Keli is a Mumbai-based charitable organisation striving to preserve, develop and propagate the classical cultural heritage of India. This year the eminent organisation is entering the 30th year of its journey in exploring the rich and diverse forms of India’s artistic traditions. Set to commemorate their journey at the latest edition of their annual festival, Keli’s theme will explore the different ways, modes, and levels at which art intersects with different domains of knowledge such as history, anthropology, sociology, and politics.
It will also explore the varied ways in which an artform transforms over the years and the various intersections and confluences that enliven art making, performance, and appreciation and contribute to the rich cultural fabric that makes up India. Seeking to acquaint their audience with an immersive experience of performance, the festival will centre on body, music and sound, gender, sites and spaces, time, and public aspects of art.
If you are someone who seeks out informative yet innovative experiences that play with culture, performance, and art then this festival is the perfect place. The focus of Keli this year will be on how art transgresses boundaries and creates synergies by opening itself up to the world, the concept of time, and other influences. Weaving together dialogues, conversations, presentations, videos, and live performances, each element is conceived as an aesthetic and a learning experience for the audience.
Focussing on Kathakali, one of India’s 17th-century major dance drama traditions and Koodiyattam, which is almost 1800 years old and known to be the most ancient surviving Sanskrit theatre tradition in the world, the event is set to dissect and explore the artist’s body as central to their art form. Furthermore, they will demonstrate this with contrasting performances with and without costumes, so as to better illuminate and expand on this idea.
The festival will take place on October 15 and 16, 2022.
Find more information here.
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