Musician Kiran Ahluwalia brings Indian-West African fusion to the Cedar

The Twin Cities art scene this weekend blends art, dance, music, and global issues. Live music explores Indian and Iranian politics, digital art critiques Western perceptions of the Congo, and textile art captures the ephemeral joy of the dance floor.

Live music explores global politics, female desire

Indo-Canadian vocalist Kiran Ahluwalia takes t he Cedar Cultural Center stage on Saturday, performing songs that fuse Indian musical traditions with influences from West African blues, Western rock, R&B, and jazz.

Born into a family of musicians and raised in Delhi, India, Ahluwalia was surrounded by the melodic rhythms of Indian music and ghazal (love poetry set to music) from an early age. After immigrating to Toronto, Canada, at age 9, she continued her Indian classical vocal training into adulthood, all while pursuing a career in finance. Yet, Ahluwalia found herself disillusioned with the prospect of a conventional suburban lifestyle.

“Being able to see my future so clearly scared me,” Ahluwalia said. “That’s what made me realize that when I’m 90 and on my deathbed, what is climbing the corporate ladder going to mean for me? It’s great for other people, but what does it mean for me?”

Ahluwalia quit her job as a trader and pursued music full time, studying under masters of classical Indian music and collaborating with North African artists, most notably with the desert blues group Tinariwen , where their creative fusion birthed the song “Mustt Mustt.”

“I’m a citizen of the world and I’m very much influenced by Sahara and West African desert blues, so you’ll hear a lot of the guitar riffs in my music and rhythmic motifs that come from that part of the world,” Ahluwalia said. Her music is brought to life by a global ensemble featuring electric guitar, accordion, organ, tabla, bass, and drums.

With seven albums under her belt, Ahluwalia has garnered two Juno Awards, Canada’s equivalent of the Grammys, and performed on stages across North America and Europe, and at desert festivals in Mali, Morocco, and India.

Yet, despite her global acclaim, she acknowledges the challenges facing live music in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Audiences have not returned to live music at pre pandemic levels,” she said. “People got used to being entertained on their couch, watching Netflix, and they have forgotten that coming out to a live music venue, watching something happening just a few feet from you, sharing it with 3D humans in person, is just a completely different feeling. It reverberates your heart like nothing else can.”

As part of her ongoing tour, Ahluwalia will showcase songs from her latest album “ Comfort Food,” featuring Punjabi folk songs, addressing issues of Hindu fundamentalism and ethnic marginalization, and tracks like “Dil,” celebrating female desire with Punjabi and Urdu lyricism.

“As women, we are often taught that having a little bit of shame is a good thing, but shame gets in the way of having fun,” she said. “I’m going to throw away all my shame and I’m going to do what my dil [desire] wants.”

Ahluwalia will share the stage with singer-songwriter Aida Shahghasemi who explores Iranian politics in her music.

The performance is an invitation for audiences to “forget their troubles for the day,” Ahluwalia said. “I hope they find an emotional release in the same way that I do with music.”

Date: Saturday, May 11

Time: 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Location: 416 Cedar Ave., Minneapolis

Cost: Tickets start at $38.06 online. $43.33 at the door.

For more information: Visit thecedar.org .

Textile artist captures intensity of dance floor

On the Public Functionary dance floor, bodies move as one to pulsating beats, inhibitions melt away, and a sense of connection and liberation washes over everyone. That’s the energy textile artist and dancer Alexandra Beaumont captures in her solo exhibition “Techniques for Ecstacy,” now on display at the Public Functionary gallery.

The inspiration for the exhibit comes from a dance party Beaumont hosted in March 2023, titled “Dancing with Friends.” The event brought together local and international DJs, live video projections, and textile installations. The dancers became active participants in Beaumont’s creative process, shaping the space with their uninhibited joy which she later transformed into hand-stitched collages.

In addition to Beaumont’s textile art, Public Functionary will host a panel discussion titled “Arrive Together: A Salon Style Conversation on Dance & Community,” on Thursday, May 23, from 6 to 9 p.m.. The panel will feature Beaumont alongside scholar Dwight K. Lewis Jr. , artist Kat Purcell , and dancer jess pretty , discussing the power of dance.

Date: Thursday, May 9 to Saturday, May 25.

Time: 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday. 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Location: 1500 Jackson Street N.E., Minneapolis

Cost: Free

For more information: Visit publicfunctionary.org .

Digital art critiques narratives of the Congo

Juxtaposition Arts , a nonprofit youth art space, is presenting “Congoism,” a solo exhibit featuring digital illustrations by Patience Lekein .

Born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and now residing in Minneapolis, Lekein uses Afro-surrealism in his work to explore themes of African spirituality and the politics of his dual Congolese and American identity.

Drawing inspiration from Johnny Van Hove’s work “Congoism,” his artwork serves as critical commentary on how Western narratives influence our comprehension of global history.

Date: Thursday, May 9 through July 12.

Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday or by appointment. Contact exhibitions@juxtaposition.org .

Location: 2007 Emerson Ave N., Minneapolis

Cost: Free

For more information: Visit juxtapositionarts.org .

Correction: This story has been updated to more accurately characterize the themes of songs on Kiran Ahluwalia’s album “Comfort Food.”

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