Absolut Creative Commune 2025 – Curated by Spryk

For as long as I’ve been making work as an artist, I’ve also been curating it—shaping contexts, building platforms, and creating the conditions for other artists to discover something new within themselves. At Skip-A-Beat, that dual commitment has always been central: we don’t just release music or commission visuals; we cultivate moments of discovery, cross-pollination, and cultural innovation. So when Absolut approached me to curate their 2025 Creative Commune, it felt like a natural extension of the work we’ve been doing for years. Their “Born Colourless” philosophy opened the door to ask a question that has quietly driven much of my curatorial practice: how do we create space for Indian artists to explore identity and expression outside conventional categories, expectations, and commercial pressures?

The project began with a question that’s been driving much of my curatorial work: how do we create space for independent and contemporary Indian artists to explore their unique identity as well as cultural expression without the constraints of traditional categories we are often recognised for.

When Absolut approached me to curate their 2025 Creative Commune, centered around their “Born Colourless” philosophy, we saw an opportunity to commission original artworks that could exist both as physical installations and digital cultural artifacts. The project became as much about creating new work as it was about presenting it.

Five Commissions, Five Conversations

The heart of the project was commissioning five Indian artists to respond to themes of identity, bias, and cultural fluidity through their own creative languages. Rather than asking them to illustrate the “Born Colourless” concept, I invited them into a conversation about what it means to create without preconceptions in contemporary India.

Amrit Pal Singh – Fountain of Youth

Amrit Pal Singh’s “Fountain of Youth” opened up discussions about ageism in Indian creative spaces and the pressure to appear “serious” or “mature” as an artist. His piece acts as a manifesto for maintaining childlike curiosity and playfulness as legitimate artistic tools, challenging the cultural expectation that artistic growth means abandoning wonder.

The work functions both as phygital installation and as a broader statement about how we value creativity across age groups in India’s art ecosystem.

Chew’d Perfect – The Rhythm of Change

Chew’d Perfect’s exploration of Bombay’s cabaret history revealed how expressions once considered taboo became foundational to the city’s cultural identity. “The Rhythm of Change” traced this transformation through visual language that connected historical performance art with contemporary freedom of expression.

The work sparked important conversations about how cultural acceptance evolves and who gets to define what counts as legitimate artistic expression.

Neethi – The Social Fabric

Neethi’s “The Social Fabric” became an investigation into how design patterns transcend class and geography to become part of shared cultural DNA. Her work celebrated artisan traditions while questioning how these patterns circulate through contemporary Indian visual culture.

The installation demonstrated how traditional craft knowledge continues to inform contemporary artistic practice in ways we don’t always recognize.

Kunel Gaur – Cultural Movements as Brands

Kunel Gaur’s “Cultural Movements as Brands” stripped cultural icons down to their essential influence, presenting them as product labels. The installation forced viewers to confront how legacy and artistic impact get commodified and consumed in contemporary culture.

This piece generated significant discussion online about the relationship between art, influence, and commercial value in India’s creative economy.

Ruining Magazines – A Short Trip Back Home

“A Short Trip Back Home” by Ruining Magazines used Warhol’s repetition techniques to explore everyday Indian portraiture and traditional motifs. Presented on unstitched fabric, the work questioned how we recognize and value the visual stories that surround us daily.

The piece became a meditation on visibility—whose faces and patterns get elevated to art, and whose remain part of the background.

Absolut Warhol Launch at Famous Studios

The February presentation at Famous Studios brought these five artistic investigations into dialogue with each other and with live music that shared similar themes of cultural fluidity and creative boundary-pushing.

The music programming—featuring ST. CYRIL, MALI, Dynamite Disco Club, KISS NUKA, and my collaboration with Film—was curated to complement rather than compete with the visual work. Myles’s reactive visual design created a cohesive environment where contemplation and celebration could coexist.

Digital and Cultural Conversation

The project’s digital campaign was designed to extend these artistic conversations beyond the physical event. Each commissioned work was documented, discussed, and shared as part of a broader cultural dialogue about creative expression and identity in contemporary India.

We created digital presentations of each artwork that functioned as standalone pieces, allowing the artists’ concepts to reach audiences who couldn’t attend the physical presentation. The campaign generated meaningful online discussion about the themes each artist explored, particularly around cultural authenticity, creative freedom, and artistic legacy.

Cultural Impact and Continuing Conversations

What emerged from the Absolut Creative Commune project was proof that Indian artists are ready for platforms that support experimental, conceptual work without requiring it to fit predetermined cultural categories. Each commissioned piece has continued to generate discussion and influence within India’s creative community.

The project demonstrated the value of commissioning original work rather than simply curating existing pieces. By giving artists the resources and platform to explore new ideas, we created cultural artifacts that wouldn’t have existed otherwise.

Project Credits:

• • Curated by Spryk
  • Conceptualised by Skip-a-beat
  • Talent management & Operations – Konnekt
  • Event & Production Design – 4/4 Experiences
  • Visual Design – Okra Type
  • Documentation – iamASP + eyeamsid