The ‘Art for Hope’ festival, a four-day exhibition, was inaugurated on Thursday (March 16) by the corporate social responsibility (CSR) branch of Hyundai Motor India Ltd. (HMIL) at InKo Centre in Chennai.
The expo showcases diverse artworks of 21 grantees of Art for Hope 2023, the auto industry’s first dedicated CSR programme in the field of art to nurture hidden talents in diverse fields of art, craft and culture across the nation.
Launched in 2021, Art for Hope aims to support artists and collectives working on the revival of traditional arts, and environmental, social and community-centric themes through the grant. This is the 2nd edition of the programme where 25 artists and 10 art collectives have been selected for the grant.
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The grantees, chosen from over 200 entries, received from 87 cities representing 25 states offer a medley of different genres of Visual, Digital, Performance, Folk and Traditional Art & Craft. HMIF felicitated the grantees during the recently held inaugural exhibition of its ‘Art for Hope 2023’ programme in New Delhi. All grantees received a cumulative grant of Rs. 40 Lakhs.
A curated version of the ‘Art for Hope’ festival exhibition at Chennai comprises Visual, Digital, Performance & Folk and Traditional Art & Craft of 21 artists, including Kattaikkuttu Sangam, a traditional performing arts theatre in Kancheepuram, Mr. Ramkumar Kannadasan, a sculptor from Chennai, Ms. Sreelakshmi KS, a painting artist from Chennai and Auro Apaar, a dance Film Collective based in Puducherry.
Workshops on printmaking, coffee painting, watercolour landscapes and film screenings are also planned as part of the expo, which is open to public free of cost.
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Commenting on ‘Art for Hope’ providing a platform to showcase art inclusivity, Mr. Gopala Krishnan CS, Trustee, Hyundai Motor India Foundation said, “Hyundai is committed towards ‘Progress for Humanity’ and through our various CSR initiatives under the global CSR philosophy of ‘CONTINUE’, we have been giving back to the society in different ways. Art is a reflection of a society’s values, its culture and the people who are a part of it. HMIF took the step of taking up the cause of artists under the commitment of doing good for society, eventually contributing towards making the world a better place. ‘Art for Hope’ is our first art CSR programme and in the second edition the focus is on artists expressing environmental, social and community-centric themes.”
“In this edition, we have arranged an array of engaging activities that will offer a unique experience to the visitors and provide a platform for artists to showcase their talent.” Mr. Gopala Krishnan CS added.
The exhibition is open to public every day (11 AM – 6 PM) till 19 March at The Gallery, InKo Centre, Chennai.
To register for workshops and film screenings, please contact InKo Centre at 044- 24361224 / 98400 13017.
HMIF Hyundai Motor India Foundation (HMIF) was formed in 2006 with the purpose of ‘giving back’ to society and to initiate Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities in the areas of Community Development, Health Care, Educational and Vocational Training, Environment, Road Safety, Art, Science, Technology, etc.
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The Hyundai Motor India Foundation operates to care for the underprivileged and has undertaken many welfare projects under the aegis of Hyundai Motor India to encourage sustainable development and promote inclusive growth in the country.