The entrance of VR Mall in Anna Nagar has been decorated with a huge installation. Seen from a distance, it looks like a selfie spot that attracts visitors. But as you get closer the work reveals something more serious, something that is deeply connected to the crisis that is constantly being talked about in the news. Titled The Portals, this installation is made from 180 kg of discarded plastic waste collected from the beaches of Chennai. Conceptualized by artists King Gautham, M Elanchezayan, M Gautham and B Pugazhendhi, this is one of the many striking works presented at the fifth edition of the Madras Art Guild, organized in collaboration with Yuve Foundation and in collaboration with UNESCO, with sustainability at the center of its vision.
Portal installation from Madras Art Guild | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
This art festival, inaugurated on February 12, has transformed the shopping mall into a vibrant gallery. Titled The Future Is Now, this year’s edition showcases more than 1,300 works spanning paintings, photographs, installations and sculptures. Participating institutions include Government College of Fine Arts, Kumbakonam; Pupil Savita Eco School; Cholamandal Artists’ Village; Annai Kamakshi College of Music and Fine Arts; Ology Tech School-Chitravathi Center for Creativity; and SA Film Academy under SA Institutions.
Many student-led installations foreground themes of sustainability, conservation and environmental degradation. Among them, a notable work titled The Last Mile by N. Karthikeyan attracts special attention. The sculpture depicts a turtle whose stomach is filled with plastic bags – representing human waste infiltrating the oceans and endangering marine life.
Sumi Gupta Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Curator Sumi Gupta echoes the sentiment of the festival, “What we’re basically trying to say is this: We can’t postpone responsibility. We can’t tell ourselves that we will do better in the future, that we will someday save the planet. If we don’t act now, if we don’t take care of the Earth in the present, there will be no future left for the next generation.”
He added, “We urgently need to rethink how we treat the environment, how we use and adopt technology… the change needs to start now.”
Life Blood by Artist M Mithika | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Another mesmerizing work is Life Blood, by artist M Mithika of Government College of Fine Arts. The installation features a large fiber heart with plants growing from its veins, symbolizing the delicate relationship between humanity and the natural world, reminding us that when nature flourishes, we too flourish.
Art Car by Artist Saravanan Senapati | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Some establishments also take a participatory form. One such installation, Love Piano by Saravanan Senapathy, has been created in collaboration with the Consulate General of Japan in Chennai and Yamaha. Open to all, it invites passersby to stop, engage with the keys, and create an improvised tune of their own. Another installation of his, displayed outside the mall and titled Black Car, has also attracted a lot of attention. For this piece, he has painted his distinctive tribal faces on the bright yellow Ambassador, turning the iconic car into a piece of art. Saravanan says, “In tribal cultures, love is expressed not through possession but through harmony – between people, animals, land and time. Women appear as central figures in this narrative, symbolizing nurture, resilience and continuity.”
Photography is also a centerpiece of the festival. Chennai in Focus, an open call, received over 2,500 entries, from which 100 extraordinary photographs by 84 photographers were selected to be displayed on the wall. The images capture the many facets of Chennai – from its beaches and everyday rhythms to its divine religious sites and the city’s layered, diverse heritage.
Exhibit at Madras Art Guild Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The festival also presents a wide range of community-focused line ups, including traditional street performances, student-led cinema, literary engagements and a curated art market. Spanning several days, it evolves into a dynamic public festival – featuring puppet traditions, folk performances and live percussion as well as film screenings and masterclasses, author talks and book fairs, as well as handmade crafts and interactive workshops for audiences of all ages.
As visitors move through installations, performances and conversations, the festival ultimately transforms a commercial space into a call for collective reflection on how the future depends on our choices today.
Madras Art Guild is running till March 22 at VR Mall, Anna Nagar. admission is free
published – February 25, 2026 04:02 PM IST