DEMOCRACY - THE ENDANGERED BIRD - ACT III

Welcome to an evening with a talk/lecture performance with artists Saviya Lopes (IN), Yogesh Barve (IN) and Arijit Bhattacharyya (IN) presented by Hillside Projects

Dalit Poetry and Literature is a YouTube channel with more than 18 000 followers based out of India. In this presentation, Yogesh Barve is joined by Saviya Lopes as he shares the thoughts, process and journey behind this channel. In the midst of the current global exchange of ideas, a rich archive of cultural videos, speeches, poems, and audiobooks has emerged. This digital repository is a testament to the diverse voices and narratives that shape our contemporary literary and cultural landscape. Within this vast digital realm, a delicate balance between authorship and potential exploitation must be maintained. The ease of sharing content globally raises ethical questions about proper attribution and the responsible use of cultural materials.

How political is (y)our curry? is a gastronomic lecture performance with Arijit Bhattacharyya. When the ships first arrived at the coast of Calicut (India), history was forming a new shape for cuisine and other aspects of society in two different parts of the world. How political is (y)our curry? is a gastronomic lecture-performance about the food and politics of India and its relationship with colonialism. It attempts to negotiate power in a postcolonial context through food and develops an argument that investigates efforts of neo-colonialism, failed decolonisation and hyper-nationalism in the postcolonial culture of India through gastronomy.

DEMOCRACY – THE ENDANGERED BIRD is an ambulating public programme formulated by Hillside Projects (SE) in collaboration with Indian artists and curators Saviya Lopes, Yogesh Barve, Amol K Patil and Arijit Bhattacharyya and in conversation with fellow researcher Amila Puzic. The programme is presented in four acts at Art House cinema Zita, IASPIS and Index – The Swedish Contemporary Art Foundation throughout the month of September 2023. The project is supported by The Nordic Art Association (NKF) through a month-long residency and funded by the Swedish Arts Council and the Nordic Culture Fund.

Yogesh Barve and Saviya Lopes are visual artists based in Mumbai. They were participating artists and later, the artistic directors at Clark House Initiative. They were both on the curatorial team for Kochi Students Biennale 2022-23. Barve and Lopes maintain a regular exhibiting schedule nationally and internationally including, amongst others, 2nd Transnational Pavillion at the 55th Venice Biennale, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul and The Showroom, London.

Arijit Bhattacharyya is an artist and independent curator based in Weimar, Germany. His work delves into narratives of resistance through murals, design, engagements, cooking, and performances. He curates projects exploring social dissent. Recent solo exhibitions include Sea of Forests at the ChertLüdde and From Forests We Are And Forests We Will Be at the Kunstverein Braunschweig as well as, amongst others, group exhibitions at Röda Sten konsthall and Casa de Goethe, Rome.