CHENNAI : Riding high on the success of its inaugural edition last year, Art Chennai is all set to rock the art fraternity with its 2nd edition scheduled from March 10-18, 2012 at multiple public locations. With 8 exciting days of uninterrupted art, 35 art shows and over 2000+ displays and installations at various galleries & public spaces like shopping malls, IT parks, Marina beach as well as at art galleries and Chennai’s finest hotels, ART CHENNAI 2012 has established itself to be a significant annual fixture in the art market.

ART CHENNAI 2012 is being supported by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Department of Tourism in Tamil Nadu who have shown a keen interest in building this initiative this year and in the years to come.

With leading Indian galleries and art collectors, historians, artists and critics from all over the country coming together to celebrate the finest in modern and contemporary Indian art, the 2nd edition continues to position itself as the best on the South Indian art market.

The current edition will see focus on bringing art closer to common man with 3 special interactive initiatives for publics such as

One-of-its kind public beach art project for common man at the Marina Beach called the Catastrophe by Koumudi Patil and other eminent artists such as Subodh Kerkar, Sanchayan Ghosh, Vaishali Narkar, Sanjeev Khandekar. The 4 projects namely Wind Vane Memoir, Floats of memory, I am angry, Objects of the seas that will be executed on Marina beach for 3 days at different spaces only to be destroyed either by the sea, the audience or the artist himself.

With never seen before installations in South India i.e. Ghost: Transmemoir Mixed media installation by Bose Krishnamachari, Last Pass by Riyas Komu, Bhogi/Rogi: (consumption/disease) by Sheba Chhachhi, Flying Dreams by Paresh Maity, Sculpture ‘CONSTUCT’ by Natraj Sharma spanning across Ascendas, Express Avenue, Lalit Kala Akademi and Taj Coramandel.

Chennai’s first broad-based, public photographic art project titled “A Week in the Life of Chennai” to create a public document of Chennai by submitting photographs that will be displayed as large-scale prints in select public spaces during Art Chennai week.

An exclusive Student Connect Initiatives have been announced for students with educational motive and to engage them in art. A select internship programme has been designed to work alongside Dr. Chaitanya Sambrani for students from ‘art’ background during ART Chennai 2012 to understand and appreciate art expositions. Another initiative has been designed keeping in mind the younger & larger audience from the age 15 years to 21 years called ART Smart. This initiative aims at capturing the essence of ‘Chennai & Life’ in the form of all the disciplines in art including Mixed Media, Paintings, Sculptures, Graphics, Drawings and Photographs.

A greater focus this edition will be on ‘To Let the World In: Narrative and beyond in Contemporary Indian Art’ a four-part project addressing the work of three generations of artists currently active in India. The project is being directed by Chaitanya Sambrani involving four components, a major exhibition featuring the work of 25-30 contemporary Indian artists, a 90-minute film about the work of the artists in the exhibition, 5 session seminar addressing themes relevant to the project (Chennai, 16th-18th March 2012) with presentations by art historians, curators, artists and gallery owners and a book launch which combines the fully illustrated exhibition catalogue with selected proceedings from the seminar.

The ART CHENNAI 2012 has broadened its horizons from the regular art fair to incorporating art performances under its umbrella like the Yoga Art Performances and other cultural performances by Gundecha Brothers on the opening night, a Comedy Night featuring Cyrus Broacha & Vikram Sathaye at Music Academy or Music Performance by Strings at Sri Mutha Venkatasubbarao Concert Hall.

This event is a celebration that spans the entire city with over 2000 displays and installations at various galleries, public spaces like the beach and events at Chennai’s finest hotels. What’s more, it provides a platform that inspires debate, art appreciation and investment like never before.

Highlights of ART CHENNAI 2012

A Premier Boutique Art Fair with 6 outstation galleries at the Taj Coromandel

Special previews by 15 Chennai Galleries

4 part project themed ‘To Let the World In : Narrative and beyond in Contemporary Indian Art at Lalit Kala Akademi Chennai

5 session Speaker conference by art historians, curators, artists and gallery owners

Public art project at the Marina beach

5 Installations at public places

38 artists participating in the Art Residency 2012

Select Internship Program for students with Dr. Chaitanya Sambrani

2 Student Connect Programs targeted at young chennaites

Video Mapping Conceptualized by Sameer Sethi

Auction for the benefit of Rotary Club of Chennai