should art 2020 | G5A at 5
Over the past five years, we at G5A, have been slowly and quietly, with compassion and care, working hard to create a safe space for independent art and artists of our neighborhood, city, and country. A safe space for art that is bold, courageous, and true. Simultaneously, we have been a hub for our community leveraging the power of the arts to reinforce identity, ownership, and collaborative participation.
should art
2020: G5A at 5
“Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next. We can choose to walk through it, dragging the carcasses of our prejudice and hatred, our avarice, our data banks and dead ideas, our dead rivers and smoky skies behind us. Or we can walk through lightly, with little luggage, ready to imagine another world. And ready to fight for it.” –Arundhati Roy
Over the past five years, we at G5A, have been slowly and quietly, with compassion and care, working hard to create a safe space for independent art and artists of our neighborhood, city, and country. A safe space for art that is bold, courageous, and true. Simultaneously, we have been a hub for our community leveraging the power of the arts to reinforce identity, ownership, and collaborative participation.
We have been firmly asserting the importance and necessity of the arts in our lives and the role it should play. And now it is even more critical. Over these five years we have built a community and ecosystem that believes in the possibility of new, unfiltered, voices and the possibility of building communities that are equitable, inclusive, and just.
We have encountered many opinions along this road that have insisted that art should not and art must not. We’ve always felt the best way to respond to this is to continue the work we do. To continue asking ourselves and our community of what art should.
The G5A community of artists, audiences and advocates comes together not only to celebrate 5 years of our journey, in whatever capacity we are able to at the moment, but also to reinforce our ecosystem and the long path through the portal.
We have a wonderful few days planned with conversations, presentations, and performances and we hope you will share with us this time of celebration and hope.
Our luggage need carry little else but tools for our art, strength for our voices, and hope for our children.
This is only the beginning.
should art | 2020
Welcome.
Festival events on YouTube
“The lexicon of culture around the world, belongs to each and every artist.”
“Does faith enable or define ethics, morality, and values – or can they exist independently?”
“How does a painting creates conversations and resonances within itself and its viewers?”
“How do we take classical forms to the future to become empathetic to contemporary themes.”
“The rigor of classical forms demands the death of the ego to create the tools for a new contemporary language”
“How can immersive performances leverage space and form to blur the lines between public and private experiences?”
“There is something about ‘free will’ that really bothers the ruling elite – otherwise we’d all be free to do what we want.” – Arshia Sattar
“When silent pauses between notes offer not just a moment for reflection, but are a manifestation of discipline – a conduit to connect with a common consciousness”
“Can writing in any form, act as a platform to learn, share, heal, and relieve the burden of reality, and nurture an ecology of cultural collaboration?”
“When we cultivate an awareness for our cultural heritage, we build the foundations for a sustained effort to rethink our legacy and reimagine the futures we wish to create.”
“Can we create platforms where we unburden ourselves from religion, politics, and stereotypes, in order to create a unified global identity and cultural spirit?”
“Nature has given a spectrum of frequency to everything in the universe” – Resul Pookutty
“When resistance is criminalised, sustaining, supporting, and expanding safe spaces that act as repositories for creative expression is the only safeguard for local histories.”
“Can we create platforms where we unburden ourselves from religion, politics, and stereotypes, in order to create a unified global identity and cultural spirit?”
