Virtuous Retail opens 2nd edition of Dumas Art Project at VR Surat

Street Art Inspired by Bollywood, Urbanisation & Environment Enhances Surat's Cultural Scene

from February 22nd-March 23rd 2014

Monday, February 24, 2014: Virtuous Retail, India's largest institutionally owned developer-operator of lifestyle shopping centers, is delighted to announce opening of the 2^nd edition of Dumas Art Project 2014 at VR Surat with over 15 artists and curated art works across key themes such as environment, urbanisation and pop culture.  In keeping with Virtuous Retail’s commitment to championing public art their VR branded Flagship Centers, the festival provides a platform to emerging artists with art installations on display from February 22 to March 23rd, 2014. Dumas Art Project also marks the Phase III launch of VR Surat, which will celebrate the tourism potential of the city through a campaign titled “Chalo Surat!”.

Promoted, hosted and organised by VR Surat, the inaugural Flagship Retail Center from the Virtuous Retail portfolio, the Dumas Art Project follows a series of festivals such as Khoobsurat and Glam Garba that have succeeded in establishing Brand Surat across the nation.This unique street art festival will bring together art lovers and connoisseurs from Gujarat and beyond with the aim to engage with local communities and provide a platform to showcasing contemporary art in new formats and out of a gallery space. Among the spectacular art works displayed on the beautifully designed and landscaped area on Dumas road, is an 18 feet tall installation ‘Urbino’ that brings into focus the destruction of green spaces in our cities; ‘Iridscence’ an installation of colourful macro images is inspired by the fast pace of the city of Mumbai; and ‘Junk cycle with a tree’ takes you back in time and makes you wish for your most valued childhood memories.

Changing the face of retail, VR Surat opened its doors to the public in May 2013 with artist Paresh Maity’s 'JalTapi', a life-sized boat installation that today sits in the atrium of VR Surat as part of its permanent collection.“We launched Dumas Art Project before our formal retail opening at VR Surat - our flagship center had our first visitors admiring art and culture. This is a reflection of our strong commitment to providing a unique experience beyond shopping to our customers,” said Sumi Gupta, Director, Virtuous Retail. “Public art can not only enhance and transform a space but it can bring together communities,” she added

Taking experiential shopping and community engagement to a new level, this initiative also marks the Phase 3 launch of VR Surat that will celebrate the tourism potential of the city through a campaign titled “Chalo Surat!” Anupam Yog, Marketing Director, Virtuous Retail is excited to promote ‘Brand Surat’: “We believe Surat's local economy will get a boost with the world class infrastructure at VR. Our centers are uniquely designed and provide international standard experiential shopping. Art and culture are an integral part of that experience.” 

 About VR Surat

VR Surat is the first retail lifestyle destination developed by Virtuous Retail as an experiential shoppingcentre that has become a social hub, and a tourist and cultural destination offering an exciting mix of retail, art, entertainment and community initiatives. Packed with unique outdoor and indoor experiences VR Surat is home to over 100 brands, and having introduced world-class stores such as Shoppers Stop, Zara, Westside, Marks & Spencer, MAC they helped enhance the city's retail offering. Combining state-of-the art experiences with local cultural tastes, VR Surat is a flagship amongst a series of retail developments by Virtuous Retail, launching in India's top 9 urban markets including Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune and Kolkata. List of brands that have debuted in Gujarat courtesy Virtuous Retail: Zara, Marks & Spencer, Gourmet West, Freecultr, Faces, Omega, Louis Philippe, Laven, SVM Blowing & Gaming, Voi Jeans, Kraus Jeans, Kailash Parbat, The Fruit Tree, Noodle Town and Panchavati Gaurav. Brands Debuting in Surat: Inox, MAC, Shoppers Stop, Tommy Hilfiger, CAT, Swarovski, Ethos, Parcos, Hidesign, Nautica, Zodiac, Being Human, Forest Essentials, Izod,Colorbar, Deal Jeans, Sunglass Hut, Sisley, Foresight Optical, Bagzone, Clinique, Clarks, U.S. Polo, Helios, Arrow, Gant, Midday Munchies, Flying Machine, O2 Spa, Kedyo, 22nd Parallel, Cex, Calvin Klein Jeans, Monte Carlo, Mothercare, Dosa Plaza and Ayesha. Brand Extensions: Westside, United Colors of Benetton, Levi's, Only, Vero Moda, Bata, Adidas, Jack n Jones, Van Heusen, Woodland, Spykar, Wrangler, Mufti, Pepe Jeans, Lee, Allen Solly, Puma, 109 F, AND, Fab India, NOSH, Global Desi, Jade Blue, Sub Station, Jashn, GininJony, Biba, Café Dezire, McDonald's, The Chocolate Room, Coffee Culture, Crossword, Subway, Keeda, Delsey and Mexican Rodeo.

For more information, please visit www.vrsurat.com or www.facebook.com/vrsurat.

About Virtuous Retail

Established in 2007, Virtuous Retail (VR) is an institutionally owned developer-operator of community oriented premium lifestyle shopping centres in India's top cities. Virtuous Retail's pan-India portfolio includes prime city centre locations in Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Surat and Kolkata, making it the leading platform of quality real estate retail in one of the world's most attractive consumer markets for organized retail. Virtuous Retail combines global expertise and local knowledge to create high performance retail environments with strong urban connections. The company's long term vision is to create new social hubs for the urban Indian consumer. It does this through "Connecting Communities™" - a platform for cultural festivals, public-private partnerships and cross border collaborations that encourage civic pride, strengthen the local economy and enhance the city's brand image. Virtuous Retail is sponsored by The Xander Group Inc., a leading emerging markets investment firm, which has committed US$ 600 MM in equity to the platform.

By-Aryan Rana