Panaji, Goa, December 10 (NIA): Conceived by Renu Modi in collaboration with Teertha and programmed by Serendipity Arts Trust, the art project, ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ facilitates established artists of two countries, India and Sri Lanka, to engage in an investigative and research based art-making process together re-looking at the socio-cultural and historical dynamics of two cities, Varanasi and Anuradhapura.
‘A Tale of Two Cities’ will be open from December 16 to 23 at the Adil Shah Palace in Panaji, Goa. from 10 am to 8 pm.
Both Varanasi(Banaras) and Anuradhapura are imbued with deep histories going back to ancient times intertwined with religious and spiritual beliefs and myths, making their contemporary existence loaded with symbolic significance of spirituality, power and religiosity.
Serendipity Arts Festival, on the banks of river Mandovi, has been envisioned as a space which brings together the visual, performing, and culinary arts. Taking place in December when Goa is buzzing with activity, featuring more than 40 commissioned projects, this festival has something for everyone.
Curated by a panel of artists and institutional figures, this year’s festival will be the first edition in a long-term cultural project that hopes to affect positive change in the arts in India on a large scale. The selection of curators, the festival structure, and the programming represent a sincere effort to address the creative needs, aspirations and potential of contemporary India.
Rather than just being a showcase of great Indian art, this festival is a cultural experiment that hopes to, over time, affect the way Indians interact with art on a daily basis by addressing issues such as arts education, patronage culture, interdisciplinary discourse, and accessibility of the arts. An intensive, exciting program of exhibitions and performances spanning music, dance, theatre, visual arts, and culinary arts, will be augmented by spaces for social and educational engagement.
Practitioners and audiences will be able to interact with the arts and with each other on a number of levels, in an Conceived by Renu Modi in collaboration with Teertha and programmed by Serendipity Arts Trust, the art project, ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ facilitates established artists of two countries, India and Sri Lanka, to engage in an investigative and research based art-making process together relooking at the socio-cultural and historical dynamics of two cities, Varanasi and Anuradhapura.
Both Varanasi(Banaras) and Anuradhapura are imbued with deep histories going back to ancient times intertwined with religious and spiritual beliefs and myths, making their contemporary existence loaded with symbolic significance of spirituality, power and religiosity.
Participating artists in ‘A Tale of Two Cities’:
India
Riyas Komu | Manisha Parekh |Ram Rahman | Paula Sengupta | Chintan Upadhyay |Manjunath Kamath
Sri Lanka
Jagath Weerasinghe | Anoli Perera |Pala Pothupitiye |Pradeep Chandrasiri |Bandu Manamperi
Curatorial Advisor
Ruhanie Perera
The Serendipity Arts Festival, under the aegis of the Serendipity Arts Trust, seeks to create an immersive space that brings discursive opportunities, promotes the exchanging of ideas, and inspires the youth to access and engage with arts on a greater level. The idea was born out of the need for an earnest collaborative effort to bring the various isolated and fragmented arts communities of India together.immersive space that seeks to create discursive opportunities, promote the exchanging of ideas, and inspire the youth of India to access and engage with arts on a greater level.
