Hue in Store

Gallery owners are keen to expand their client base beyond the smattering of highbrow art connoisseurs in Delhi. To survive tough economic conditions,art,say insiders,has to reach out to more people. The positioning,in a glitzy mall,where high net worth individuals shop,might just help in creating a larger database.

The popular Delhi Art Gallery is also opening at Emporio. In Gurgaon,Gallerie Alternatives has space next to a real-estate office in DT Mega Mall. Meanwhile,Tripat Kalra,director of Gallerie Nvya,hopes that diners at Tabula Rasa at Square One Mall,Saket,will visit her 3,000 sq ft gallery once it opens in August. “Art enthusiasts can combine shopping with browsing for art,” says Kalra,who currently operates from Friends Colony. Shibani Chawla,another gallery owner,says it was the sealing of her gallery on the Mehrauli-Gurgaon road that led her to move into Square One in 2006. Three years hence,despite the fact that Square One Mall isn’t doing well,she has no regret. “The rent is more than that of an independent space but we don’t have to bother about maintenance,electricity or security,” says Chawla.

Not all malls might be suitable for an art gallery though. “Only malls that cater to high-end market make an appropriate venue for exclusive art,” says Ashish Anand of Delhi Art Gallery. While his 9,000 sq ft space at Hauz Khas will continue to host large exhibitions,at Emporio he will showcase the work of masters like

FN Souza,SH Raza and Jamini Roy. “Art requires a certain ambience and malls do not cater to every requirement,” adds Anand. The same reason has prompted Ridhi Bhalla of Nitanjali Art to use her gallery at Ansal Plaza for private viewing and to organise exhibitions in more central venues like Visual Arts Gallery at India Habitat Center and Alliance Francaise.

The footfall might go up,but it does not often convert into sales. Anubha Jayant Dey,director of Bodhi Art Gallery,Delhi,which shut shop after operating from Grand Mall in Gurgaon for more than a year,says,“Visitors to a mall do not come with the intention of purchasing art.” Manu Dosaj,director of Gallerie Alternatives,adds,“It is expensive to operate from malls and owners should think hard before committing to the rentals.” However,the process might just convert mall rats into art connoisseurs.