Difference through Diversity

It was an outcome of a casual conversation between gallerist Bhavna Kakar and artist Chittrovanu Mazumdar in 2009.

It was an outcome of a casual conversation between gallerist Bhavna Kakar and artist Chittrovanu Mazumdar in 2009. The endeavour to provide her clients with art memorabilia,which also qualifies as art,led Kakar to invite the Kolkata-based artist to work on a series of limited edition frames. Few months later,Mazumdar came back to her with frames etched on copper,with carved mahogany wood. The limited edition of 50 was a sellout. It just went, recalls Kakar,who now launches limited edition art memorabilia every few months. Unlike her exhibitions,these are are not publicised but Kakar spreads the word among her clients. Its a fun thing that is reasonably priced,allowing people to purchase an original work of an artist whom they might not otherwise afford, says the director of Latitude 28. In January,she launched Jagannath Pandas limited edition table lamps for Rs 45,000 each,while George Martin painted 10 palettes that were sold for Rs 25,000 each. Last year,art collectors made a beeline for clocks painted by Mithu Sen and Manjunath Kamath digital prints.

The medium is more than just the message and artists are painting images not just to be suspended in frames art is now on handbags,crystal-ware and jewellery. If Louis Vuitton owes its multi-coloured logo bag to Japanese artist Takashi Murakami,last year Christian Dior teamed up with contemporary artist Anselm Reyle for a line of accessories,handbags and make-up. In India,a select few own Anjolie Ela Menons sculptures in Murano crystal and 18-carat gold pendants with SH Razas cosmic bindus in rose cut diamonds. Its quite a challenge to create something outside ones comfort zone,particularly for an out-and-out commercial venture, stated Raza,the Delhi-based Progressive artist,when Orra launched his limited-edition pendants in 2010.

Bulbul Sharma,who is passionately painting tapestries these days at her studio in Golf Links,agrees. It requires a lot of thinking. There is complacency in working on something that has already been accepted by the audience, says the 60-year-old artist. In January,at her solo at the India Habit Centre,she had suspended a couple of tapestries on the wall along with her canvases. The encouraging response led me to initiate a series, says Sharma. Painted in acrylic,the series of 5×3 feet tapestries will be woven with patches of antique brocade,appliqué work and kantha embroidery. The floral patterns are inspired by Sharmas terrace garden in Delhi and the greens in Himachal,where she has another home. People have now become more open to accepting new mediums, says the artist-author.

Functional art might not have a long history in India but it has not been non-existent either. More than a decade ago,MF Husain worked on a limited edition Parker Sonnet Husain fountain pen,engraved with scenes from his movie,Gaja Gamini. In 2008,Fendi invited Subodh Gupta to be part of a group of 10 international artists to launch a limited edition series that celebrated 10 years of their famed baguette and Manisha Gera Baswani collaborated with Good Earth for a range of ceramic plates. Sometimes working on different mediums is a need. It is an outcome of the creative line of thought, says Baswani.

While the association with brands allows for experiments that are also commercially viable,the fine print requires close observation. Having collaborated with numerous brands,artist duo Jiten Thukral and Sumir Tagra emphasise on the need for mutual understanding and respect. Mostly there is a contract that takes care of issues of copyright, note the two artists,who have designed Benetton T-Shirts,Pepsi cans and made an illustration for the Puma Reality Bag,that featured works of over 100 artists from world over.

If for the artists working on different medium is a creative process,for the connoisseurs it could provide an opportunity to get the artwork of an acclaimed artist at a more reasonable cost. So her canvas might cost approximately Rs 1.5-6 lakh but Sharma prices her tapestry at Rs 75,000 onwards. It might not be as commercially viable but it does provide an opportunity to experiment with artistic talent, she says. Kakar,meanwhile,has another set of artists working on memorabilia the line-up includes Bose Krishnamachari,Chintan Upadhyay and Jitish Kallat.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram