Strokes of genius on canvas of life
Ghayathri Desai’s gallery promotes upcoming artists
The UAE is welcoming a new generation of art lovers and this is encouraging for a platform that has been created for local and global artists to showcase their talents, says veteran Indian artist and curator Ghayathri Desai, who is also the founder of Aart Souqk 6.
Since inception, the gallery Aart Souqk 6 has been instrumental in promoting upcoming artists and new generation art works.
Aart SouqK 6 has revolutionised the concept of looking at contemporary art in the new millennium. Celebrating artists and their achievements and offering viewers an opportunity to learn about an artist’s individual journey, ethos, style and their interpretations on canvas is the aim of Aart SouqK 6, said the Indian painter and sculptor.
Ghayathri’s gallery also promotes local UAE talent, offering them opportunities to explore creativity. “There is a lot of local and global talent here in the UAE, with artists participating in various art events and exhibitions. There are many initiatives today that allow artists to showcase their talent, creativity, skills and abilities in public spaces and private galleries. Various platforms support artists where they are producing and promoting their works in collaboration with art and culture organisations in the UAE,” said Ghayathri.
Asked if she had plans to open a training school or art academy in Dubai, she said: “We will look at this in the near future.”
Countries such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia are investing heavily in arts and culture, building new museums and hosting exhibitions which is encouraging for a new generation of art lovers. “Collectors are crowding into auction houses and art fairs and cleaning out galleries of pieces worth hundreds of thousands of dollars each,” she observed.
Artists represented by Aart SouqK 6 at World Art Dubai 2018 include Madhuri Gayawal, Sharmila Tulpule, Sandhya Patnaik, Nidh Samani, Ankita Jain Gupta, Mridula Singh and Rashmi Panchal.
Ghayathri has spent the last 3 decades painting. A student of Sir J.J. School of Art and the Sophia Polytechnic, both in Mumbai, she specialised in textile design in 1982 and further underwent specialised training in ceramics under artist Nirmala Patwardhan at her studio in Pune. As a young artist, she had many aspirations and started her career as a freelance artist designing for some mills in Mumbai. Textile design was a much sought-after and lucrative profession then. But things suddenly took a turn for the worse in Mumbai as mills started closing due to union strikes.
Ghayathri had to look at other avenues to earn a livelihood and she decided to switch her focus and skills from designing fabrics to painting on canvas. She realised that there were artists like her from different parts of India who shared the same dreams and goals — to see their works reach out to public and private galleries and how important it is to have gallery support.
Exhibiting in a public gallery involves filling an application form, selection and a long waiting period of 5 to 8 years before exhibiting. That is when Ghayathri decided to be not just an artist but also a curator and art gallerist. In 2007, DD Neroy Gallery (Contemporary Indian Art) opened its doors in Mumbai to artists from all genres. This was followed by Aart SouqK 6.
“Artists have so many challenges in selling their art today. Most have developed in the last 2 centuries and derived from changed perceptions of an artist’s role and responsibilities. They have to explore how to market, where to market, the changing nature of the art world at this particular moment in time, dealings with galleries and curators, reaching out to them and getting their support is one of the greatest challenges that the artist of today faces,” said Ghayathri.
On balancing home and work life, the painter said: “For artists, separating work from life can be especially difficult. Since the creative
Be proactive and network, because you never know who you might meet and how they may be able to help you in future Ghayathri Desai, Indian artist and curator
process is ongoing, the stress that comes along with it can seep into everyday life. Balancing work and life can be a real challenge, but if there is a well chalked out timetable, there will be sufficient time available to balance home and work life.”
Ghayathri adds: “My advice is to make a detailed plan of steps needed to make one’s passion for paintings into a realistic profession. Every challenge is a lesson in disguise, so keep creating with confidence in yourself. Never stop creating, keep exhibiting. Be proactive and network, because you never know who you might meet and how they may be able to help you in future.”
— sandhya@khaleejtimes.com