The sixth edition of Abhivyakti – The City Arts Project, Gujarat’s largest art and culture showcase, concluded on December 8, 2024, after a 16-day celebration of creativity. The festival, organised by the UNM Foundation of the Mehta Family’s Torrent Group, saw over 3,24,325 visitors from diverse backgrounds, surpassing the previous edition’s attendance.
Running from November 21 to December 8, the festival featured 140 performances by 96 artists, including 47 visual artists, across multiple disciplines such as music, dance, theatre, and visual art installations. The performances, curated under the theme Stories from the Soul, were overseen by four expert curators—K Sumant (Music), Chirag Modi (Theatre), Dhara Dave Vyas (Visual Arts), and Mansi Modi (Dance)—and mentored by luminaries such as Rajat Dholakia, Saumya Joshi, Kruti Mahesh and Khanjan Dalal.
This year’s festival expanded to include an additional venue at the ATIRA Campus in Ahmedabad, alongside the Gujarat University Campus, allowing for a more extensive showcase of talent. The event featured artists from across India, representing regions as diverse as Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, West Bengal, and Goa.
Beyond performances, Abhivyakti offered audiences interactive experiences, including workshops in theatre, dance, and visual arts conducted by renowned professionals such as Karthik from Chennai and Sarthak Dubey from Jaipur. A curatorial walk by the visual arts team provided deeper insights into the exhibits, enriching the festival experience.
The festival also embraced inclusivity through special initiatives. Under the UNM Foundation’s Ujaas programme, visits were organised for children from Ahmedabad’s slums and senior citizens from local care homes, giving them a chance to experience the arts.
Since its inception in 2018, Abhivyakti has grown into a premier platform for artistic expression, attracting over 6 lakh visitors and providing opportunities for 1,335 artists to present their work. This year’s record-breaking turnout highlights its growing influence as a cultural beacon.
Reflecting on the success, Sapna Mehta, Director of the UNM Foundation, said, “We are thrilled by the overwhelming public response and the incredible talent showcased by artists from across India. Abhivyakti has become a celebration of our cultural heritage and a hub for fresh creativity. We eagerly look forward to building on this success in the years to come.”
The festival’s next edition is set to run from November 21 to December 7, 2025, with plans already underway for a nationwide search for emerging talent. As Abhivyakti continues to grow, it remains a vibrant platform for celebrating the richness and diversity of India’s artistic traditions.
Abhivyakti – The City Arts Project is an endeavor of UNM Foundation of Mehta Family’s Torrent Group, which envisions making art an integral part of the social fabric, by enabling access for audiences without constraint of location, thresholds (physical and individual) and social or economic strata by free entry. Towards such a vision, the mission is to identify and support budding talent and then provide platform for these artists of all genres to present their craft to the city and its populace. Abhivyakti encompasses many myriad art forms ranging from dance, music, painting, photography, installations and theatre. Abhivyakti aims at bringing international quality art to the people, absolutely free.
About Torrent Group
Torrent Group, with revenues of Rs 41,087 crores (approx. USD 4.9 billion) and current Group market cap of approx. Rs 1.9 lakh crore (approx. USD 23 billion), has a strong presence in the sectors of Pharmaceuticals, Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution, and City Gas Distribution (CGD). The Group collectively employs over 25,000 people across India and abroad.
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