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Aakriti Art Gallery spread its wings during the year 2005 in Kolkata. Since then it has been a short but insightful momentous journey, filled with various significant events for the gallery till date.
Since 2008 the global economic situation started getting worse and India too began to feel the heat. As a result in the realm of art many private art galleries are suffering across the country and few of them already closed down. Several existing galleries yielding to a non-responsiveness art market had to curtail their specified and scheduled programmes. But Aakriti Art Gallery continues to follow their planed agenda even in this challenging environment, despite the uncertain economic scenario and strong depression in art business.
Let us talk about one of their most interesting ventures 'GenNext' is a very special event in Aakriti Art Gallery's calendar which takes place every year in the month of October, commemorating their foundation month. Its purpose is to provide a platform to the aspiring young generation artists, under 40 years of age, to display their art works and to market their products. Young artists across the country and abroad have been responding effectively to this unique and colourful event so far. This honest enterprise has made possible that young artists to find a steady stage to showcase their art works. Namely Barun Chowdhury, Birendra Pani, Farhad Hussain, Jayanta Roy, Debraj Goswami, Debajan Roy, Rajesh Deb and a few others came out from this league on top and became prominent, proud faces in the arena of art.
Another important achievement of the Emami Chisel Art and Chisel craft, the parent body of Aakriti Art Gallery was to organize an exhibition of the talented but almost forgotten painter Abani Sen. He was born 1905 in Dhaka, now in Bangladesh. After finishing school level studies his irresistible dream to be an painter led him to take admission in Government College of Art & Craft, Kolkata. One of the founder member of 'Art Rebel Centre' in 1933, Abani Sen was also an associate of 'Calcutta Group', established in 1943. He was the winner of the Governor General Medal in 1949 for the best painting of the show, organized by 'IFAX'. However, this beautiful show in retrospect provided a rare opportunity to the inquisitive viewers, to see diverse visuals and to understand an evolvement as well as contribution of a less known, yet significant veteran artist.
Recently an exhibition of a another senior painter K.G. Subramanyan was the part of Aakriti's many endeavour. The wide spread fabulous painting show including terracotta reliefs, reverse paintings simultaneously took place in Akar-Prakar and Seagull foundation for the arts, on the occasion of artists eighty-fifth birthday. K.G. Subramanyan was born in 1924 in Kuthuparamba, North Malabar, Kerala. He was a student of Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan from 1944 to 1948 and also at Slade school of Art, London during 1955-56. Apart from being an outstanding artist, Subramanyan was also an acclaimed teacher and taught many years in Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda, in the faculty of Fine Arts. Also taught as a professor in Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan since 1977. He is the recipient of many awards and honours. However, this invaluable exhibition has enthralled many viewers.
In addition to the above Aakriti Art Gallery initiated another major momentous art exhibition marked as 'Art Against Terrorism'. It is a known fact that terrorism across the world has become a brutal threat towards the human civilization. Its immense impact is reflected vividly in the representations of some artists. Incidentally nine Kolkata based art galleries have collected all those art works and organized exhibitions collectively in their own space. The outrage of the participating artists were expressed through line and colour in myriad forms and expressions. It was a massive show and by far a most significant in contemporary art scene.
Similar to last year Emami Chisel Art Pvt. Ltd. launched their auction of Indian contemporary and modern art graciously, though it involved tremendous financial risk, as the art market was in the downward mode due to global economic recession. The auction includes the art works of M.F. Husain, Ganesh Pyne, Bikash Bhattacharjee, J. Swaminathan, F.N. Souza, Ganesh Haloi, Paritosh Sen, N.S. Bendre, A. Ramchandran, Jogen Chowdhury, Meera Mukherjee to name a few amongst many others. The sale response was fairly encouraging even in the depressed economic atmosphere.
A recent addition to Emami Chisel Art's activity is publication of an art journal 'art etc'. It incorporates a wide variety of thought provoking essay on varied art aspects written by experts. The first copy of the journal was released by the eminent painter K.G. Subramanayan in a special ceremony held at Emami Gallery. Hope it will create an art awareness among the art loving people. Apart from this, Emami Chisel Art has also played a host to lot of exhibitions, workshops, discussions and many other art oriented events with their usual enthusiasm.
It is a pleasing news to the art buying people that Aakriti Art Gallery has currently introduced an Art Shop on their gallery floor, where small size paintings and sculpture are available from abstract to figurative, from traditional to contemporary. And an extensive range of various kind of art objects as well as art books are elegantly displayed for sale.
No doubt Aakriti Art Gallery has carved its own niche in the sphere of art and hope it continue its activities more vigorously in future and make further contribution for healthy growth and eloquent prosperity of art and artists at large.
- Prasanta Daw
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