· Renowned artiste Paresh Maity pays unique tribute to Surat city with 50- foot boat installation – ‘Jal Tapi’
· Gujarat Gaurav Awardee Yazdi N. Karanjia joins hands as VR Surat’s Cultural Ambassador
Mumbai, April 26, 2013: India’s first and Surat’s only world-class integrated retail city centre & community lifestyle destination – VR Surat, Virtuous Retail’s inaugural Flagship Center in India opened its doors to the general public with two special art initiatives – Paresh Maity’s ‘Jal Tapi’ and ‘Dumas Art Project’.
Marking a momentous occasion for the city of Surat, internationally renowned artiste Paresh Maity unveiled ‘Jal Tapi’ – a life-sized boat installation created using the actual sailing vessel or ‘Hodhi’ that won the city’s annual Magdalla Boat Race in 2013.
Nationally acclaimed theatre personality Yazdi N. Karanjia joined hands as VR Surat’s Cultural Ambassador and endorsed Virtuous Retail’s ‘Connecting Communities’ initiatives to put Surat on the global tourism map.
Dumas Art Project at VR Surat features the iconic red sign ‘I Love Dumas Square’, and a 240-foot mural titled ‘Streat’; the installations celebrate Surat’s rich heritage and culture. The Project will also host a wonderful collection of 15 art installations over the summer, created by some of the most prominent and promising artistes from across India.
Anupam Yog, Marketing Director, Virtuous Retail, said, “Virtuous Retail is pleased to present the Dumas Art Project, Jal Tapi and Streat at VR Surat as an integrated platform to explore Surat’s untapped tourism potential. We believe Surat’s local economy will get a boost with the world class infrastructure at VR Surat that has been made available for retailers, travel & tour operators, event organizers, and the community at large. Our centers are uniquely designed and provide international standard experiential shopping. Art and culture are an integral part of that experience. Over 2013, we will continue to delight the citizens of Surat, and indeed all visitors into the city, with outstanding events and cultural initiatives.”
Yog added, “Sprawling across 6 lakh sq. feet, packed with unique outdoor and indoor experiences, and anchored by Shoppers Stop, Westside and INOX, VR Surat’s Phase I opening will see the launch of over 50 brands, many of which will be debuting in Surat and Gujarat.”
Maity’s bold strokes have transformed an innocuous looking boat into a stunning piece of public art. Painted in Maity’s trademark palette of vibrant orange, yellow and blue, the 30-foot high canvas sail of the Jal Tapi is a tribute to the spirit and culture of the people of Surat. This larger than life installation is permanently docked at the ‘Runway’ at VR Surat. Legendary in the coastal villages of Surat, the 105-year old boat race was adopted by Virtuous Retail in February 2012 as part of its ‘Connecting Communities’ programme.
Flanked by Magdalla Plaza and Dumas Square, the 240-foot one-of-its kind Art Mural titled ‘Streat’ is inspired by the legendary Surti obsession with food. It brings the vibrancy of Surat’s street food culture to Magdalla Plaza, a well-designed community space that features a spectacular outdoor LED screen, one of the largest digital public displays in India. It depicts the story of Surat from its origins to the present day. The Mural incorporates distinctive elements from the city’s everyday culture as well as rich heritage – The Flying Rani, Science Centre, Tapi River, The Chowk, Kites, Laaris, Hazira Lighthouse, Nehru Garden, Hope Bridge, Andrews Library, Zari, Magdalla Port, East India Co., Surat Castle, Suryapur, Gai Pagli, and many more, which unite to give it a unique character.
The bright red iconic installation ‘I Love Dumas Square’ at VR Surat celebrates the vibrancy of Surat’s favourite picnic destination, Dumas Road. It fills the gap for a much needed organized event space for art and cultural activities in the city, and will also host cafés and ice cream parlours.
Punctuated by moving pieces of art, VR Surat transforms into a veritable art gallery for the Dumas Art Project.
Dumas Square at VR Surat
- Artiste Pooja Arora creates ‘Meter Down = Mood Down’ installation to highlight the dilemma and plight of passengers and auto/ cab drivers.
- Artiste Yashash Patel pays homage to dabbawallas in ‘Surat – The City of Dreams.
- Paresh Maity presents ‘Ants’ recreating a social ant colony in a unique way – with the bodies comprising motor bike parts, bike seats and even headlamps.
- Artiste Hetal Shukla’s ‘Cart of Change’ is that of an ambassador car covered with 30,000 coins. This installation is an attempt to change the ‘poor artiste’ syndrome, an age old belief that artistes live in poverty.
Streat at VR Surat
- Artistes Sonal Jadhavand and Nikhil Borhade create ‘Tarewarchi Kasarat’ (Marathi for walking the tight rope) is all about how we trade dreams for fame, status, fatter paychecks, fancier designations, etc.
- Artiste Parveen Kaur’s ‘Ghatorora – Surat Dreams…Art for Change’ is a humorous and interactive artwork with magnifying glass to help people enjoy the lighter moments of life.
Magdalla Plaza at VR Surat
- Artiste Vikram Arora’s “Corrupt Us” questions if ‘money’ is the biggest motivation ever even to perform one’s duties. Helpless citizens get frustrated and many end up paying the bribe so they can move on with their lives. It’s clear, the corrupt are corrupting us.
- Artiste Namrata Surve’s ‘Life Blossoming’ is all about one beautiful thing passing a spirited life into another.
- Artiste Haresh Mehta’s Cardboard Furniture – Thinking ‘Beyond the Box’ explores the versatility of corrugated boards. This medium, arguably the world’s simplest and greatest wonders of engineering gave him the opportunity to merge art with technology, resulting in innovative merchandising. This inspired the slogan ‘The science of packaging and the art of display’.
About Virtuous Retail
Virtuous Retail is an institutionally-owned developer and operator of premium, community-oriented lifestyle shopping centres in India’s top cities. Established in 2007, Virtuous Retail is sponsored by The Xander Group Inc, a leading emerging markets investment firm, which has committed US$ 600 MM in equity to the platform.
Virtuous Retail’s pan-India portfolio includes prime city centre locations in Surat, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune and Kolkata. This makes Virtous Retail the leading platform of quality real estate for organized retail in one of the world’s most attractive consumer markets.
Aimed at the prosperous and discerning Indian consumer, Virtuous Retail’s lifestyle shopping centres are tailored specifically to be retail, food and entertainment destinations with a strong regional connect. What a consumer can expect is a distinctive retail and entertainment experience, which has been designed and is operated at international standards.
What is most unique about Virtuous Retail’s long-term vision is its concept of Connecting Communities. The firm’s mandate is to offer new social hubs to the urban Indian consumer by creating a platform for cultural, public-private and cross-border initiatives. The aim is to respect, foster and encourage civic pride, strengthen the local economy and boost each city’s image.