BELGIUM, October 13, 2013 (Huffington Post): Over the coming months Belgium will be the focal point for Europalia India, a major festival celebrating aspects of Indian culture, art and history.
Europalia runs until January 26, 2014, focusing on seven key themes; the diaspora, living traditions, India tomorrow, Indomania, the body, Bollywood and beyond, and water. These topics will be explored in exhibitions, workshops, meetings and performances by dancers and musicians.
Around 150 venues will stage events across the main host nation and in neighboring countries. The current celebration of India is the 23rd Europalia festival. The first took place back in 1969. Recent editions have celebrated the heritage and cultures of Russia, China and Brazil, each drawing around a million visitors and in excess of 1,000 artists from those countries to Belgium.
A broad range of disciplines — including architecture, gastronomy, fashion and cinema — are represented at the current Europalia, which is the culmination of nearly three years of collaboration and preparation between global experts and leading institutions, including museums, galleries and universities.
The National Museum of Delhi is lending more than 100 miniature paintings, depicting scenes from the Ramayana. They will be on display at the Cinquantenaire Museum, in Brussels, from November 22 until 18 May 2014.
Brussels’ Centre for Fine Arts – known locally simply as the Bozar, from the term ‘Beaux-arts’ – is hosting two major exhibitions (The Body in Indian Art and Indomania: From Rembrandt to the Beatles), 20 subsidiary shows plus a range of literary, cinematic, performing arts and musical events. The Europalia website provides a full list the festival’s events, performances and exhibitions