Art Bengaluru – South India’s Only Art Festival Gears Up for its 4th Edition

100 International and National Artists across 17 Galleries to be part of this Season, in addition to the Luxury Art Auction and a new addition Berserk.

Bangalore, India, August 07, 2013 — Art Bengaluru needs no introduction. What was started in 2010 as an attempt to increase art awareness in the city has today grown into a much-awaited international art festival that has carved a niche for Bangalore on the global art map.

The 4th Edition of Art Bengaluru presented by The Collection, UB City in association with Sublime Galleria and Art Chutney will take place at The Collection, UB City. It promises to be a week-long extravaganza from 16 to 23 August 2013. ‘Art Bengaluru 2013’ will bring together the best art galleries from across India as well as the rest of the world. With each passing year, the event becomes bigger and better, and this year, we aim to showcase the works of over 100 international and national artists across 17 galleries on one common platform. Some of the participating galleries include Progressive Art Gallery (Delhi), Ayyah Art Gallery (Chennai), Deccan Art Gallery (Hyderabad), Delhi Salon (Delhi), and Gallery Splash (Delhi), among others.

Ms. Uzma Irfan – Co-Founder, ‘Art Bengaluru’ and Founder, Sublime Galleria ( http://www.sublimegalleria.com ) said, “This year’s theme for the festival is ‘Reflections’. The idea behind this is that all forms of art is a reflection of our being and portrays our emotions, be it joy, sorrow, turmoil, anger etc. ‘Art Bengaluru 2013’ will have all the usual trademarks that have made it the landmark event it is today – a grand Opening Night, artists and art galleries across India and abroad under one roof, residential art conclaves and of course, the much-anticipated Luxury Art Auction as its culmination.”

The grand Inaugural Night will be on 16 August 2013 and showcase an art installation by celebrated artist, Thota Tharrani. Padmashri awardee, Sri Tharrani is working on this centre-piece exclusively for this event, to portray the theme of ‘Reflections’, and will be present at the Opening Night of the festival. Mr. Subroto Bagchi, who is the Chief Guest for the event, will unveil Sri Tharrani’s creation. This artwork will also be included in the Auction this year. The evening will also feature Body Art Dancers as yet another reinforcement of the theme. As in previous years, the who’s who of Bangalore will be present to show their solidarity to this function.

Highlights of the Festival:

Berserk
Another major attraction in ‘Art Bengaluru 2013’ will be the introduction of ‘Berserk’ ( http://www.artbengaluru.in/berserk/overview.html ), an Art Conference to promote and encourage creative awareness among children. Sublime Galleria is organizing this event, which will shortlist 60 children from the shortlisted 15 schools in Bangalore who encourage art in its multiple forms. Berserk 2013 is a 3-day residential conference for children between the age group of 8-12 years. Categorized under the four key art verticals – Theatre, Dance, Music and Visual Art, Sublime has brought the best in the art industry to mentor and guide these children. Their expert mentors will be Jagriti for Theatre, The Lourd Vijay Dance Studio for Dance, Taaqademy for Music and 3 Peel for Visual Art. Selected children of different verticals will receive trust funds and endorsements ranging from intensive training programs to working on productions under expert guidance. The endorsements are custom-designed by each of the vertical heads.

Luxury Art Auction
Art Bengaluru always starts with a bang and ends with an even bigger one! This is because the festival always culminates with the Luxury Art Auction ( http://www.artbengaluru.in/auction/overview.php ) which has become one of the most-awaited events of the year for serious art collectors. The Art Auction will take place on 23 August 2013 at ITC Windsor. Raising the bar one notch higher and to give it a truly international feel, the auction this year will be hosted by renowned London-based auctioneer, Bob Hayton. The magnitude of the event can be gauged by the fact that there will be up to 100 lots on auction this year. Last year’s auction included the works of celebrated artists like Abanindranath Tagore, Gaganendranath Tagore, Jamini Roy, Sailoz Mookherjea, Nandalal Bose, K.H. Ara, S.K. Bakre, H.A. Gade, M.F. Husain, S.H. Raza, F.N. Souza, Krishen Khanna, Akbar Padamsee, Ram Kumar, Bombay Group – Ara, K.K. Hebbar, S.G. Vasudev, M. Senathipathi, K.V. Haridasan, Paresh Maity, Jayasri Burman, Arunanshu Chowdhury, Vasant Viraj Naik & Arunkumar H.G. and this year too will witness works of these masters and many more. Over 15 well-known art patrons from different cities across India will invite select guests and art buyers for this event.

Needless to say, this is a charity event where ten percent of the proceeds of the auction will be shared with Janaagraha. Founded in 2001 by Ramesh and Swati Ramanathan, Janaagraha, a non-profit organisation, started as a movement to enable citizen participation in public governance. It has now evolved into a robust institution for Citizenship and Democracy. It works with citizens and the government to improve the quality of life in Indian cities and towns.

Sponsors for ‘Art Bengaluru 2013’
* Official Event Partner: Phase 1
* Official Beverage Partner for the Opening Night: Myra Vineyards
* Official Beverage Partners for the Auction Night: Alpine Wineries & Aspri Spirits
* Official Hospitality Partner for the Auction Night: ITC Windsor

About Art Bengaluru:
Art Bengaluru ( http://www.artbengaluru.in ) is an exclusive event that is designed to showcase various types of art forms including ‘Wall Art’ (Fine Art, Paintings, Illustration, and Photographs) and ‘Stand-alone Art’ (Sculpture, Installations, Product Design). Art Bengaluru was first launched in March 2010, and after three successful editions, the event this year promises to be bigger and more diverse since it has extended its purview to include different forms of art!

The venue for Art Bengaluru is the highly-acclaimed, The Collection, UB City which is conveniently located in the heart of cosmopolitan Bangalore. Needless to say, the Tuscan architecture of UB City complements the art festival by creating an illusion of fluent expanse. Art displayed in this landmark area promises to enhance aesthetic awareness and create a sensory delight for the viewer. For more details, on South-India’s only contemporary art festival, please visit – http://www.artbengaluru.in.

For further information, please contact:
Urmila Biswas
+91 98860 99736
urmilabiswas@gmail.com
http://www.artbengaluru.in