Abhivyakti opens 7th edition with expanded line-up of 140 artists

Ahmedabad, Nov 14 (PTI) Torrent Group's UNM Foundation opened the seventh edition of Abhivyakti - The City Arts Project, unveiling a larger, expanded programme featuring more than 140 artists from 45 cities across 16 states.

The 15-day festival, held across the Gujarat University Campus, ATIRA and the Shreyas Foundation Campus, began on Thursday with the theatrical dance-musical Mumbai Star, produced by Devika Shahani, directed by Nadir Khan and narrated by Rajit Kapur and Srishti Shrivastava. The performance drew a strong and diverse audience, the group said in a statement.

With this year's theme, "Stories waiting to be told," Abhivyakti will host over 220 shows in dance, music, theatre, literature and visual arts. The visual arts section has been expanded to 62 installations following strong public interest in previous editions.

UNM Foundation chairperson Sapna Mehta said the response to the artist call showed the platform's growing national appeal.

"Abhivyakti enables access to the arts without thresholds... We take pride in presenting 140 artists from across India, each reflecting the immense creative potential that resides in every corner of the country," she said.

A majority of participants this year are from outside Gujarat, including from Assam, Rajasthan, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, underscoring Abhivyakti's emergence as a key stage for original, contemporary artistic expression.

Under the theme 'Stories waiting to be told', the 7th Edition will feature performances curated by five eminent curators: Gopal Agarwal (Dance), Tapas Relia (Music), Gurleen Judge (Theatre), Jay Thakkar (Visual Arts), and Preeti Das (Literature). Mentors guiding the artists include Kruti Mahesh (Dance), Rajat Dholakia (Music), Saumya Joshi (Theatre), Khanjan Dalal (Visual Arts), and Rajesh 'Miskeen' Vyas (Literature).

Since its inception in 2018, Abhivyakti has supported over 600 artists and premiered 400+ original productions, drawing more than 600,000 attendees across six editions.

Over the years, Abhivyakti has expanded this platform to other cities, with local editions in Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, and Bhuj (Kutch) - providing a platform for budding artists and making art accessible to the masses at no cost. PTI ANZ DRR