--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE--

Dynamic, Contemporary, and Uniquely South Asian:
ArtWallah 2002
The Third Annual Festival of the South Asian Diaspora

Los Angeles, CA (April 15, 2003) – As sunlight filtered through the delicate, multi-colored kites fashioned by volunteers and organizers, attendees of ArtWallah 2002 (April 26-28) were welcomed into the Village at Ed Gould Plaza’s festive courtyard. An outdoor bazaar, including South Asian cuisine, books, music, fashion, arts and crafts, hosted the intermingling of talented artists and the estimated 1,300 in attendance. The Village complex, also including a gallery and two theater spaces, became the weekend home for over 60 artists whose work spanned the genres of dance, film, literature, music, spoken word, theater, and visual art.

ArtWallah is a celebration of the art and culture of people whose origins lie in the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka but who have dispersed across the globe. The festival is a place that brings the South Asian diaspora back together into a new artistic community. The work encountered in ArtWallah, though rooted in South Asia, reflects the establishment of the home and the self in new lands. Both personal and universal in theme, the works showcased resonated with a broad audience.

Not only did ArtWallah sell-out the three-night evening show at more than double the capacity of previous years, but the courtyard, theaters, and gallery overflowed with people wanting to see daytime events. The laughter from Rasika Mathur’s stand-up comedy and the outdoor concert series including performances by fusion hip-hop group Karmacy, tabla-beatbox duo Gurpreet and Jugular, and R& B vocalist Sumeet Bharati echoed from the courtyard to the streets, wooing prospective attendees through the entrance gates. The Davidson/Valentini theater was packed with overflowing crowds attending poetry and a storytelling hours featuring poet Lina Patel Michon and pusblished author Bhargavi Mandava. The larger Renberg theater hosted Shishir Kurup’s one-man show “Assimilation,” Nisha Puhuja’s anticipated “Bollywood Bound,” and a screening of short but highly innovative films. The Advocate Gallery displayed an eclectic exhibition including the rich colors and textured fabrics of Paul Pahal’s tapestry-like work to the intricate details of Paula Roy-Burman’s unlikely juxtaposition of Hindu gods and cartoon characters.

The evening show, repeated on all three nights, was a three-hour showcase of performing arts, music, and film. Karmacy rapper Sammy Chand and Shilpa Brennan Agarwal, writer and co-festival administrator, guided the audience through the evening’s performances with entertaining and informal dialogue. The gypsy/qawali music of Rajamani and Ensemble jumpstarted the evening with a fusion of Indian, Middle-Eastern and African beats followed by the smoldering political poetry of Pireeni Sundaralingam on exile in Sri Lanka and hate crimes in the UK. The evening show also included a screening of a traditionally hand-painted animation by Rupa Shah and an experimental film by Andaleeb Firdosy on the “sewing together” of family history. Dancer Bagashree Vaze mixed Kathak with Western hip-hop while dance ensemble Inner[Di]visions explored themes of biculturalism with Indian, American, and Polynesian dance traditions. The show featured the stand-up comedy of Paul Varghese and a one-woman theater piece on virginity by actor Meera Simhan. Co-festival administrator Ranjit Mathoda describes the experience, “As an organizer, I thought I knew what to expect. But each successive performance left me stunned.”

The ArtWallah official after-party at the Tempest in Hollywood was a true extension of the festival. Impromptu performances by the artists and other talented party-goers, nudged onto a make-shift stage by the energetic crowd, marked the event. The club buzzed with ideas for new artistic collaborations inspired by the weekend of festivities that are sure to be showcased at next year’s festival.

The official ArtWallah soundtrack CD, “Awaz of ArtWallah” is now available online at CDStreet.com. A compilation of several participating ArtWallah artists, the CD includes selections ranging from the South Asian hip-hop of Karmacy, a tabla/beat box combo by Gurpreet Chana and Jugular, to a spoken word piece by Pireeni Sundarlingam.

The ArtWallah festival continues to grow each year through the support and passion of artists, volunteers, generous donors, and the community. The spirit carries throughout the year, inspiring emerging artists and fostering dialogue and collaboration amongst participating artists. Co-festival administrator, Shilpa Brennan Agarwal believes ArtWallah speaks to us all. “In working with the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center and being picked up by media outlets such as KPFK radio station, it is clear that the festival has become important to celebrate not just for South Asians but also for all artistic, immigrant, and progressive communities.”

Co-founders of the festival, the South Asian Artists’ Collective and the Indo-American Cultural Center welcome individuals to get involved and experience the making ArtWallah 2003.

For additional information --

Press contact:
Natasha Alim
natash300@yahoo.com
310-428-6414

The South Asian Artists’ Collective
www.southasianartists.org
Contact: Ranjit Mathoda
mathoda@hotmail.com
(310) 528-2154

The Indo-American Cultural Center
www.iacc-la.org
Contact: Sarita Vasa
sarita@iacc-la.org
(310) 745-2986