ART WORLD

Art World Gallery, formerly called Sarala Art Centre, is the oldest in South India. Established in 1965, by Soli and Moti Dharuwala, it is the fifth oldest art gallery in India.  Initially functioning from various places in the city (including a garage in Hotel Connemrara, the gallery is now housed off Cenotaph Road. Art World is powered today by the dynamism of Bishwajit Banerjee and Sarala Banerjee.  The feel for art has always been in their bloodline because their parents had been ardent art lovers. 

Sarala Banerjee, Director, Art World, spoke to us about the experience of setting up Art World "It is probably one of the few galleries that were constructed right from the start to serve as an art gallery.  Most of the other galleries are converted from commercial or residential spaces.  We faced a lot of restrictions as any middle class family would.  But hard work and the grace of God saw us through.  We limited ourselves to using basic material and tried to be effective with that".

The gallery has had the privilege of exhibiting the works of some of the doyens of contemporary art including Professor Dheraj Chowdhary and Amithab Sen Gupta. About eight to nine exhibitions are held in a year, with around 45 paintings are exhibited in one show.  Sarala said "We generally choose artists who are technically good. We always see to it that we do not compromise on quality and this pleases our customers".

Besides holding exhibitions, the gallery also frequently arranges for Art camps, where art lovers are given an opportunity to interact directly with the artists. Since 1997, the gallery has conducted four camps, one each at New Delhi and Calcutta and two at Chennai. These art camps usually have sponsors like, say a hotel which hosts the artists and in turn gets a few paintings done by the artist at the camp.  Art lovers also get to interact with the artists and know more about their work.  What makes this gallery unique is that it gives an opportunity to artists to exhibit their works at international shows. Many of the artists have had exposure to art lovers abroad through exhibitions held at Hong Kong, Tokyo, Malaysia and Sydney. Some of the best venues possible are chosen for these shows - Art Museum, Tokyo, Power Gallery, Hong Kong, National Museum and University Museum in Malaysia. Sarala says, "We insist on international shows, because Indian artists, next to the Chinese, have high levels of creativity. Exhibits at shopping malls and Indian galleries attract only Indians. A good art gallery must always look into all feasible ways of attracting foreigners. It will be mutually beneficial for both - artists and the gallery".

Speaking about the awareness levels in Chennai, she said that it was pretty high and that tradition is very strong here.  The role of the art gallery she said, is to guide the art lover as to what really is a good work of art.  Most Indian buyers and NRIs, she said go only by hearsay, but there are quite a few who are willing to learn.  "We take the trouble to know their budget and show pieces according to their budget and tastes, we also show them what we know will appreciate in value.  Works of art are in a way 'quiet treasures', they are an investment.  When the customer trusts us, we find it very easy to guide them and select a good piece for them".

Running an art gallery is not a cakewalk according to Sarala.  "The margins are very low in this line.  One has to be really rich to buy an artists work outright and then sell it.  But otherwise, it is not as remunerative as people think it is.  We have to do everything from advertising, publicity, inviting people and even the framing most of the times.  This leaves a very small amount from the 30% margin that we have".

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