Mumbai’s First-Ever Gathering that Celebrated the Diversity of Arts & Culture from across the globe

~ More than 7500 people visited Kula-A Global Gathering at Nesco Exhibition Center and experienced a global cultural exchange that connected India with the rest of the world ~

Mumbai, 19th January, 2023: Kula-A Global Gathering, Mumbai's first-of-its-kind cultural platform that celebrated the spirit of artistic pursuits while bringing together communities to establish a shared future based on collective values and purpose. The objective of Kula – A Global Gathering was to emphasise the need for co-existence and collaborative efforts between the traditional, modern, and contemporary art forms along with the alternative sub-cultures. The celebration was held on 13-15 January 2023 at Nesco Exhibition Center, Goregaon, with live tattooing, graffiti mural creation, contemporary & traditional dance with live animation, dance battles, hip hop face-off, knowledge sharing workshops, and brilliant and genre-bending live music acts.

250+ artists from over 15 countries joined the tribe at KULA to celebrate the spirit of community and the diversity of the artistic expressions, while exchanging ideas and exploring new possibilities for building a stronger ecosystem which is inclusive and unbiased. KULA brought together indigenous, contemporary and modern artists from Australia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Europe, and many other countries with different arts practices, i.e. tattoo & body art, music, performing arts, graffiti & street culture were showcased at the festival.

KULA-A Global Gathering is an initiative of Nothing Regular and was co-organised with Nesco Events. Kula-A Global Gathering seeks to empower diverse communities of practice through various on-ground as well as online activities. Mumbai, the maximum city of India has been known for being a melting pot of culture, where extremes co-exist and served as a perfect backdrop for the launch of KULA-A Global Gathering.

Mr. Kumar Razdan, VP, Nesco Events, said, “Nesco Events is thrilled to be the co-organiser of Kula-A Global Gathering as Mumbai's first true cultural gathering. We hope and think that such possibilities will only help us to preserve our traditions and customs, and Kula-A Global Gathering strives to do the same. It was an event full of excitement, love, and enthusiasm that brought people together from different countries to appreciate art and skill. We hope that our association will not be limited to a single year, but will be an annual effort.”

Mr. Andre Tully, Founder of Kula – A Global Gathering, said, “With this gathering, the first of its kind after the pandemic, we were striving to create an opportunity for the community to revive, re-connect and re-engage in a much more supportive environment where meaningful and objective exchange was key. This edition marks the premiere of Kula-A Global Gathering in India, and it was launched as a platform that stands strong in our diverse cultures, be it traditional or contemporary by bringing together unfamiliar yet significant ideas, thoughts, and opinions. The festival brings together a global community of arts practitioners who represent varied arts practices such as tattoo, performing arts, music, graffiti, crafts, digital arts, and gaming under one roof. We are grateful to Nesco Events in Mumbai for their kind support and belief in KULA’s vision. Mumbai is the city where no matter the intensity of challenges, diversity thrives, and this has been central to KULA’s raison d’etre.”

The festival was held over three days, from 13-15 January 2023, and welcomed 7500+ visitors. Along with well-known tattoo artists such as Mangala Bai from Madhya Pradesh, and Sunny Bhanushali of Aliens Tattoo, there were live-wire performances by Kiss Nuka and Wild Wild Women, the first all-female hip hop collective (Mumbai), David Angu & the Tribe (Arunachal Pradesh), Bottlesmoker (Indonesia), Ezra Tekola (Malaysia), and pioneers in world music, Prem Joshua and Band.