In 2015, a group of well-known artists got together and everyone started saying, “Let’s do something together.”
They said that making art and having group shows was great, but what wasn’t happening was exposing art to people who don’t go to galleries. One problem with art in India is that only a particular class of people – educated in art and well traveled – are believed to understand art.
The group of artists thought that if not everyone wants to go to galleries, “why don’t we go to them and sell art?” The result was Art Mandai: an artist’s day in Mandai, PuneThe largest and oldest vegetable market in. The unusual idea is to celebrate 10 years this Republic Day.
For the current members of the central committee (Gauri Gandhi, Sujata Dharap, Rashmi Bhadkamkar, Falguni Gokhale, Shyam Dhavale, Indrani Garai and Ruby Jhunjhunwala), this milestone is full of wonders. The increasing influx of visitors to Art Mandai over the years indicates art lovers hidden among the crowd of stressed-out commoners. This could be Pune’s best-kept secret: a booming art market among an invisible population.
This year twenty-seven artists are participating, most of whom are emerging names. Three artists will entertain Mandai with two- to three-minute shows ranging from poetry and dance to music. Art Mandai opens at 9am and continues until 2pm. This year’s theme is “Beauty in the Everyday.” Artists have used rocks, wood, ceramics, fabrics and scrap metal, among others, to create works.
The current members of Art Mandai’s central committee. (Courtesy: Art Mandai)
It was Raju Sutar who suggested from the beginning to keep Art Mandai on January 26. Mandai’s vegetable vendors were among the first skeptics. “‘The bhaji sellers were wondering about these people who would come and sit next to them and sell what? But in just a year or two, we became friends. And they said a lot of new people would come because of the festival,” says Dharap, an artist from Pune.
A fundamental idea of Art Mandai is “to make art so affordable that literally anyone can go buy it.” “We started with Rs 500 and even 10 years later, our highest price is Rs 3,000,” says Dharap. Artists are required to produce authentic original work and 35 percent of all proceeds go to a social cause. People buy a large number of works for personal collections and gifts. “We’re trying to promote this whole movement and also imagine how it can take off,” he says.
Story continues below this ad.
An equally large number of people come just to see the works and return happier. “Being surrounded by art has an impact on people’s lives. It is about stress relief, a sense of improvement and well-being. Art will definitely clear your mind,” says Dharap.
Click here join WhatsApp Express Pune Channel and get a curated list of our stories
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd