'It is important to be approachable and support local artists'

CHENNAI: As a part of the three-day Madras Art Weekend, Chennai’s 20-year-old, Ashvita Art and Advisory Services is organising a two-day panel discussion on ‘The gallery’s approach to programming and curation’ on November 12.

The panellists, Bhavna Kakar from Latitude 28, Atyaan Jungalwala from Chemould Colab, and Sanjay Kumar from Sakshi Gallery, are representatives from top galleries across the country. The discussion will be moderated by Shreya Nagarajan Singh.

Speaking to DT Next Ashvin Rajagopalan, founder and director of Ashvita says, “Ashvita has been in the art scene for the last 20 years in the city and we exclusively feature artists from Chennai. As a gallerist, I think it is very important to be approachable and support local artists. As it is, there is the air around the idea of art galleries being inaccessible to everyone and by supporting the city’s artists, we try to break that conception.”

Ashvin who curated this discussion says that through this, artists will be able to understand the intricacies of how galleries function and will also be able to network and build contacts. For gallerists, this discussion will give them an idea of how well-known and eminent art galleries across India operate and what they can do to improve as gallerists.

Sanjay Kumar

“We have invited three of the top art galleries, two are from Mumbai and one from Delhi. Bhavna Kakar who runs Latitude 28 in Delhi is also the publisher of the most widely read art magazine, Take on Art magazine. Her gallery has always been very welcoming of young and upcoming Indian artists.

“Atyaan Jungalwala is a third-generation, who runs Chemould Collab in Mumbai. The gallery was founded by her grandfather in 1948 and is one of the oldest galleries in Mumbai. Chemould Collab is a collaborative space which looks at exploring experimental art, residencies and lots more. The gallery is like an incubator for up-and-coming artists who are new to the art scene.

“Sanjay Kumar is the partner of Sakshi Gallery. The Sakshi Gallery had its origin in Chennai in the 80s and then the founder Geetha Mehra moved it to Mumbai. He is very active in the day-to-day gallery’s operations. It looks at more established artists and the big names in the country,” he introduces the panellists.

He adds, “I’m looking forward to seeing the panel discussion as an audience and learning from these pioneers in the field.”

The panel discussion is open to all free of cost at 6:30 pm on November 12 at Shamiana Hall at Madras Club, RA Puram. For registration email register@ashvitas.com.