Art-um Paatum 2.0: Creativity beyond canvas

CHENNAI: In the bustling heart of Chennai, a fusion event is poised to redefine the boundaries of artistic expression and philanthropy. Art-um Paatum 2.0, curated by the On The Streets of Chennai (OTS) Foundation, is a dynamic showcase of art, food, and music, all in service of driving positive change.

One of the curators, Sai Amrytha explains to DT Next, “Art-um Paatum is an art exhibition for a good cause, where we support artists, small scale business owners, and entrepreneurs, who are in search of a platform to exhibit their talents. And whatever they do, a part of it goes to charity,” she adds. In this second edition of the fundraiser, the curators focus on music education for talented kids and an instrument donation drive.

Sunithra Sankar, returning for the second time as a stall owner, shared, “Witnessing a positive response for my dreamcatchers and being able to contribute to the cause the first time has encouraged me to set up the stall again. It was a very unique and interesting initiative where different art forms came together to exhibit and showcase their creations for a charitable cause. This coupled with live music made the entire experience very joyous for everyone who was a part of it.”

“I’m a poet, I write live poetry. It is amazing to turn strangers’ stories into poems. I really loved how they came forward with their stories and how they were eager to get their poems. That’s the reason I had to set up the stall again,” said Dhanusha, a poet setting up a stall for ‘poem on the go’.

Talking about the musical aspect of the event, “We have introduced a new concept of thematic nights in the second edition. Over 20 artists from our banner are performing in slots over these three days, under the themes of romantic duets, underrated songs, and songs of Ilaiyaraja, to name some,” added the curator.

The Art-um Paatum 2.0 is happening at the Ph Cafe, Egmore, from May 3 to May 5, between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m.