Kalakriti, Srishti, Kadari and Dhi Contemporary to host exhibitions, heritage walks, workshops, talks and ‘sip and hop’ cafe outings for newcomers and regular art lovers
Supraja Rao, architect and founder of Kadari gallery, says, “A weekend outing need not be limited to taking children out for brunch. Why not visit a gallery and then head out to brunch? With the first edition of HAW, we are hoping to attract people who normally do not visit galleries, apart from regular art enthusiasts.”
This is precisely why the events are primarily scattered across the four art galleries, apart from the Salar Jung Museum, rather than at a convention centre or a common public space.
Rekha Lahoti, co-founder of Kalakriti, concurs, “The intention is to make people who have never visited galleries step in and take a look.”
Supraja adds, “It is fine if someone who is new to looking at art does not immediately appreciate a painting or a sculpture. It is important to begin by looking at art and trying to understand it. You become emotionally engaged with an artwork and discover your own response to it.”
Rekha says the inspiration for HAW came from similar events in other cities, such as the Delhi Art Week, Mumbai Art Weekend and the Chennai Photo Biennale. “The four gallery founders, Bhargavi Gundala, Lakshmi Nambiar, Supraja Rao, and I, along with my husband Prshant Lahoti, decided to work in solidarity to create something similar in Hyderabad.”
The itinerary includes art exhibitions, workshops, talks, and panel discussions. Look out for an exhibition of drawings by students of the Department of Fine Arts, Hyderabad Central University, at Salar Jung Museum. The museum will also offer guided walks during HAW at 11am.
Dhi Contemporary gallery will host Marked Wings: A solo exhibition by Gayatri Danthuri. Kadari gallery will host World Within Reach: Artists in Focus, while Srishti will host a solo exhibition of Alpana Vij’s artworks. Kalakriti’s ongoing exhibition I Know What I Am Doing, curated by P.S. Jalaja, will continue through HAW.
In addition, there will be mentorship talks for art students on how to build their portfolios and careers. Prshant Lahoti, co-founder of Kalakriti, will present a session focussing on heritage maps from the gallery’s archives.
Artist Harsha Durugadda will host an open studio session, while a public walkthrough session will introduce visitors to artworks at RMZ Asset, Cyberabad.
HAW is also collaborating with cafes and restaurants, including Concu, Gaurang’s Kitchen, Coffee Sangam, Tiger Lily Bistro, and Black Fuel Roastery, for ‘sip and hop’ events to encourage visitors to have a coffee or short eats alongside gallery visits.
HAW is intended to be an annual feature, and hopes to expand its footprint in the coming years.
(For a detailed schedule, check hyderabadartweek.com and @hyderabadartweek on Instagram)