ArtEast: Beyond superficial charm

To raise pertinent questions through Inter/Sections in art, livelihood, social justice, climate change, communication, history – past and present, issues that have a far reaching impact on our everyday lives, a festival titled 'ArtEast' has been organised at India International Centre.

Curated by Kishalay Bhattacharjee, ArtEast 2019 takes a deep dive into the source, history, exploration and imagination of the Brahmaputra. Ian Baker named by National Geographic, as one of the seven 'Explorers of the Millenium' will be part of the festival with an illustrated talk, 'Visions of Paradise in the Tsangpo-Brahmaputra Gorge'.

The festival, which will be held from March 14-16, is a visual and historical journey from the river's source at Mansarover in Tibet to Siang in Arunachal Pradesh, Brahmaputra in Assam, Jamuna, Padma and Meghna in Bangladesh.

An underlying focus of the festival is on art, history, livelihood, migration, documentation and discussion. It began as an attempt to try present the Northeast region and its neighbourhood from a more contemporary perspective. The project seeks to go beyond the region and the usual traditional dance/music extravaganza that has been the norm. This will be the third edition of the festival.

ArtEast partners with amateur and professional artists to produce fringe art and invests in arts education for young people. Dancer Surjit N from Manipur is choregrpahing a piece for ArtEast on migration and displacement. Arati Kumar Rao, National Geographic explorer and author will exhibit her artwork and photographs along with filmmakers Parasher Baruah and Apal Singh's video installations. An amateur artist Ashima Sharma will conceive the imagination of Brahmaputra-Ganga thorough an installation. Poet and author, Sumana Roy will curate a wall of poetry on the 'seven stages of the river'. Lalsawmliani Tochhawng will curate the history of exploration and discovery of the river through a fascinating inlay of maps, archival material and photographs in an exhibition, Brahmaputra: Red River Tales.

ArtEast organises a diverse range of "Festival PLUS" activities to enhance engagement between artists and audiences including lecture demonstrations, masterclasses, workshops, symposia, exhibitions and meet-the-artist sessions. Historians Arupjyoti Saikia, Uma Dasgupta and Mahesh Rangaragan joins environmental journalist Joydeep Gupta and Tibetalogist Claude Arpi, and others to explore ecology. Fusion musicians 'Chaar Yaar' will present a concert to celebrate this new conversation.