Kala Ghoda art fest 8212; Demystifying art

The Art Gallery was once derided by writer Richard Shusterman as nothing but a white cube 8211; a frame which kept art inside itself, away from the masses. One primary intention of the Kala Ghoda festival was to demystify art for people who aren8217;t comfortable entering these private salons8217;. So, to be a part of the festival, several galleries have left their temperature controlled, dust free stratosphere to pave the streets of this precinct with good art.

For the past two days, Daniel Fillod, a French painter, has been sitting outside Max Mueller Bhavan with squeezed tubes of paint lying all around him. Here on invitation of the Son-Et-Lumiere gallery, Fillod is one of those foreigners who make regular pilgrimages to India. When he first came in 1965, he worked as a textile designer who sold his ideas even in the cloth market of Mohamed Ali Road besides to most mills of the country. Of painting he says he has no inhibitions doing it with a curious crowd gathered around him and he is not choosy about what he paints on either. One of the most attractive works on the pavement is a discarded wooden bench he picked up and filled with voluptuous figures done is pastel colours. Stood on its head, the bench in its new avatar looks like an expensive installation piece commissioned by an eccentric collector. And now, Fillod is working on an unhinged door which also will never be quite the same again.

TODAY: There is a guided tour of the National History Section of the Prince of Wales Museum between 2 and 3 pm. No fees. Various films on and by Indian artists will also be screened at the NGMA, CJ Hall from 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm. No entry fees for this as well.