4 events for a stimulating week

Gada's solo in the city
Gallery Espace, Delhi, is hosting a new exhibition, Cloud Pruning. The show marks artist Valay Gada’s first solo in the city, and features recent drawings, sculptures in metal, ceramics and fibre, and an interactive multimedia installation. The works, created over the past year, are rooted in feelings of anxiety and uncertainty stemming from the covid-19 pandemic. Through his art, Gada tries to transform this despondence into hope and resurgence. Nature, climate change and urbanisation have been central to his practice. The title of the show is a term from Japanese topiary art, suggesting a continuity of thematic concerns. On view at Gallery Espace, New Friends Colony, Delhi, till 11 May, 11am-7 pm (Sunday closed).

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River, a painting by Krishna Reddy

Celebrating bonds
A new show at Experimenter, Mumbai, celebrates the bonds forged by artist Krishna Reddy through life. In his career, he influenced a generation of artists, thinkers and students, and the exhibition, Of Friendships: Krishna Reddy & His World, emphasises that. Besides works by Reddy, the show also showcases art by Stanley William Hayter, Zarina, Ramkinkar Baij, Judith Blum Reddy, Benode Behari Mukherjee, Nalini Malani, and more. The show, which marks an early beginning to Reddy’s centenary year, “underscores the greatness of his visionary practice, his enduring influence...", says the gallery note. On view at Experimenter, till 15 June, 10.30am-6.30pm (Sunday closed). 

A representative image of the fishermen of the Karaivalai region in Tamil Nadu

The story of an ignored community
Performance arts space Shoonya will be staging Tamil play, Alaikkadal, on Sunday. The name of the play is a combination of two Tamil words: alai, which means waves and kadal, which means the ocean. Rooted in the traditional fishing methods of the coastal communities of the Dhanushkodi, Karaivalai region in Tamil Nadu, this movement-based theatrical piece aims to present the voices of the region's fishermen. Their way of life, the daily challenges they encounter, the absence of adequate support, and the underlying causes of their oppression. The play's director, Junafar, is a part of the coastal community, and hopes to be its voice. At Shoonya - Centre for Art and Somatic Practices, #37, Lal Bagh Road, April 14, 7pm-9pm. A fee of Rs. 300 will be charged at the door. 

A poster of A Sound Democracy: Music, Movement & A Mob

The politics of sound
Bengaluru-based Sandbox Collective, a women-led arts and gender-focussed organisation, along with participatory museum, Conflictorium, will be hosting a film screening and – yes, you read it right – a board game this weekend. The documentary, A Sound Democracy: Music, Movement & A Mob, delves into the significant role that sound plays in shaping our social landscape. The film screenings on both days will be followed by a conversation between filmmaker Dhananjai Sinha and the artistic director of Conflictorium, YSK Prerana. The programming on Sunday also includes a round of playing MatBhed, a board game designed to navigate the complexities of religious freedom and belief in India. At 345, Cooke Town, Bengaluru, on 13 April, at 5pm, on 14 April, 12pm and 5pm. For details and registration, visit www.sandboxcollective.org. 

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