Talks
The Stage as a Canvas: When Theatre Meets Art
Ravikumar Kashi and Arundhati Nag
Artist Ravikumar Kashi and veteran actor Arundhati Nag engage in a detailed discussion, exploring her extensive career in theatre and the rich interplay between visual and performing arts.
It will also examine moments of disruption—where these forms challenge each other’s conventions—and how such interactions foster new approaches to creative expression. Drawing on Nag’s theatre background and Kashi’s artistic perspective, this conversation provides a structured exploration of how these fields coexist and evolve, offering insights into their complementary dynamics.
Image credits: S G Vasudev
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Arundhati Nag
Arundhati Nag is a prominent polyglot actor and theatre personality, who has been involved with multilingual theatre in India for over 50 years. She is the founder and Managing Trustee of the Sanket Trust that runs Ranga Shankara, a theatre in Bangalore. Nag has also been involved in several television and film projects and has received both the Karnataka State Film Award (1985) and the National Film Award (2010).
She has been presented the Padma Shri (2010) by the President of India for her untiring efforts and tremendous achievements in the Arts, and also conferred the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in Theatre Acting (2008) by India’s National Academy of Music, Dance and Theatre.
Ravikumar Kashi
Ravikumar Kashi (b. 1968) is an artist, writer and educator whose practice revolves around exploring the mechanics of meaning-making. He holds a BFA in Painting from the College of Fine Arts, Bengaluru, an MFA in Printmaking from the Faculty of Fine Arts, MS University, Vadodara and a Master’s in English Literature from the University of Mysuru.
In 2001, he received the Charles Wallace India Trust Grant, which enabled him to study handmade papermaking under artist and printmaker J Parry, at the Glasgow School of Art. In 2009, he furthered his engagement with the medium, during a three-week hanji papermaking residency in Jang Ji Bang, South Korea, supported by the InKo Centre, Chennai. Since then, paper has become central to his artistic practice, incorporating handmade papers made from diverse fibres such as cotton, banana, hanji and Daphne.
Kashi has presented his work in solo exhibitions at Gallery Sumukha (Bengaluru), Pundole Art Gallery (Mumbai) and Vadehra Art Gallery (New Delhi), as well as internationally at the Glasgow School of Art, Air Gallery (London), Aicon Gallery (Palo Alto) and at exhibitions in Shanghai and Belforte del Chienti (Italy).
In addition to his visual practice, Ravikumar Kashi is a prolific writer. He has authored several books and columns and lectures extensively on visual art and culture in both Kannada and English. His book on art in Kannada, Kannele, was awarded the Karnataka Sahitya Akademi Award in 2015. He teaches at an architecture college in the city of Bengaluru, where he continues to live and work.
