The earth without art is incomplete. This is the thought that keeps artist Ruby Jagrut going. Following these lines, her initiative Abir Charitable Trust organises an annual exhibition called First Take, which brings the works of lesser-known and unknown artists to the public eye. Launched in 2016, First Take was even bigger this year. They received 1,922 entries from 192 cities and towns. Of these, 111 were selected by a jury comprising Amit Ambalal, Muzaffar Ali, Ravinder Reddy, Seema Kohli and Vijay Bagodi.
The selected artworks were exhibited at L & P Hutheesing Visual Art Centre in Ahmedabad from October 27 to November 2, which resulted in the sale of 40 art pieces. “A total of 4,000 people visited the show, and it proved to be a great boost for the artists who could never afford to exhibit their works,” says the Ahmedabad-based artist. While earlier, it used to be a family initiative, this time they got corporate houses to support and sponsor the event.
It was a workshop on natural dyes by Gandhian artist Toofan Rafai, who excelled in using natural dyes, at Kanoria Art Centre, Ahmedabad, in 1994, that introduced Ruby to the art form. “This was a life-changing experience, and after that I started using colours derived from vegetables and minerals for my paintings. While travelling and exhibiting, I realised one more thing that while I come from an affording family, many talented artists are still struggling for any opportunities or recognition. They do not get the support of NGOs or CSR funds. So, I began giving scholarships to young artists but it was limited to a small circle of people whom I came across,” says Ruby, who is in her 40s.
With an effort to take it further, she launched Abir in 2016. The organisation gets its name from the coloured powders called abir or gulal. And there was no looking back for her.Ruby says she found social media useful to reach out to artists even in remote areas. “Artists in urban and semi-urban areas use social media, which makes the task of informing them about such opportunities easier for us. Vernacular language is of great help in contacting people from rural areas,” she adds.
Ruby is overwhelmed by the response First Take has received. “From Robertsganj in Uttar Pradesh and the North-eastern hill states to Rajahmundry in Andhra and rural Kerala, artists’ works have come to us. Some artists are even naive. Where the entry form asked for medium, some mentioned the medium of instruction at the school they attended instead of the materials they use,” she adds.
For now, a communication gap is a challenge Ruby is facing. She is looking for people who speak Malayali or Bengali or the native language of the artists, which will address the issue.Ruby plans to take Abir ahead by providing scholarships to deserving but unrecognised art students. “First Take is the first step, but much more needs to be done to reach out to more creative minds.”