The raw touch of the space adds an art brut feel to the interiors. To me the interior recalled Fernand industry tubular Leger machine art. The interior looks like a roving installation and breaks the space and reduces possible monotony. The visual movement in space is created by the use of glass walls. You can visually reach out to spaces and your curiosity moves your feet onwards. The viewing space also climbs up like a mountain trail and offers an individual personal communion with the art work.
The restaurant is enveloped by exhibition space and you will be able to combine the aroma of an espresso with equally strong art that Religare is betting on to serve as a main course. The resource centre will be useful to seek references to artists and their works and all that concerns art. Thus what I said in the beginning about the distance between galleries and museums, Religare Art Initiative attempts to bridge it. They are not just a gallery but aim to combine functions normally devolving on museums. It is a new concept for India since they intend to enrol artists, art lovers, researchers to be members of a new art fraternity and work as it muscles and sinews and of course it heart and brain.The first of the exhibition they launched is called Outer Circle synonymous with location of the place but also carrying a double entendre in reference to the art of the young upcoming artists that is showcased.
They have decided to include varied forms and media of artistic expression namely paintings, photographs, sculptures, installations, video from 16 of the upcoming artists. Seasoned experts Alka Pande and Mukesh Panika are the curators for the maiden exhibition running through October 2008.Need for logisticsThe other day while talking to some art collectors we happened to focus on the problems being generated in art field. There appears to be a lack of really creative artists in sufficient numbers to create a more broad based art collection. A few names circulate from gallery to gallery and while the new art shops deal in a kind of calendar photo pictures probably debasing the aesthetic tastes of collectors.Secondly every person who is worth a couple of visits to art exhibitions received that he is an art expert, dealer, consultant, advisor, curator. A gentleman who left his pen pusher s job to hold exhibitions called up an artist friend and requested him to grace the opening of the exhibition since he had one of his works in the show. My friend on arrival discovered that it was another artist s work who shared first name with him and this art expert did not know his B s from p. s. A lot of drift wood and flotsam appears when river rises. I hope Religare team knows that, with a fine reputation and professionalism of the mother organization to back them their job is cut out fine. They will have to work overtime to create a neat, transparent art space so that the dead wood is swept aside and a new synergy is created in art.Bon Voyage!