BENGALURU: With the two pandemic-ridden years of 2020 and 2021, most artistes had to succumb to a uni-dimensional role as the world around them went into deep hibernation due to global limitations. However, this year, people slowly came out of their residences, and art returned to the stage. 2022 essentially has given artistes freedom after two years of consented captivity.
In Bengaluru, the cultural space Atta Galatta took a big hit after it shut down in March 2020. “We have never been a store that sold books based on a catalogue. Instead, we were always selling an experience where people would come, attend events and hang out. None of that was happening even after the first wave ended.
"Despite making a digital catalogue and using social media to maintain our presence, we weren’t making enough business to sustain the cost of our space in Koramangala. And hence, we eventually shut it down. But we did manage to do the Bangalore Poetry Festival after a gap of two years, and of course, the Bangalore Literature Festival also returned in its outdoor form."
"2022 has been a year of getting back, in terms of organising festivals we normally used to do. It has also been a year of anticipation and missed deadlines,” says the co-founder of Atta Galatta Subodh Shankar, adding, “But what made this year special for us is that we have finally moved into our new space in Indiranagar.”
While Atta Galatta went through a bit of a sinusoidal curve this year, singer Raghu Dixit and his band, the Raghu Dixit Project, were positively asymptotic to infinity.
“We were elated to be back on the live stage and play for people. This year, once venues opened up, I noticed a new-found enthusiasm in the crowd. We locked 14 concerts in November, and 11 gigs in December. It is the most for us in our 20-year career. We have also started getting bookings for our UK tour next year. 2022 has also been great in terms of writing new material. But we are yet to hit back to the original pricing that we charged pre-pandemic,” says Dixit, who performed at the Cannes Film Festival early this year.
Adding to Dixit’s point, avant-garde thespian Mallika Prasad also noticed a surge in the audience coming in to attend live shows in 2022.
“There was great enthusiasm to return to the stage this year. There will be an audience as long as we are responding to what’s real and present in our experience. My show, Hidden in Plain Sight, had multiple screenings this year,” says Prasad, who adds that her greatest takeaway from the pandemic years has been that theatre is bound only by our imagination and staying clear about what is present is key.
Art galleries also had a bit of an episode with Covid. Director of curatorial practices at gallery g, Archana Shenoy said they had to adopt a hybrid model to keep things running.
“One of our takeaways from the lockdown years has been to ensure having no more than 40 people occupy our gallery at a single point in time. On the bright side, sales were continuing to happen, though naturally, the footfall was much lower. But in 2021 and throughout 2022, we have had astronomical sales. People are really investing in art and seem to be keen on doing up their homes and private spaces. Something new that we noticed was that people have become more geographically aware of their surroundings and are interested in buying local artefacts,” she shares.
Similarly, India Foundation for the Arts (IFA) has also leaned towards the hybrid way. “We realised that many more people can join from different parts of the world in an online system. But in 2023, we are planning on bringing some of our projects in the physical form since it has their charm. The hybrid model is here to stay because we have figured out the advantages of the virtual space,” says Arundhati Ghosh, executive director of IFA.