Closing night of “Word To Your Motherland” at the Betti Ono Gallery in Oakland with Kalakari Collective and SlumGods.

This Friday 8/3/2012 marks the closing reception of “Word To Your Motherland” at the Betti Ono Gallery in collaboration with and curated by Nisha K. Sembi of Kalakari Collective and Mandeep Sethi of SlumGods.  WORD TO YOUR MOTHERLAND recreated an environment that visually, musically, and aesthetically transposes the culture of India and its people through the intersections with hip- hop culture. The show highlighted cultural movements of the Indian diaspora that are participating in and engaging the world through hip-hop presenting a combination of digital artwork, photography, a graffiti wall, wheat paste and collage work, lettering installations, projections of 2012 video footage of hip-hop and street life in India.

WORD TO YOUR MOTHERLAND is the first large scale show of its kind by Oakland based Kalakari Collective and SlumGods. The show is an entry point into the vibrations and frequencies of India and shed light on a plethora of elements including breakdancing, graffiti, emceeing, social protest against injustice, connections between India and Africa, and many more.

The closing night reception will include performances by established and up and coming South Asian artists who embody the theme of the show within their fields of music, poetry, and dance. Featuring art by Nisha K. Sembi, mural installations by Hero and Lady Karma, photographs by Seti X and live Performances by Mandeep Sethi, Robin Sukhadia (live tabla), Ajit Singh (live dhol drumming), and DJ Mighty Zulu Delrokz + Dj Rav-E.