Jaaga: Creative Common Ground

by Olato Kunbo

If there are a few constants in a growing city, they are soaring rents, lack of space and burgeoning community of urban artists. Archana Prasad, a Bangalore-based artist, along with technologist Freeman Murray decided to rectify this problem by constructing a mobile space, Jaaga, that could be assembled, disassembled and then re-assembled at any empty plot in the city.

Jaaga literally translates to “space” in Kannada, and the project is a stop-gap to allow designers, artists and anyone interested to - literally - construct an affordable, accessible, non-commercial and free community cultural space. 



The space is a free venue for networking, partnerships and collaborative work. “There is always the need of a space for art that is outside of the usual radar, a space that is alive and that it can be re-arranged according to the needs of the artist. Even when such a space does exist it is unaffordable, so Jaaga is a step towards remedying that problem,” says Prasad. 



Jaaga is a modular, multi-level structure made of steel, the flooring is plywood, the roof is made of discarded billboards. Jaaga isn’t the typical gallery or performance venue but it piques the interest because of the transformative quality of the space that adapts to the intentions of artists and performers that inhabit it.

Jaaga is open for use to anyone interested in displaying their art, performing a play or presenting a dance recital. “It's a free exchange and there is no hard-and-fast rule about who can use the space, but we are putting together a panel of artists and art practitioners to decide the usage of Jaaga; for that we are inviting artists to submit proposals with ideas on how they would want to capitalise on the space,” says Prasad.

The proposals that the panel is looking for are from artists who give a community angle to their work and are available to deconstruct their art for an audience based in the area where Jaaga would be set. Depending on the requirements, the space can be used for one week, ten days or even a month.


Jaaga hopes to be a travelling circus that people from different neighbourhood and communities can interact with. The work is still in progress, the call for artists still open. Follow Jaaga's website for updates and information and enjoy your portable art space.