At VR Chennai, Anna Nagar, Madras Art Guild blends art with sustainability

The entrance to Anna Nagar’s VR Mall is decked up with a huge installation. From a distance, it looks like a selfie spot drawing visitors in. But step closer and the work reveals something far more sobering, something deeply tied to a crisis that is constantly being talked about in the news. Titled The Portals, the installation is made from 180 kilograms of discarded plastic waste collected from beaches across Chennai. Conceptualised by artists King Gowtham, M Elanchezheyan, M Gowtham, and B Pugazhendhi, it is one of the many striking works presented at the fifth edition of the Madras Art Guild, organised in association with Yuj Foundation and in collaboration with UNESCO, with sustainability at the heart of its vision. 

The Portals installation from Madras Art Guild
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Inaugurated on February 12, the art festival has transformed the shopping mall into a living gallery. Titled Future is Now, this year’s edition showcases over 1,300 works spanning paintings, photographs, installations, and sculptures. Participating institutions include the Government Fine Arts College, Kumbakonam; The Pupil Saveetha Eco School; Cholamandal Artists’ Village; Annai Kamakshi Music and Fine Arts College; Ology Tech School-Chitravati Centre for Creativity; and SA Film Academy under SA Institutions.

Several student-led installations foreground the themes of sustainability, conservation, and environmental degradation. Among them, a striking work titled The Last Meal by N Karthikeyan calls for particular attention. The sculpture depicts a turtle with its belly stuffed with plastic bags — a representation of human waste infiltrating the oceans and endangering marine life. 

Sumi Gupta
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Curator Sumi Gupta echoes the spirit of the festival, “What we’re essentially trying to say is this: we can’t postpone responsibility. We can’t tell ourselves that we’ll do better in the future, that we’ll save the planet someday. If we don’t act now, if we don’t take care of the earth in the present, there may not be a future left for the next generation.”

“We have to urgently rethink how we treat the environment, how we use and embrace technology…the change has to begin now,” she further added.

 Life Blood by artist M Mithika
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Another compelling work is Life Blood, by artist M Mithika from the Government College of Fine Arts. The installation showcases a large fibre heart with plants sprouting from its veins, symbolising the delicate relationship between humanity and the natural world, a reminder that when Nature flourishes, so do we. 

Kala Car by artist Saravanan Senathipathi
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Some installations also take on a participatory form. One such installation, Love Piano by Saravanan Senathipathi, is crafted in collaboration with the Consulate-General of Japan in Chennai and Yamaha. Open to all, it invites passers-by to pause, engage with the keys and create an impromptu melody of their own. Another of his installations, displayed outside the mall and titled Kala Car, has also gained a lot of attention. For this piece, he has painted his signature tribal faces on a bright yellow Ambassador, turning the iconic car into a piece of art. “In tribal cultures, love is not expressed through possession but through harmony — between people, animals, land, and time. Women appear as central figures in this narrative, embodying nurture, resilience, and continuity,” says Saravanan. 

Photography, too, takes centrestage at the festival. Chennai in Focus, an open call, drew over 2,500 entries from which 100 standout photographs by 84 photographers were selected for display on the wall. The images capture the many facets of Chennai – from its beaches to everyday rhythms to its divine religious sites and the city’s layered, diverse heritage. 

Performance at Madras Art Guild
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The festival also presents a wide range of community-focussed line ups, bringing together traditional street performances, student-led cinema, literary engagements, and a curated Art Bazaar. Spread across several days, it evolves into a dynamic public celebration — featuring puppet traditions, folk performances, and live percussion, alongside film screenings and masterclasses, author interactions and book fairs, as well as handmade crafts and interactive workshops for audiences of all ages.

As visitors move through the installations, performances, and conversations, the festival ultimately transforms a commercial space into a call for collective reflection that the future depends on the choices we make today. 

Madras Art Guild is on at VR Mall, Anna Nagar, till March 22. Entry is free

Published – February 25, 2026 04:02 pm IST