Following the example set by world class museums like the Louvre, Tate, Guggenheim an Indian duo has set up a virtual gallery as a platform to showcase work by both renowned and upcoming artists. The ‘friends-turned-partners have been dabbling in art sales, commissioning, fairs and exhibitions in India and abroad, for over two decades with a measure of success that inspired the next step, resulting in curators.art.
The curators.art, the first of its kind in India, is a bold enterprise that seeks to bypass the restricting effects on the pandemic by making art available through their website. “This venture aims to deliver a carefully curated selection of artworks that offer quality artistry and craftsmanship - something we ourselves would be proud to own,” says Rajneeta Kewalramani, co-founder.
In the words of Sapna Kar, who along with Rajneeta Kewalramani has launched curators.art, ‘Our opening show Value Beyond, showcases a collection of works at an accessible price of within INR 1,50,000. These are works by contemporary artists on an upward price trajectory with an intrinsic worth beyond the current prices.’ Included in the collection are works by artists Avani Rai, Akshita Gandhi, Michelle Poonawalla, Revati Sharma Singh, Heeral Trivedi, Smriti Dixit and others.
Art lovers can browse, and if tempted, buy from the selection of work that includes paintings, mixed media and digital works, sculptures, photography and limited-edition serigraphs. Also available for connoisseurs of traditional Indian art are creations of award-winning creators of Phad, Pattachitra, Kalamkari, Gond, Pichwais, Kalighat and more. All work is backed by an authenticity guarantee.
Sapna Kar adds, "We have had the good fortune of launching talented artists and enabling their first platform - be it their first solo catalogue or the first time their art was auctioned. These are sought after artists today and doing incredibly well for themselves. thecurators.art intends to identify talent and offer them the opportunity to showcase their work. We believe that we are catalysts for our clients and artists to partner each other, in this beautiful journey of collectible art.”
The collection can be viewed online on www.thecurators.art
A few samples are posted here.
Making the Classical relevant today
As part of their programme to mark World Music Day, Avid Online combined with the Royal Opera House, Art Links Learning, Furtados School of Music, Furtados and IndianRaga to present an interesting audio-visual programme.
I listened online to the audio-visual presentation by Sriram Emani on Indian Classical Music and Future Legacy where he spoke, among other things, on the ways to keep Indian classical music alive and relevant despite changing tastes and technology. Referring to the huge ruckus that was created by purists when the microphone was first introduced to classical musicians, as one of many examples, he emphasised that technological change was one of the flag posts in the evolution of classical music.
Emani is Founder and CEO of IndianRaga and through videos of work done at his institution demonstrated how technology could facilitate collaboration and musical evolution by bringing together talented artistes from any part of the world.
Something that the pandemic has already taught many artistes, forced to create music and dance in the seclusion of their homes.
Examples of how Indian classical music fused with pop or classical western music could keep young people interested, made for some fascinating listening. Adapting pure Nritta to high energy footwork, or using Abhinaya in Bharatha Natham to talk about social themes. One such experiment is showcasing the reaction of a patient just informed he has lung cancer through Abhinaya…part of an experiment in Narrative Medicine being carried out at Harvard to help people reconcile with their diagnosis. Another is the use of classical dance forms to present transgender issues.
And it was equally illuminating to note the similarities between rap and Padams and vocal percussion in Carnatic music.
Young people looking to innovate in music or dance could do well to listen to the talk, and take home ideas from it for their own experiments.
