Les Brigittines

How can we reclaim public space for protest? What if we did it on roller skates? Amol K Patil is a performer and visual artist based in Mumbai. With an exceptionally refined practice of painting and sculpture, he creates a landscape of delicate images that evoke the precarity of working conditions. Inspired by labour songs collected decades ago by his father, he recently presented a series of performances employing roller skates equipped with cleaning brushes, with people carrying stereos around in public space playing songs that question the status of workers. The songs are rooted in an Indian protest tradition called powada, which dates back to the 17th century. Like rappers, the performers are unrestrained as they spit words that denounce social inequality. For his first project in Brussels, Amol K Patil takes residence in the Marolles, a historic social district of the inner city. He collaborates with local feminist skater collectives who move around its famous skate park. The first and last day of the festival, they infiltrate the public space with narratives of social struggle and surprise passers-by with a striking performance on roller skates. Amol K Patil’s visual work is presented in a small exhibition inside the Festival Centre.