What happens when over 1,300 artworks gather under one roof with something urgent to say?
The fifth edition of the Madras Art Guild answers that question with scale, experimentation, and optimism. Hosted at VR Chennai, this year’s festival transforms the aisles and galleries into platforms of creativity. Here you will see escalators lead to sculptures, corridors open into art galleries, and conversations spill from installations into cafés/shops.
“I think this year is the most exciting so far because it’s the largest Madras Art Guild,” says curator Sumi Gupta. “It’s our fifth edition, and we are displaying over 1,300 works of painting, photography, installations, and sculptures. That is a real milestone for us.”
If previous editions hinted at scale, this one embraces it boldly. Five galleries have been created to hold the volume of work. Institutions such as the Government College of Fine Arts, Kumbakonam, and Cholamandal Artists’ Village return with fresh perspectives, alongside centres like the Chitravati Centre for Creativity and young contributors from schools across the city.
The theme, The Future is Now, grounds everything. Sumi explains the reason behind the theme. “Innovation and progress are no longer aspirations for the future —they are active forces shaping our present realities.” That level of urgency feels real. Students have interpreted the theme through technology, sustainability, identity, and memory, often blurring the boundaries between art, science, and social commentary.
One of the most arresting works this year is The Last Meal. At first glance, it is delicate, a glass turtle suspended in space. Step closer, and the fragility sharpens into discomfort. Plastic bags fill its body. “Each piece of plastic symbolises a choice that we make, putting convenience and quick access over a sustainable world,” Sumi reflects.
Sustainability, in fact, emerges as a powerful undercurrent throughout the festival. A collaboration with UNESCO titled Pockets of Hope transforms 230 kilos of marine waste collected from Chennai’s beaches into a monumental installation. Seven kilos of that waste is electronic debris— wires, circuit boards etc, all compacted into sculptural form.
The exhibition, however, is not weighed down by its own seriousness. There is wit and play across its corridors.
Nataraja, an anamorphic installation, only resolves into clarity when viewed from a precise vantage point. Shift your stance, and the form fractures. Meanwhile, The Face Project uses high-resolution 3D scanning and printing to create hyper-realistic models of human faces.
Then there is Aethel Wulf, a fictional biomimetic submarine inspired by the grace of whales and infused with steampunk aesthetics and advanced deep-sea exploration technology. This is designed for deep trench mapping and silent marine observation.
Beyond static display, the festival also expands into moving images and performance. A pan-India student film festival introduces original films across diverse categories, inviting young filmmakers into the fold. A street art festival debuts this year, featuring traditional folk forms like Mayilattam along with puppet shows, live narration and shadow play. “Contemporary performances need to be side by side with the traditional arts because we cannot forget where we came from and how we all started,” Sumi reflects.
Photography remains another strong pillar of the festival. For instance, the Chennai in Focus segment, an open-call platform, received hundreds of submissions before being distilled into a curated selection, shares Sumi. Images from across the region capture fleeting gestures, architectural quietude, environmental realities, and everyday lives.
Workshops—from pottery to mandala art and Thai clay miniatures—run alongside the exhibition, ensuring the audience is not merely a spectator but a participant. A painted public piano titled Love Piano, created in collaboration with the Consulate General of Japan and Yamaha, sits at the centre, inviting anyone to pause, play, and engage.
What stands out most, however, is the festival’s relationship with its audience. Lakhs of visitors walk through these galleries. Schoolchildren search for their own works on the walls. Families debate installations. Teenagers photograph anamorphic illusions.
“Public art festivals ignite conversations,” Sumi says. “People may like them; they may not like them. But they will remember them. It will make them think.”
Open to all. On till March 22. At VR Chennai, Anna Nagar.
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