Madras Art Weekend 2024: Explore this art and design showcase in Chennai

It is not often that a white cube, its silence and solemnity broken only by colour and canvas on walls, gets inundated. Last week, the precursor show of the upcoming contemporary art festival Madras Art Weekend that highlighted over 60 artists from South India titled Spotlight on the South opened to a sizeable crowd — debunking all the unsaid rules of the niche, elite personality of a fine art gallery usually punctuated only by appreciative nods or disapproving frowns.

Chennai showed up in surprising numbers as the artists selected from over 1,000 entries received through an open call over social media, took up every inch of the walls. 

Sure, to an aesthete’s eye the display was crowded and in parts even underwhelming as artists of varying degree of skill gathered within the same walls leading to a display that was inconsistent in quality. But it also contributed to a movement within Chennai’s young art community, which included students from the Government College of Fine Arts, Egmore and others, who had never been represented by any gallery in the city before this. 

Now at its third edition, Madras Art Weekend’s primary aim is to drive conversation, says founder Upasana Asrani. The event that started as an experiment quickly transformed into an annual affair following the interest it received from collectors and artists alike. The weekend has now grown into a four-day festival, with art and jewellery showcases, panel discussion, collectors’ home tours and a fashion display. “Contemporary artists from the South need to be put on a pedestal,” says Upasana.

However, art born from the proud home of the Madras Art Movement is still missing, as this year the focus seemed to have shifted to fashion, jewellery and design, with a keen eye on the conservation of culture. 

Says Upasana, “The highlight [of this edition] would definitely be Mr Mehta [of Mehta and Sons] bringing down Milaaya Art Gallery’s Threaded Visions and their expert craftsmanship with jewellery by Anjali Bhimrajka Jewels, giving us an insight into the connection between jewellery and art.” The session also hosts Delhi-based art and design collector Shalini Passi, who rose to quick fame following her appearance in the Netflix reality series, Fabulous Lives vs Bollywood Wives. A fashion showcase will accompany this display on Day 1.    

Another session that merits anticipation is a panel discussion that explores metaphors in artistic practice that brings iconic contemporary artists Rekha Rodwittiya and Jayasri Burman in conversation with Sunaina Anand and Uday Jain. The session is moderated by Jaiveer Johal. “Sujata Setia’s is bringing A Thousand Cuts, a powerful series of photographs that explore domestic abuse patterns within the South Asian community,” adds Upasana. The curtains of portraits with fine cuts on them is one of the most acclaimed bodies of work of the UK-based Indian photographer, and is being showcased in Chennai for the first time.  

Some of India’s leading galleries like Dhoomimal Gallery, Art Alive Gallery, Archer Art Gallery, Art Magnum Gallery, Tao Art Gallery, Art Nouveau, Artworld Sarala’s Art Centre and Gallery Sumukha will bring their respective collections to Chennai.

With conservation at the core of the programming this year, a conversation around the importance of preserving heritage, while planning for a sustainable future will have Mrinalika Bhanj Deo of the palace-turned-boutique stay Belgadia Palace, Mayank Bhutra of Erode Clothing, and young contemporary artists Jayesh Sachdev, Lakshmi Madhavan and photographer Amar Ramesh in conversation with Umah Jacob, director, External Relations & Outreach at India Art Fair. Another panel discussion on design will be moderated by Mumbai-based interior stylist Samir Wadekar. 

The Folly in Amethyst will host an art and fashion showcase with collections and products from sustainable brands like Akaaro, Erode Clothing, Anushka Khanna, Indru and Knots Bag. A display of art and ceramics by Kaash, Hashtag Collective, Ramkumar Kannadasan, Arun Velayutham, Ravi Vaturi and others will also be on view. 

Upasana says that they have been overwhelmed with the response to every open call, and other registered events, which, she believes, shows the strength of the art community within Chennai. This year, two collectors open their doors to the public to discuss the rights and wrongs of patronage. “Every collector’s home tour will have a waitlist. So many people are keen to hear about others’ art collecting journeys. The response has become better every year. That itself is validation enough for us to carry on,” she laughs. A conversation by Sethu Vaidyanathan, Saloni Doshi and Narayan Lakshman, moderated by Ranvir Shah will revolve around connoisseurship. 

Taking off on the heels of what she believes is a success story, Upasana has plans to expand. “We want to set up an arts college and a foundation in addition to many other plans in the pipeline.” 

MAW in association with The Hindu Made of Chennai is open from December 12 to 15. Find the complete schedule @madrasartweekend on Instagram