The Gurgaon School of Art

“When I was sent a sealing notice for my former studio in Gurgaon because neighbours objected to my working in a residential area,I felt ticked off. But this new space is a blessing in disguise,” says Kher. Till a generation ago,artists like Anjolie Ela Menon were located in posh,South Delhi neighbourhoods. Today,those who want spacious studios look at the suburbs,especially Gurgaon,which is witnessing a studio boom. Manisha Gera Baswani,too,operates from here now. Arun Kumar HG who scrimped and saved by working out of a one-room studio is now building an eco-sensitive studio in Sector 55,close to Jaganath Panda’s at Sun City,Sector 54. Art duo,Jiten Thukral and Sumir Tagra,(T&T),were among the first to move into Gurgaon in 2006,along with Subodh Gupta. Gupta’s state-of-the art studio is bigger than wife Kher’s; he also boasts of a outdoor storage room for his shiny utensils.

Buying a moderate space in Gurgaon can set you back by R 1 crore to R 1.5 crore while a large studio costs from R 10 crore to R 15 core. Yet,there are advantages like the township’s proximity to the airport. Some also perceive it as better in law and order as well as for real estate prospects. “Gurgaon has a thriving corporate sector with offices and residences coming up all the time. This could

translate to a lot more direct buying

from the artists,” says Samir Jasuja of Property Equity.

Large spaces in Gurgaon enable artists to magnify the scale of their work. The ground floor of Kher’s studio,for instance,showcases an artwork that will be part of her new Paris exhibition at Galerie Perrotin — bright saris draped over wooden chairs and mannequin-like figures with six staircases in the foreground that lead to nowhere,recalling the mysterious world that the artist often creates. The top two floors are her office and brainstorming area.

Similarly,Panda and Baswani have rejigged their homes to suit their studio needs. Panda has just completed a 18x 10 ft mural and loves his 2,000 sq ft studio space. The basement mural captures the freedom struggle,while his Gandhi canvas is on the first floor,along with a sculptural work made of PVC pipes. “These are snakes devouring each other; I will show them along with the tree with lamps,” says Panda,who often seamlessly mixes industrialisation and nature.

Gera Baswani’s studio is an extension of her home; it helps her balance work with her children and an energetic Boxer. Her studio is small and spotless. “I close my doors on family and friends when I’m hard at work,” says the artist who has a solo lined up this year. She is doing a series of jewel-like,small format works,recalling miniatures,that do not require

assistants but just paint brushes and colour pencils.

As more artists move to Gurgaon,a community has begun to form. Artists in Gurgaon are,however,largely isolated from each other yet. “I hope we can start getting together to share work and ideas,” says Gera Baswani,whose

“Manthan” programme hosts interactive sessions with artists,curators and

gallery owners.

Arun Kumar,who had a solo show at Nature Morte last October,takes time out to water his wheat plants while overseeing his studio. He uses the basement to showcase a variety of works — A slot machine newly acquired,a weighing machine and a plastic Superman with the head of a tomato. Kumar plans to host artist residencies at his three floor studio,as well as have artist get-togethers on his terrace. “I hope to let out the middle floor to struggling artists,” he says.