There is no one complaining about the lack or slack of cultural scene in Ahmedabad now, given that events line up one after another, unlike times when the city looked forward to exciting performances only during designated periods and times of the year.
Ahmedabad Cultural Week (ACF), held from October 3-12, has rightfully captured spaces that will celebrate art, music, culture at venues ranging from Kasturbhai Lalbhai Museum, Darpana Academy of Performing Arts, Arthshila, Archer Art Gallery, Kanoria Centre for Arts, Samara Art Gallery, 079 Stories to Conflictorium, Basera and more.
Beginning with Ahmedabad Thi, an exhibition of city-based artists that opened on October 2 evening itself, works of 60 artists including Nabibakhsh Mansoori, Karl Antao, Ratilal Kansodaria, Amit Ambalal, Surendra Patel, Trupti Dave, Somya Sharma, Bhairavi Modi, Shefali Nayan, Sonal Ambani, showcased powerful and thought-provoking thematic compositions. If Nayana Soparkar's 37 minis (paper clay figures) lined up alongside each other reflected the state of loneliness despite being part of a crowd where "everyone speaks and no one listens" (the core message the open-mouthed figurines conveyed), Geeta Gandhi's Layered Emotions with abstract formations in red, black, gold and silver could well be read as the deepest emotion depicted through the silver foil that clearly shone brightest in each of the four works. At 079 Stories, there is Flora of the Mind - an intricate and colourful show that opened mid-September but is part of ACF since it coincides with the festival dates; there is Fragments in Play, another exhibit scheduled to open on Oct 10 followed by a theatre play on Oct 12 where RJ Dhrumil will perform in Yash Vyas's Gamti Vaat. At Natarani, that usually buzzes with performances this time of the year, a dance recital by Maulik-Ishira infused energetic moves while Hardik Dave's Shabad this evening and Chirag Todi's Heat Sink tomorrow, promise to liven up the ACF weekend.
Presented by India Art Fair and Serendipity Arts Festival, ACF's opening preview at Kasturbhai Lalbhai Museum included a rendition by Saptak School of Music and an immersive experience through dancer Priyakshi Agarwal's performance. There was also a talk between artist Dhruvi Acharya, Girish Shahane and Reema Gehi at Kanoria Centre for Arts, followed by the inauguration of The Journey is Home, an exhibition at Urmila Art Gallery that highlights the various complexities of urban life.
With the first weekend post Navratri, the city is set to soak in bits of culture where thoughts and feelings gain prominence through audio-visual delights across a variety of venues and platforms.