Kolkata Centre for Creativity (KCC) kicked off the 5th edition of AMI Arts Festival on 21 November, 2024 on the founding anniversary of Kolkata Centre for Creativity. The month-long festival features visual arts, traditional crafts, music, photography, in addition to engaging talks, panel discussions, music, dance and theatre performances. 

The festival started with the inauguration ceremony hosted by KCC Chairperson Richa Agarwal and a photography exhibition and competition titled My Kolkata in Kolkata showcasing works of various emerging photographers from across the country, as well as a musical instrument exhibition titled The Lost Treasures of Bengal showcasing a collection of 300 rare and forgotten Indian musical instruments once owned by the legendary Pandit Radhika Mohan Maitra. 

Audiences can look forward to an exciting musical performance by Grammy nominated sitar player Shujaat Khan and a theatre performance by actor Danish Husain, a book signing and a powerful solo performance by theatre director and actor Manav Kaul, a talk on Satyajit Ray’s iconic character Feluda by actor Sabyasachi Chakraborty, and a musical dastaan by Sufi band Murshidabadi Project. 

AMI (আমি ), in bengali translates to “I”, is an ode to the personal connections viewers have with art and culture across boundaries and borders. As a not-for-profit organization, KCC is well aware of the challenges that artists and visitors face in the industry, and annually rewards and recognises the best artworks, photographs and performances of the year, along with their makers and facilitators, providing a major boost to the country’s art and culture industry. Over the years, KCC has given voice to diverse themes ranging from contemporary and pressing social issues, mythology, religion, gender, caste and politics through its events it has showcased. 

Having grown in size over the years, AMI Arts Festival, started off as a small local art fair and is now East India’s biggest art and culture festivals. KCC Chairperson Richa Agarwal’s ambitious curation brings together an array of creative individuals who have played a pivotal role in shaping the course of Indian art and culture. The diverse programming boasts of an impressive 200 artists, 10 exhibitions, 15 workshops, 10 Theatre Acts, 15 performances, 25 films screenings and 20 discussions. The festival presents a panoramic view of a rich melange of practices with Kolkata Centre for Creativity as a backdrop. This winter, events are spread across several iconic and much sought-after venues in the City of Joy. AMI Arts Festival will also feature eminent filmmakers, speakers and artists this winter. Highlights from the programme also include: 

● IMAGINARIUM 4.0 | Kolkata Centre for Creativity, 11 AM – 7 PM, on view till 22 December ● East Bengal FC: The Courage of Spirit, an exhibition on the history of East Bengal Football Club | Kolkata Centre for Creativity, 11 AM – 7 PM, 13 – 22 December 

● Traasadi, a solo performance and book signing by Manav Kaul | GD Birla Sabhaghar, 6:30PM, 15 December 

● Author Madhurima Vidyarthi in conversation with Priyadarshinee Guha launching Vidyarthi’s latest novel The School for Bad Girls| Kolkata Centre for Creativity, 4:30 PM, 15 December ● Feluda as a Bengal Icon, a talk aboutSatyajit Ray’s iconic film character | Kolkata Centre for Creativity, 2:30 PM, 19 December 

● A sitar performance by Shujaat Khan | Kolkata Centre for Creativity, 6:30PM, 20 December ● A musical dastaan by sufi band Murshidabadi Project | Kolkata Centre for Creativity, 5PM, 22 December 

● A Indo-fusion performance by Indian Ocean and Fakira | Kolkata Centre for Creativity, 7PM, 22 December