Artist Frida Kahlo picked up her paintbrush even when she was in prickling pain and drowning in pessimism. When her body restricted her mobility, she did not stop but created different versions of her life on canvas. Her life is one of many examples of how art can be a medium of expression when life can feel stifling. Carrying forward the tradition of celebrating inclusivity and accessibility in art, the fifth edition of Tattva, an inclusive art festival organised by V-Excel Educational Trust, will bring together more than 270 artists with disabilities, giving them a platform to exhibit their work and reach potential buyers.
Scheduled from October 28 to November 1, Tattva 2026 will showcase 307 artworks by artists from Tamil Nadu and Kolkata, representing 53 organisations, including non-profits, V-Excel units, and individual participants. The festival will feature workshops, live demonstrations, a collaborative mural, an art gallery, and an auction.
Gayathri Suryanarayanan, head of the Youth Empowerment Services unit at V-Excel Educational Trust, says the festival grew from the organisation’s experience of working with trainees whose artistic abilities deserved wider recognition.
“Art, music, theatre, dance, everything is part and parcel of our training programme. Art is also used as a therapy. When we saw the works of a few of our children and trainees, we understood they had immense talent and artistic ability. We thought, why not showcase this to the world? That’s how Tattva was born in 2022,” she says.
The first edition had 30 to 40 participating artists, with nine institutions involved. Gayathri describes Tattva as a platform where artists can express themselves without being ranked against one another. The festival does not have a competition or award prizes for artistic work. Instead, professionals help assess and price the artworks.
Experts helped price this year’s collection and select around 30 works for an exclusive auction at Hotel Savera in Chennai. Proceeds from the artworks sold through the auction and gallery will go to the artists.
Gayathri recounts the progress made by a V-Excel trainee, Eshvar, who initially worked with abstract painting because of his fascination for colours. Over time, the team introduced him to techniques such as blow and string painting. He can now create figurative artworks, she says. The festival has also helped families recognise artistic interests in kids that they had not previously noticed. Some parents enrolled their children in drawing or painting classes after seeing their work exhibited at Tattva, opening up another possible livelihood.
Organising a festival for artists from different parts of the country requires preparation, says Gayathri. The team begins work in July or August, circulates registration links and themes, and coordinates artwork submissions through a dedicated WhatsApp group. Each edition builds on lessons from the previous year.
For this year’s festival, she hopes more visitors will engage directly with the artworks. “There is no good or bad, there is no big or small, there is no right or wrong in the artworks exhibited. This is artists’ expression,” she says.
The public art gallery will be open on October 31 and November 1 at Tamil Nadu Dr J Jayalalithaa University of Music and Fine Arts, from 11 am to 8 pm. Actor and artist Suhasini Maniratnam and actor R Sarathkumar will be present on October 31 and November 1, respectively.