Come December, the national capital’s iconic Red Fort will house for a week the replicas of some landmark Indian buildings and structures, including the new Indian Parliament, Tamil Nadu’s Velankanni Railway Station, and Srinagar’s Shalimar Bagh as part of the country’s maiden art, architecture and design biennale.
The India Art, Architecture and Design Biennale, 2023 (IAADB), being organised by the Union Culture Ministry from December 9-15 is likely to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 8.
The week-long festival will see each day built around a uniquely conceptualised theme, complemented by exclusively curated exhibitions.
The exhibitions, accompanied by interactive installations, have been designed in both physical and digital forms for an immersive experience. A coffee table book would be brought out on each theme, with 75 items each marking the 75 years of Indian Independence, sources in the Culture Ministry told The Hindu.
The themes are ‘Doors of India’, ‘Gardens of India’, ‘Baolis (step-wells) of India’, ‘Temples of India’, ‘Architectural Wonders of Independent India’, ‘Indigenous Design’, and ‘Women in Architecture and Design’.
Apart from the exhibition, there will be panel discussions and interactive sessions with the audiences to increase awareness of India’s built heritage.
The exhibition is being curated by the National Gallery of Modern Art along with the National Council of Science Museums, the Archaeological Survey of India, the Lalit Kala Akademi, the Council of Architecture, and the outreach department of the Ministry of Education.
The themes will cover art, mythology, belief, popular culture, architecture, well-being, ecology, and heritage. The first day on the ‘Doors of India’ will celebrate several unique doors and gateways of India, while the second day on ‘Gardens of India’ will present different gardens. The third day will be dedicated to the ‘Baolis of India’ and explore how they were perfect examples of a cultural space as well as their evolution from utilitarian structures to heavily ornamented works of art. The section on ‘Temples of India’ will focus on four styles — Dravida, Nagara, Vesara, and standalone temple architecture. The theme on the architectural wonders of Independent India will include modern Indian landmarks, including the new Parliament, the Indian Institutes of Technology ITs of Delhi and Gandhinagar, and the Dudhsagar Dairy in Mehsana, Gujarat. A separate section features women in Indian architecture.
The concept note for the programme highlights its focus. “A newly Independent India came with the vision of a new character, identity and innovation. Stepping away from the usual architectural wonders of pre-independent era, this day will celebrate the modern architectural marvels of modern India,” the concept note says.
The Biennale will also be an introduction to the cultural space in Delhi at Red Fort. At the Museum Expo 2023, held in May this year, five Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) were signed between the Culture Ministry and the cities of Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Varanasi denoting special cultural spaces for citizens.
