BANGALORE: When it is time to buy art, the biggest discourager for many is the price. Often tagged with soaring prices and an elitist access, art needed to be more accessible to the mass. One such effort towards making art reach out is the ‘small format art’. Understanding the need to popularise art, Galerie De’Arts is currently hosting an exhibition featuring small art format works by 15 artists from Bangalore, Kochi and Kolkata.
Shan Re, an artist featured in this exhibition, said that she enjoys working on small formats. “I like it very much. The fact that it is very challenging makes it enjoyable,” she said. Her works include simple line art depicting abstract imagery of human faces and colourful landscapes, again with a human touch. An art veteran of more than 10 years, some of her works featured are her initial experiments in art.
Inspired by minimalism, Shan Re asserted that she finds solace in three different art forms. “My works can be categorised into three — abstract, geometric works and minimalist art. While I work with abstract forms for self-healing and exploration of myself as an artist, I personally enjoy all the three forms,” she said. A fond admirer of Pablo Picasso, she said that she is mostly self-motivated and inspired from within.
The focus of the exhibition is to make art affordable to the mass. Deepa Subramanian, curator at Galerie De’Arts, believes small format art is a current trend and a favourite among art buyers. “Small format art is a new term that denotes affordability. Regardless of who the buyers are — rich or otherwise — the artworks are affordable,” she said.
Shan Re quashed the notion that buying of art in a city like Bangalore has decreased. She said, “It’s not true. Perhaps two years back, there was a lull. But now it is picking up. The elites and their counterparts alike are showing interest in buying art.” Having started from a humble beginning, she stressed on the fact that it is not a cakewalk for an artist to go about displaying his/her works. “Initially, I didn’t do well. I didn’t sell at all,” she reminisced.
She revealed her initial obstacles, when she had no support whatsoever and managed to hold a couple of exhibitions all by herself. “I did a couple of shows on my own without support of a gallery or a sponsor. It was only later, once my work was recognised, that I received support,” she noted. “You have to develop contacts, with galleries, curators and others,” she added.
Shan Re provided an artist’s perspective to affordable art. “It is very important for art to become affordable. Art should reach out to people, and this is a great way to do so,” she maintained.
Some of the artists featured at the ongoing exhibition include Gurudas Shenoy, Aditi Hazra, Gilroy, Shailaja Gidwani, Ramdas Adhyanthaya and others. “One difficulty in the art industry is to find genuine talent. Such unique exhibitions help in finding young and talented artistes and encouraging them by providing a platform for their works,” voiced Shenoy.
Small format art is a burgeoning trend in art. Such art works are easily available on online platforms for interested patrons to buy. Theses works are affordable to buyers who understandably cannot buy larger works of an artist. Being small in size, small format art is often a collector’s favourite, with the benefit of creating eye-catching displays when used inventively in the decor.
Visit Galerie De’Arts, 11th floor, Barton Centre, MG Road to pick up quality works of art that range from Rs 2,000 - Rs 25,000. The exhibition is on till April 21.