Sumi Gupta, curator of Dumas Art Project, Whitefield Art Collective, Punjab Art Initiative, Madras Art Guild, and Nagpur Kala Sangh, launches the coffee-table book named The Art of Community
New Delhi [India], August 19: Yuj Foundation today unveiled Art of Community, an archival book that captures over a decade of India’s Public Art Festivals. More than a visual archive, the publication celebrates the reimagining of public spaces as platforms for creativity, cultural dialogue and community engagement, while documenting the Foundation’s vision of making art accessible to everyone.
The unveiling marks an important milestone in this collaborative journey of over a decade. Art of Community chronicles the evolution of India’s only public art movement that has grown from a single festival in its inaugural edition in 2013 into a pan-India initiative spanning multiple cities, institutions and communities. The book showcases the legacy of the Public Art Festivals while offering a glimpse into their future, taking the story beyond its home cities to inspire artists and audiences around India and the world.
At the heart of the book is the belief that art belongs to everyone and should be accessible to everyone. It documents how the Public Art Festivals have brought together emerging student talent, established artists, artisans, educators, and local communities to transform everyday public spaces into living canvases that encourage conversation, creativity and cultural participation. Over the years, the festivals have become a platform for nurturing young student artists, fostering mentorship and creating meaningful collaborations between academia, artists and the public.
“Great public spaces are defined not only by how they are built, but by how they bring people together. At Yuj Foundation, we believe art has the power to transform everyday places into shared cultural experiences that foster creativity, dialogue and a sense of belonging. Art of Community celebrates a decade of this journey and reaffirms our commitment to creating communities where culture is an integral part of everyday life,” said Siddharth Yog, Founding Patron, Yuj Foundation.
“When we began this journey more than a decade ago, our vision was simple; to make art a shared public experience rather than something confined to galleries. The book Art of Community is a celebration of that vision and of the countless artists, students, mentors, institutions and communities who have helped bring it to life. More than an archive of the journey so far, the book is a testament to the transformative power of public art and an invitation to imagine what it can achieve in the years ahead,” said Sumi Gupta, curator of Dumas Art Project, Whitefield Art Collective, Punjab Art Initiative, Madras Art Guild and Nagpur Kala Sangh.
Since the first edition of the Dumas Art Project in Surat in 2013, the movement has expanded across Bengaluru, Chennai, Amritsar, Nagpur and Surat, hosting 33 editions of Public Art Festivals that have welcomed more than 11 million visitors. Along the way, the initiative has collaborated with some of India’s leading art institutions, including Sir J.J. School of Art, MSU Baroda, Chitrakala Parishath, Lalit Kala Akademi and several universities, while forging international partnerships with UNESCO, the British Council, the Arts for the Future Festival in New York and other global cultural organisations.
Compiled over ten years with contributions from more than 50 individuals, Art of Community is the first publication in what Yuj Foundation envisions as a growing archive of India’s public art movement. Through essays, photographs and stories, it captures the evolution of the festivals, their partnerships, the voices of artists and communities, and the impact of making art an integral part of public life.
