After Urdu poet and courtesan Mah Laqa Bai’s dance and charm brought the Durbar Hall at the British Residency alive centuries ago, artist Sravanthi Juluri, will pour life into the place that was shut down for years, with her performance — Celebrating Residency — Juxtaposing Self and the Space.
“It has been one of my dreams to perform at the British Residency and after an entire year of going from place to place, I have finally managed to get the permission for the performance at the Durbar Hall,” says an elated Sravanthi, who has been constantly practising for the big day. “On Saturday, when we practised at the Durbar Hall, it struck me that, for the first time after centuries, someone will be performing here and this is a tribute to Mah Laqa Bai,” she says. “Mah Laqa was a woman of substance, she was strong, confident and way ahead of her time. She is the kind of shakti that I portray,” she says.
Sravanthi is a well-known abstract artist, but she isn’t immune to the questions about what her art means. “I’ve been asked this so many times that I find it strange. People believe that abstract art is a Western concept, so I decided to answer these questions, apart from dealing with other topics through my performance,” she says.
One of the artworks by Sravanthi that will be on display at the British Residency.
For the performance, Sravanthi and curator Koeli Mukherjee researched for over two years. Apart from addressing the questions about her art, the artist also focuses on the nine bhavas and the rasas from ancient Hindu scriptures. After the performance, 21 abstract works by Sravanthi and her son Avish will be on display.
Through the 30-minute performance and will also feature Avish, Sravanthi’s alter ego will be portrayed by young Kuchipudi dancer Lanka Vaishnavi. Though she has performed this earlier, Sravanthi is excited about this particular performance. “I have always loved the British Residency. In fact, most of the elements in the art work on display and the performance have been inspired by the place,” she explains. This performance, however, is quite different from the first time she performed. “Things have changed. With each passing day, different emotions have come into play and they have added to the performance,” adds Sravanthi, who kept visiting the place to get inspired.
