A new public art festival that celebrates Chennai ’s position on the cultural map of the country will run from 10 January 2019 to 11 February 2019

Chennai, 3rd January 2019: VR Chennai is delighted to announce the inaugural edition of the Madras Art Guild. Supported by The Yog Foundation, Madras Art Guild is the latest venture in Virtuous Retail’s successful roster of pan-Indian award-winning art shows, which include Dumas Art Project (Est. 2013), Whitefield Art Collective (Est. 2016) and Punjab Art Initiative (Est. 2017). This exciting multidisciplinary initiative will reinforce Chennai’s position, as one of India’s premier art and culture destinations.

The VR Art Programmes, first established in 2013, have over the years enriched the cultural calendars of several Indian cities, with Chennai being the latest destination. In every edition, partnerships with eminent artists and renowned institutions enable a dynamic art festival rooted in the ethos of the city it takes place in. Collaborations have included some of the country‘s most premier institutions, such as MSU Baroda, JJ School of Art (Mumbai), Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology (Bengaluru), The College of Architecture (Chandigarh), Lalit Kala Akademi (Delhi) and College of Art (Delhi).

Senior artists whose works the art shows have had the privilege to showcase range from installations by Paresh Maity, Murali Cheeroth, George Martin to a retrospective of Yusuf Arakal‘s works. This initiative provides art students with a unique opportunity to exhibit their works alongside established artists and gives them unprecedented access to a diverse audience. In 2018, VR Art Programmes commissioned and curated the country’s first, hugely successful travelling art show.

Madras Art Guild, like all VR Art Programmes, celebrates the city it is located in. This initiative will encourage creative explorations that express Chennai’s spirit and aesthetic, through partnerships with leading institutions and notable individuals from the city’s artistic community. Our collaborators for this inaugural edition include Cholamandal Artists’ Village (Chennai), Government College of Fine Art (Chennai), Govc rnment College of Fine Art (Pondicherry) and Government College of Fine Art ( Kumbakonam ).