am I? How did I come? What role do I play in this world?’. My installation explores this very inquisitiveness. After years of studying about our existence, the relevance and its importance, this piece evokes the feeling of ‘I am That and that is me’. I have used everyday objects to portray the sun and moon, man and woman by using wheat, rice, brass, steel and other forms. It shows how the universe is created, and that we are the universe and the universe is us.”

Food for thought by Vikram Arora
Does religion comfort or threaten?

“Not only in recent times, but all throughout history, we have seen conflicts arise due to a certain perceived notion of religion and our beliefs attached to it. As we grow older, our belief system becomes more rigid. Sometimes, we go so far that we become violent imposers. As none of the religions propagate violence, we all should think about this question before we act: Does religion comfort or threaten?”

Check out the other exhibits here: 

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