This art festival reveals why the creative economy is as much about audiences as creators

The creative economy includes the people and activities that create, share, experience, and support creative work. Artists are central, but audiences give art attention, meaning, feedback, and economic support. The article’s title highlights this wider relationship. Art becomes part of public life when people engage with it rather than simply viewing it as a finished product.

Contemporary Now offered a clear example. Collectors who rarely attended events engaged with the festival. Art fans and students saw work from other parts of India through partnerships with galleries in several cities. Visitors also encountered artworks addressing politics, gender, and climate change. These responses helped connect creators with communities and potential supporters.

The festival directors argue that art appreciation should grow through discussions, gallery visits, museums, and art events. Social media has widened access, but too much exposure can also confuse or intimidate people. Future editions in Chennai and possibly other cities could deepen these audience connections.

Contemporary Now was an art festival launched in Chennai and supported by galleries from Kolkata, Ahmedabad, New Delhi, and Mumbai. Its purpose was to present contemporary artwork and strengthen connections within the art community. The third edition mattered because directors said Chennai had not previously seen this level of contemporary art in one event.

The festival spread a diverse range of artworks across 10 venues in the city. Artists included Ashwini Bhat, Prajakta Potnis, Khageswar Rout, Amitesh Shrivastava, Sandeep Mukherjee, Saju Kunhan, Pratap Morey, Benitha Perciyal, and Natasha Preenja. Institutional partners helped local students and art fans see work from elsewhere in India.

Directors Ashvin Rajagopalan and Priyanjoli Basu were satisfied with the festival’s achievements. They reported engagement from collectors who usually did not attend such events. They also said Chennai’s art community wanted the event to happen more often. Possible future editions could take place in Ahmedabad, Baroda, or Shantiniketan.

Contemporary Now had a broad geographic and public reach. The third edition used 10 venues across Chennai, while galleries from Kolkata, Ahmedabad, New Delhi, and Mumbai collaborated. This connected Chennai’s art community with institutions and artists from other parts of India. The festival therefore worked as both an exhibition and a cross-city network.

The article names Ashwini Bhat, Prajakta Potnis, Khageswar Rout, Amitesh Shrivastava, Sandeep Mukherjee, Saju Kunhan, Pratap Morey, Benitha Perciyal, and Natasha Preenja, along with many others. It does not give a total artist count. Audiences included collectors, art fans, and students, with some collectors attending who usually had not come out much.

The event’s reach was significant, but the article gives no attendance figure. Its directors said people wanted more regular editions in Chennai. They also discussed possible editions in Ahmedabad, Baroda, or Shantiniketan, extending the festival’s geographic reach further.

Before widespread online access, people often depended on art catalogues and visits to a few galleries. Those seeking exposure or access had to wait or travel to other cities, which could be expensive. Social media and digital platforms have made artists and audiences more connected, allowing art to be encountered much more quickly and widely.

Benitha Perciyal describes online access as immediate and global. Digital platforms and AI also make art-related tasks easier and faster. This expands visibility for aspiring artists and helps audiences discover work beyond their local galleries. The festival’s partnerships similarly helped Chennai students and art fans see what was happening elsewhere in India.

The change has drawbacks. Perciyal says too much online exposure can be confusing or intimidating. She also believes digital tools can reduce the satisfaction of finding or creating something after sustained effort. Online access expands opportunity, but it does not replace thoughtful engagement with artworks and artists.

Concentrating major exhibitions in Delhi and Mumbai can leave other Indian cities with fewer opportunities to see contemporary art. People outside those centres may need to travel, wait for access, or depend on limited local programming. That can reduce exposure for audiences and make local art communities feel less connected to national developments.

Priyanjoli Basu said feedback showed that Delhi and Mumbai had major art events, while Chennai did not have as much. Contemporary Now responded by bringing a high level of contemporary artwork to 10 Chennai venues. Through institutional partners, students and art fans could also see what was happening in the rest of the country. Collectors who usually stayed away engaged with the festival.

The directors said the event should not be only an annual occurrence. Basu wanted displayed artworks shown elsewhere so the conversation could continue. Possible editions in Ahmedabad, Baroda, or Shantiniketan could spread access, although the article presents these only as plans under consideration.

An art ecosystem needs more than artists. Collectors support artworks by engaging with and collecting them. Students and ordinary visitors build future audiences through learning, viewing, and discussion. Galleries connect artists and works with the public. Festival directors create the structure that brings these groups together and keeps exhibitions visible.

Contemporary Now shows these roles in practice. Galleries from four cities collaborated, while directors Ashvin Rajagopalan and Priyanjoli Basu organised the festival across 10 Chennai venues. Rajagopalan said collectors who usually did not come out engaged with the event. He also noted that students and art fans could see work from elsewhere in India through institutional partners.

Basu encouraged people to discuss art, attend events, and visit galleries and museums, including while travelling. These habits can strengthen art appreciation and knowledge. The directors’ plans for more editions suggest that repeated events, broader partnerships, and continued audience participation can keep conversations moving across cities.

Engaging with art helps societies pause and examine difficult issues through more than facts alone. Art can express uncertainty, conflict, and changing social concerns in forms that audiences interpret and discuss. The article presents this engagement as a way to show concern about the problems shaping people’s lives.

Priyanjoli Basu identified growing appreciation for art about politics, gender, and climate change. She said people were trying to engage with a new narrative, while many young women artists were being collected. Ashvin Rajagopalan added that contemporary artists respond to events around the world and that collectors respond because such work makes them feel something and moves them.

This kind of response can support shared conversation. Basu urged people to discuss art, attend events, and visit galleries and museums. The directors believe society needs more art appreciation and knowledge. Festivals such as Contemporary Now give audiences a place to encounter challenging ideas together, rather than leaving them as private concerns.