Gandhinagar: It is going to be an artful week for the IITGNians and beyond as the newly established Art Studio of the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) begins its first-ever IIT Gandhinagar Art Festival on campus. The week-long Art Festival is being held from August 2-7, 2022, and it is packed with art workshops, exhibition, film screenings, artist talks, and many colourful performances to provide an immersive experience of different art forms to the participants.

The exciting line-up of activities under the IIT Gandhinagar Art Festival 2022 includes-

• Workshop and Exhibition on the traditional Phad Paintings of Rajasthan by renowned Phad artist Kalyan Joshi
• Theatre Workshop by well-known Gujarati cinema and theatre artist Abhinay Banker
• Block Printing Workshop by the traditional artist Jayanti Chitara
• Puppet Making Workshop by traditional artists Radha Bhatt and Subhash Bhatt
• Phad Performances by Pappu Ram Bhopa and Kamla Devi (Bhopa & Bhopi)
• Puppet Show by a team of traditional artists, who will bring puppets alive through make-shift stage performances
• Kacchi Ghodi performances by a team of traditional artists, who will help us explore Rajasthan’s landscapes and its timeless stories through the Kachhi Ghodi Dance

The Art Festival has been aesthetically curated by Ms Avani Varia in coordination with IITGN to present a unique blend of mystical folklore, mural, drama, and theatrical wonder to its participants and visitors. All the art workshops, exhibition, and performances have been kept open for all by registration. Although the registrations have closed for art workshops, art buffs can still visit the art exhibition from August 4 to 6 and attend artist talk and film screening on traditional Phad Art of Rajasthan on August 6, 2022. More details on the artists and day-wise timing of the activities can be found at: https://art.iitgn.ac.in/

Explaining the motive and importance of such creative confluence, Prof Jaison Manjaly, Jasubhai Memorial Chair Professor of Humanities and Social Sciences at IITGN and Coordinator of the IIT Gandhinagar Art Festival, said, “Art is undeniably an important part of our lives that meets us at the interface of everyday reality, culture, and imagination or creative expression. IITGN has always encouraged creative art expressions as much as it gives importance to academics and research in various domains. Through the activities of the Art Studio of IITGN and this Art Festival, which is going to be a regular affair at the Institute, we wish to open new windows of opportunities for people and art enthusiasts to come together and explore their creative possibilities and also get to know the rich cultural diversity of our country.”