Introductory Note
As interesting as the visual arts might be, it can also be an overwhelming experience for people who are just getting started in the industry. It can be the lack of appropriate contacts or finding the right opportunities to move ahead when it comes to one’s practice as an artist or as culture professionals. But despite the challenges that it might present, younger people have been taking on newer initiatives and bringing in innovative avenues for creativity. In order to acknowledge the contributions that young artists and founders in the visual arts have been making for the last couple of years, this issue of our monthly newsletter puts the spotlight on a couple of young founders and artists who have been making quite an impact when it comes to the visual arts. Needless to say, as a youth-run initiative ourselves, putting together this issue has been one that has inspired us to keep moving ahead with renewed confidence. Hope you enjoy reading this issue!
- Ankita Ghosh
Young founders
Our list of young founders includes people who have launched innovative arts initiatives in the past couple of years. These founders went head-on with their ideas, despite a raging global pandemic that affected the industry for 2 years. What we learned from our interviews with a couple of these founders is that there is no limit to one’s creativity and passion. Each one brings a unique perspective to starting a business, building new collaborations, and how to collectively contribute to the visual arts scenario in the country. Coincidentally, all of the young founders we spoke to were also women founders, which makes us even more proud of this group of ladies. Here is our list of young founders, along with a little bit about their unique arts businesses.
Nivedita Poddar (Founder of Art Fervour)
Equipped with a Masters in Art World Practices from Christie’s, Nivedita Poddar started Art Fervour as a side hustle to bring forth a curation of visual arts events from across the country. Today, Art Fervour is a leading platform for discovering the latest when it comes to the visual arts. From art discoveries to building collaborative projects in the arts, they do it all. Sitting down with Shyamolie Madhavji for an interview, here’s what Nivedita had to say about her journey and what she sees next for Art Fervour:
On getting started in the arts:
I started Art Fervour as an Instagram handle to keep myself busy, so it was like my side-hustle. There’s just so much going on in the country which we don’t get to know of. So Art Fervour was born as a visual discovery platform, and we started out in 5-6 cities. And more than the technical process of making information available, I wanted it to be accessible to people who were interested in art. So I started playing around with content a little bit, and started wondering how I could ensure that the cultural value of any particular object was not messed with, but it’s still easy and palatable, and accessible. From Day 1, we’d had the vision to make the arts accessible.
On some of the interesting projects at Art Fervour:
One: we did this AR installation at a Street Art Festival, just before the pandemic. We basically put a museum booth at a street festival. And we recreated 10 of the most unique international artworks and we told their story through AR. So there was Duchamp’s Urinal, there was Cattelan’s Banana, and we chose 10 works like this. And because it was at a booth where we knew that the people coming to the festival were not necessary art-world engaged already, so we wanted to create an immersive and engaging experience for the visitors, and we wanted to do it in a way that was accessible to the audience. It was a great success, and it validated my thought process that if art is made more accessible and more palatable to create an engaging experience, it can widely impact the engagement in the arts. Another thing we did that was challenging but which we loved to put together – we did an online arts festival in February last year, and we called it a Weekender and it was two days of talks, discussions, a couple of workshops with art world experts. We had a great turn out for this event. And just before the second wave, we did an 8-city gallery hop across India, all on the same day. In total, about 800 people across the country went to galleries that day. Most recently, we developed an Art Educate platform, for Art India magazine when they decided to go digital for their 25th year. We worked collaboratively with them on the entire thing.
On some of the challenges with Art Fervour:
I think every day is a new challenge, as a founder. We were a year told, and that same week the pandemic was announced. So as a one-year old startup, it’s very scary to be in that space. But I think we pivoted well, by moving things digital. But I also feel that there’s so much going on digitally, that consumption is no longer conscious and we try to sort of keeping things organic. But that’s always a challenge.
On memorable journeys in the arts:
I’ve had a couple of interesting moments of interacting with art. Maybe the first time looked at Fan Ho’s works, and a couple of years ago I saw GM Sheikh’s work at the India Art Fair and I was very surprised, or when I saw Rothko in London. And I genuinely felt something at these moments and I still remember it. I don’t think of myself as an artist or a photographer at all, so these aren’t like any moments of my journey as an artist but more as moments where I experienced art.
Vinita Mansingka (Founder of Art Vindow)
With the belief that art has the ability to inform, inspire, educate, and change how we view the world around us, Vinita Mansingka launched Art Vindow, an art gallery based in Mumbai. As a curator, Vinita strives to provide a much-needed platform for emerging artists from around the country. Bringing transparency between art collectors and artists, Art Vindow is not only immersed in the art sales process, but rather works to create a meaningful relationship between the buyers and artists. With a team dedicated to finding the best of contemporary artists, Art Vindow is unique in the sense that they pay equal attention to curating both physical and online exhibitions that bring innovative works of art to the forefront.
Vritika Lalwani (Founder of Praxis Arts)
Starting an independent design studio that explores the intersections between art, culture, and design, Vritika Lalwani has built a one-stop platform for art enthusiasts. Whether it’s the latest exhibition, or a spotlight on emerging visual artists, Praxis has been harnessing the power of social media and graphic design to create content that truly inspires. The Praxis journal entries and the Praxis Common Room further the directions that Praxis has been looking to grow in in the near future. With a background in visual design and sociology, Vritika brings to Praxis a stylistic element that helps capture the viewer’s attention. Check out the Praxis IG page to witness the wonderful work that Lalwani and her team bring to the social media space when it comes to the visual arts.
Radhika Maheshwari (Founder of Rad Art Media)
Launching Rad Art Media in 2020 with an aim to support artists, Radhika Maheshwari has built ‘a creative escape’ for the art community. In spite of the pandemic, she has ensured to introduce newer initiatives always. Be it #RadTalks, #RadJourneys, #RadEvents or the various other programs Rad Art runs, her purpose has always been to assist the artist in climbing the professional ladder. A Google Certified Digital Marketer, and a student of Psychology, the hustler in her keeps racing, so her artists are ahead in the race. Speaking to Shyamolie Madhavji, here’s what this young founder has to say about her journey with the arts and the future she sees for Rad Art Media:
On her journey in the arts:
I always knew I wanted to go into the arts, but from a business perspective. Initially Rad Art was launched as an art platform with art blogs and events. As the community grew, I introduced the core services - Art Consultancy, Artist Management and Website Design and Development. After taking services, artists would message me saying this was the solution they required but never knew. I feel grateful to #RadCommunity for helping me realise my dream. This is just the start.
On her practice in art therapy:
I am a practising Art Therapist too. I take individual and group sessions that revolve around the development of life and socio-emotional skills. You’ll be shocked to know that art therapy even works for something like arthritis! Taking my interest in art therapy and socio-entrepreneurship further, last year along with a friend, started a NGO - Artsee Hope Foundation. Here, we teach art to underprivileged and special kids.
On the future for Rad Art Media:
In the near future, at Rad Art Media we are working to build the culture of art tourism and inculcating the skills of marketing and management in artists through our signature workshops. On a personal level, I hope to be a part of the India where an individual isn’t afraid to pick the career of an artist.
Sunaina & Atyaan (Founders of Chemould Shift)
With the aim of bringing a younger ethos to the Chemould family, Sunaina and Atyaan developed Chemould Shift collaboratively in order to devote a dedicated space for young and emerging artists. Be it in the sort of programming they pursue or the exhibitions they bring to fruition, Chemould Shift has a strong focus on making the arts more accessible. With backgrounds in interior design and art history, both Sunaina and Atyaan are interested in building something that resonates with the younger generation of audiences. Speaking to Shyamolie Madhavji about Chemould Shift, this is what they had to say:
On starting Chemould Shift:
So Chemould Prescott Road has been around since 1963, and it always had artists who are relevant to the time. So, now, we thought that it was important to have something that was relevant to the times that we live in. We wanted to introduce a younger ethos to the Chemould family, and so we decided to build a program for emerging artists. And that just kept building, and we decided to take over this space. We, also, wanted to do something that was different from the way a traditional gallery works. So we started a residency program, apart from just exhibitions, and we have a bunch of workshops. Our focus is to build that larger community. The name Chemould Shift suggests how we wanted to shift from the way artists are represented in the galleries. We, generally, want to dabble in a variety of different spaces and sectors.
On their in-house residency:
The residency is typically for 8-10 weeks, in Colaba. It’s actually a home-space, and artists come here and work on a specific project or they give us a proposal of what they want to do over the span of the program. And since the location is right in the middle of the city, it’s really a good space for someone looking to work in a hyper-energetic and striking city environment, to draw inspiration from their surroundings. And there are a lot of neighbouring galleries and really nice old architecture, so all of that comes into the work at the residency. And, in conclusion, they get to put up an exhibition with us, a proper solo show. And the residency is not just for people in the fine arts. It’s open to a lot of different artists, be it a video artist or a designer, or a young curator, etc.
On approaching emerging artists:
It works both ways – so we reach out to artists that we like. We find artists and speak with them. We have, also, gone on studio visits and had a lot of word of mouth recommendations. And even artists recommend other artists. Then we, also, have artists reaching out to us with their portfolios all the time.
On Chemould Shift’s future:
We want to build our own identity and also carry forward the legacy of Chemould Prescott. And with the artists, we’re trying to touch upon all of the aspects that we can – different topics and themes. So, establishing that identity for ourselves is really difficult and will take some time, but other than that it’s been quite nice. We’ve done a lot of collaborations in the past few months. We did the collaboration with Bodice, we’ve done a lot of workshops with ceramics, screen-printing. We have an upcoming figure drawing workshop happening soon. Other collaborations we have done is CueRadio, which is a quarantine radio channel that started during the lockdown, where they showcase the young and upcoming DJs and musicians. And we also have a couple of exhibitions and open studio days coming up in the near future.
Emerging young Indian artists
Being an artist is never an easy job. There are a thousand different aspects that one needs to take care of when it comes to practicing art and also promoting one’s works for a larger audience. While social media and new arts initiatives in the country have been useful, it is still tough for beginners to take that first step. To serve as inspiration, we put together a list of super-talented young artists, whose works we truly admire. Each one has had a unique journey with regard to the arts and brings a fresh perspective to contemporary art emerging out of the country. Do consider following them on social media for updates on what they are working on next!
Mahima Kapoor
Delhi-based Mahima Kapoor is coming off of a huge success at the India Art Fair 2022, where she exhibited for the very first time. Combining a number of artistic disciplines, Mahima’s works are unconventional in the most intriguing sort of manner. Having pursued her BFA from College of Art, Delhi, she also has an MFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston, USA, followed by a number of artist residencies across the world. Talking to me over a phone call, here’s what Mahima had to say about her journey as an artist:
Could you tell me a little bit about yourself?
Between my BFA and MFA, I took a gap year because I wanted to explore different possibilities within the arts, and volunteering at Sumakshi Singh’s studio during that time really helped me do that. Then I was in Boston for about 2 years for my MFA, and after that for a year I was just hoping residencies, showing and exhibiting and all of that, until I returned to India in 2019. And post that, considering the pandemic, it has been quite slow, but rather interesting for me. I do keep exhibiting outside the country as well, but mostly returning to India has been a very confusing process, because I came in 2019, and the pandemic hit the next year. And I had one show at the India Habitat Centre in Delhi, but after that for two years it was just a lull. Of course it was a blessing in disguise for artists, because we as artists can make the best of every situation. So I remember I was reading a lot, writing a lot. And this year has begun with lots of exhibitions, and I was showing at the India Art Fair as well, which just happened to be. I’ve been trying to get my hands on everything possible in Delhi at the moment.
What was India Art Fair like for you?
Overwhelming to say the least, but I think I didn’t expect the volume of people that IAF brings in. To me, it felt like every day was so different. And there was such great response, just in the kind of people coming in, the questions they were asking. Of course there were enquiries and works were sold and that’s all there. But for me, because I was exhibiting for the first time, I made sure I was at the booth at all times, just so that I could see the reactions, there were people asking me questions, and that experience was really great. I obviously was also questioning, if my works were too small for the fair or too much, although the gallery was super supportive and they knew what they were doing, but I think as every hour passed, I got a little motivated to be around the booth more and there were conversations with people. So it was just a very overwhelming, but very motivating experience I would say as a young artist.
What is an average work day for you?
So it’s very normal. I’m a very disciplined person, and I make it a point to be at the studio early in the morning. And I’m here all day, and on most days I’m working until 6pm, and on some days if the flow is good, I’m working till late as well. But I try to put in 6-7hrs in the studio every day, and it may not mean a crazy amount of work every day. But it’s very important for me to go, and show up at the studio every day. Just spending that kind of time with the works, I don’t like to put too much gap in between showing up at the studio.
And what are you currently working on?
I’m kind of in the whole Art Fair space still right now. There were lots of commissions, and some projects that I needed to finish. But I’m also getting frustrated with all of that, because it seems like work of the past. Right now there is a lot of motivation and inspiration that I want to start working on now, so I’m currently in the research phase of getting back to my sculptural paintings that I’ve done in the past, that are basically paintings on translucent paper, which is almost like butter paper. And I’m finding ways of covering that with a very thin layer of resin. So these are the ideas that are growing right now in the studio and I’m still in the research phase for that. And possibly there’s a chance of a show happening in Chandigarh in November, but it’s too soon to say right now what kind of work I’ll be putting out for that.
Any words of advice for young artists?
One thing is discipline, which is very important. It binds everything together. There are lots of good residencies out there, and there are a lot of good calls for artists, both in the country and outside. It’s important to write everything down, be wary of deadlines and make proper schedules. As an artist, that is really important. And in the studio, my advice is, literally, to just keep doing. If something is not working, it’s okay, just go to the next one and then the next one. Come back to the previous one. Don’t stop, is my advice to all the young creators out there. Especially as young creators, because it’s also such a trending thing now, so everyone feels a little bit, like, their kind of work is already out there, or done by some other artist. But I feel like that is totally fine, no idea in the world is original. Everything we come up with has already been thought out by somebody else in some other continent, so it’s totally fine. Just keep doing, keep making, make bad art, good art, just put yourself out there and stop thinking too much.
Biplab Sarkar
Biplab Sarkar is a Delhi-based artist, and hails from Siliguri in West Bengal. Sarkar completed his Bachelor of Fine Art (Painting) from Kala Bhavan, Visva Bharati, Santiniketan, and Master of Fine Art (Painting) from College of Art, Delhi University (2017). Having won many accolades for his artworks including the prestigious Glenfiddich Artist Award, Scotland, UK, and The Ghari Scholarship, Lalit Kala Academy, Biplab has also been featured in numerous art camps, workshops, and exhibitions including shows at the India Art Fair & the Student’s Biennale as part of the Kochi- Muziris Biennale (2016). Inspired by ordinary life in and around Delhi, Sarkar's body of work brings out the everyday struggles of hawkers in the streets of Delhi, and explores the relationship between body and object in a broader urban context. Taking a miniaturist approach in his works, each of his artworks bring to mind simplicity and yet intricacy woven into the works. One of his best works has been the India Gate Series, which portrays the lifestyle of hawkers working at the India Gate. Moved by the attitude of these hawkers who in spite of their difficult living, deal with their customers with great enthusiasm, Biplab immortalizes their simple form in his paintings.
Bhuwal Prasad
Born in Azamgarh, Bhuwal Prasad received his Master’s degree from College of Art, Delhi in 2012 and Bachelor’s from Faculty of Visual Arts BHU, Varanasi in 2010. An award-winning contemporary Indian artist, Bhuwal was drawn towards drawing and sketching at a very young age and was encouraged by his family to pursue his passion. What has been a highlight of Bhuwal’s works is his unique style and his artistic gaze. One of the recurrent features in Bhuwal’s works has been the traditional masks that people from tribal regions fabricate to either camouflage with the forests or as a cultural and traditional ritual. Experimenting both with colors, as well as with shades of black and white, Bhuwal’s works have been showcased at numerous shows across the country.
Tarini Sethi
Tarini Sethi is well-known as the founder of The Irregular Times, a newspaper that keeps up with the latest ventures in the visual arts. Tarini, when she’s not curating for The Irregular Times, is also an exceptional visual artist herself. Surrounded by the arts since her childhood, Tarini studied Fine Arts in the USA, and found herself questioning the way the art market functioned in India after her return back home. Speaking with Shyamolie Madhavji, here’s what the artist has to say about her own practice, The Irregular Arts Fair, and her curating practice in general.
Could you give me a short introduction to your practice in the arts?
So, like many artists, I started my work quite young. But I feel like New York really pushed me to where I am right now, because the great thing about New York is every third person is an artist of some kind firstly. And secondly everyone is completely broke and trying to make it in the arts world. And the thing is, because they know that it’s a huge struggle to be an artist, they would do everything in their power in order to do interesting things constantly. So when I moved back to Delhi, of course the first few months were a bit of a slump. Because my work is quite sexual, it’s very provocative. There’s a lot of stuff happening, it’s extremely surreal and when I actually got in touch with a bunch of collectors and curators, they told me that people would not want to buy this kind of work and put it in their living room. And so, I just realized that instead of forcing myself to find galleries at that time, why not just curate my own shows! That’s how my curation side of thing happened. Mostly, selfishly, to find a way to get my own work out there. And slowly, while curating small shows and putting my works and other people’s works out there, that’s kind of how I entered the art scene in India, art market really. And then, slowly, I was talking to more people, talking about my work a lot more and that’s how my work started showing in more galleries and bigger established spaces.
When you got back to Delhi, what was the first show you did?
When I just got back to Delhi, I was still exhibiting quite a bit in New York. So my first year, while I was in India, I was exhibiting a lot in New York and Singapore, but not much over here. So after the first year in India, I curated a small show, with a pop-up with a design studio in Delhi. The place is called Brewhouse Studio and they really loved the idea of a show. That’s where I curated my first two pop-ups. And we had around 50 artists including both shows. That’s how it slowly began, and slowly both my curation and artistic sides were opening up to a wider variety of people.
And could you tell us a little about your inspiration?
Because I went to art school, I did try out everything, but I absolutely hate painting. Because I work really intuitively and I don’t even go in with a pencil first. I have an idea and I just throw it down on paper. But at the same time, my work is so precise and there are so many details, and I like how you get those details with ink. And I don’t feel that same kind of precision with painting. But I’m not a great painter. So when I call myself a fine artist, I call myself a drawer. Not many people in India use that term, because when you call yourself that, people in India think you’re a doodler. A drawer is a very specific thing. So I’ve always been more focused on sculptures and drawings. And from the beginning only, when I was starting to figure out what my style is, I knew that my favorite artists were from the surrealist period, and I like this idea of imagining your space outside of the realm that you are in right now, like finding your own utopias, thinking of the alternate spaces, and that’s what I like to project in my drawings as well. So I do take a lot of inspiration from my surrounding of course, but I do like the idea of me looking at something, but imagining a completely different sort of thing. Like taking from something and then changing it. So I do read a lot of folk stories and stories from different parts of the world. I am really inspired by Japanese art, I’m really inspired specifically by the folk stories in India. I also do get inspired by modern day politics, where this idea of division – Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims – what I like to do in my art is kind of put them altogether into one religion and bring these kinds of division together. And I read a lot about symbols, I am obsessed with furniture and I have a lot of books…so there’s a lot of symbolism in my work, while also focusing very much on where we live now and the architecture that we see in different parts of the world and bringing it together into one space. That’s what I like…this idea of taking different aspects and symbols from different places and putting it into one piece of work.
Could you tell us a memorable art experience you’ve had?
I don’t think it’s one specific thing, but what I will tell you is, as artists we are holed up in our studios all day. We talk to no one and we work alone. And we’re all alone. And we’re constantly working, making things that we think are fantastic, but we have no idea of how it’s going to come out. I know you’re supposed to make work for yourself, but on the flip side, you also have to think about how to sell that piece. And you’re constantly trying to create good work, without really thinking about that flip side and it’s so nice when it’s being admired and it’s hanging in a space. It doesn’t matter if it’s a fancy gallery, or an art fair or someone’s house. For me, what really matters is as long as someone is excited with it. And every time someone tells me they like my work, it sort of acts as a motivation….that’s why I keep making work.
And is there something you’re currently working on?
I just finished a drawing, which I posted on Insatgram. It’s called “The Art Collector has Peculiar Taste”, and it’s kind of a parody on the art market in general. Because we never really know who we’re making work for. And sometimes you think your work is so fantastic, but at the end of the day, the art collector or buyer will go for a huge blank canvas for, like, Rs. 5 lakhs. So it’s an interesting thought, “This is such good work, but will anyone actually like it?” So I made a huge house, an art collector’s house, and a bunch of artworks hanging there, like, different kinds of bizarre artworks. I’m also doing a lot of metal work and ceramics, which I haven’t shown anyone yet, specifically the ceramics. Because I learnt ceramics years ago, but I never actually made anything for myself. And so I’ve been focusing on that, and hopefully I’ll be able to show something soon.
Devika Sundar
Exploring art as both a medium and outlet, Bangalore-based Devika Sundar focuses on collective themes of invisibility, illness, memory, and impermanence within personal and shared human experience through her art practice. An Inlaks Fine Arts Awardee(2020) and recipient of the Prince Clause Fund Seed Award (2021), Devika currently has been pursuing an artistic and curatorial endeavor titled "Bodies at Sea", a proposed archives exhibition with Studio Slip and NCBS (The National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore). She is also presently working on an arts research project as part of the IFA Arts Research grant (2021-2022). With a background in anthropology, art history, and visual arts, Devika’s works intertwine the visual arts with social practice to create works that inspire.
That’s all for this issue. If there are any suggestions or feedback you’d like to send our way, please feel free to get in touch with us at artinindiaco@gmail.com!