Art’s new chapter
There are book publishers. And there are art galleries. But Debovasha is a rare combination where an art gallery meets a publishing house. Located in south Kolkata, the books on art that Debovasha has published in the last few years are as important as the successful exhibitions of Bengal masters it has held. As the gallery hosts its annual event Debovasha Shilpomela 2021 from November 25-29, bibliophiles are excited about the talk of a new book—a facsimile edition of Abanindranather Adi Parber Shilpakarma, published by the Indian Museum in 1966. This is to observe the 150th birth anniversary of Abanindranath Tagore, the founder of the influential Bengal school of art—considered a publishing coup for them.
Debovasha is the coming together of Saurav Dey (43) and Debojyoti Mukhopadhyay (38) whose shared passion for poetry brought them close to artists who inspired them to hold exhibitions and publish books on art simultaneously. The duo had no faith in conventional learning, but both loved and wrote verses. Their poems began to appear in various publications. They joined a Bengali newspaper where they met artist Krishnendu Chaki who still designs their books. Words led to images. Poet Tushar Chowdhury opened their eyes to the world of art. Debovasha began its venture in 2014 by publishing a volume of Chowdhury’s verse Somayemanjir.
At this juncture, the newspaper folded up. They were jobless. A publisher asked them to revive Shiladitya, a Bengali magazine. Dey and Mukhopadhyay decided the magazine should focus on art, a rarity in Bengal. For this, in 2014, they went to Baroda to interview KG Subramanyan, known for his works that depicted folk art from Kerala, Kalighat painting and Pattachitra from Bengal and Odisha, respectively. They interviewed the nonagenarian then at length and again when he was in Santiniketan in 2016. Debovasha published the interviews as books.
In 2017, Debovasha opened its first space on Jatin Das Road with an exhibition of painter and printmaker Sanat Kar. The very next year, it moved to its current Fern Road address. In 2019, the duo gave up their jobs and channeled all their energies to Debovasha.
The gallery space has also attracted a new generation of small-budget Bengali collectors. Prices here are relatively low and before the pandemic, they stocked hard-to-get folk toys. “They make people feel at home. Their books on art will be valuable for future research,” says international artist Ganesh Haloi who inaugurated the annual Shilpomela.
Debovasha has many firsts to its credit. It hosted both the centenary shows of Somnath Hore and Haren Das, and the exhibition of painted platters. And then a show of Reba Hore after decades. This year, they also exhibited the paintings of stained glass artist Katayun Saklat, one of Calcutta’s first gallerists.