KCC's annual arts conference to address UN Sustainable Development Goals
Photo by : Incredible India Info
Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam arts conference returns for its 2nd edition at Kolkata Centre for Creativity, 24th-26th January 2020
The second edition of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam conference is scheduled to
take place at Kolkata Centre for Creativity, housed in Emami Arts, Kolkata, from the 24
th
- 26
th
January 2020. This year’s conference, programmed by Dr Kalyan Chakravarty and Shwetal A.
Patel, will invite contributions from leading practitioners from India and around the world such
as Dinesh Vazirani, James Green, Gayatri Sinha, Dr Sook Kyung-Lee, Sudarshan Shetty and
Feroze Gujral to name a few, with the aim to explore the role of art in light of the United
Nations’s 2030 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s).
The conference will also see the screening of
award-winning filmmaker Anand Patwardhan’s
critically acclaimed film Reason (pictured right),
on 26th January. The film is a nuanced
examination of the socio-political dynamics
created between the rise of blind faith and
fundamentalism and rational thinking. The
exclusive film screening will be followed by a
Q&A with Dr. Kalyan Chakravarty.
The philosophy of the conference is to provide a free and accessible platform to investigate and
probe the meaning of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (“The world is one familyâ€) in light of growing
environmental degradation and resource depletion. The conference will explore art’s relation to
the environment through panels such as Art, Culture & Activism in India with keynote speaker
Ravi Agarwal, and panellists Parul Zaveri (Architect, Abhikram), Siddhant Shah (Heritage
Architect), Dr. Tara Douglas (Animator); Reviving & Inventing Sustainable Approaches to Art and
Architecture with Dr. Kalyan Chakravarty (Convener), Siddhant Shah (Heritage Architect), and
Vikas Dilawari (Architect) moderated by Anupam Sah (Conservationist) and Visual Art Today
with panellists like Gayatri Sinha (Art Writer & Critic), Aric Chen (Curator) and Prof. Rashmi
Sawhney (Academician).
With relation to Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, Dr Kalyan Chakravarty says, “The aim of the
conference is to initiate a conversation about creative initiatives and to build a data bank for
accommodating a diverse corpus of best opinions, practices and strategies in a consensual
frameworkâ€.
Richa Agarwal, CEO of Emami Arts says, “After the brilliant response at the first edition of
Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, we are honoured to invite the leaders of the cultural sphere back to
the Kolkata Centre of Creativity for the second edition. We have a very exciting list of cultural
leaders, academics, historians, journalists and architects this time around, and I’m looking
forward to and diversity that this vast portfolio of speakers has to offer with their engagements
and discussionsâ€
Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam coincides with Bose
Krishnamachari’s ongoing solo exhibition The
mirror sees best in the dark at Emami Arts. In his latest
series, Bose returns to art-making, through experimenting
with form and material as he confronts the increasingly
extreme discourses that shape our consciousness.
Emami Arts will also be showcasing artworks at the India Art Fair which is to take place in Delhi
from the 31st January - 2nd February 2020.
Kolkata Centre for Creativity (KCC) is a multi-disciplinary interactive art and creativity centre
located in Kolkata, West Bengal. The 70,000 sq. ft Centre champions the art and cultural
landscape of contemporary India and is designed by architect Pinakin Patel, who is also its
Creative Director. KCC anchors on Emami Art, a 10,000 sq ft commercial art gallery,
spearheaded by Emami Group Director Richa Agarwal who is also the Executive Director of the
Centre. Alongside Emami Art, which hosts a regular programme of art exhibitions by Indian and
international artists, KCC also hosts distinct exhibition spaces that showcase art, craft, antiquity
and product design from the region. KCC also houses an amphitheatre for performances and
creative contemplation; a children's area; modular spaces for events; and an art conservation
studio and library.
Showcasing several periods and genres of art and design to highlight their common creative
core—Kolkata Centre for Creativity encourages visitors to explore, interact and conceive new
ideas on and about various art forms. KCC is thus envisaged as a space of collocations, not
only in the visual arts, but also in craft, design, music, textiles, architecture, photography, poetry
& literature, film, independent publishing, books, graphic design, conservation, urbanism,
ecology, technology and the culinary arts in a symbiotic and fluid curatorial structure.
For all press inquiries, images and interviews please contact
Josh Dobbins josh.dobbins@flint-culture.com + 91 8130513892
PRESS RELEASE
Kolkata Centre for Creativity offers free entry and is open between 11 am to 6 pm from
Tuesday to Sunday.
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