Banker-turned-digital marketer-turned brand and design consultant, Sahil Arora is now a gallerist. Arora has just opened the newest gallery in town, Method. As a keen follower of new age and digital art, Arora has two goals in mind; to showcase artists out there whose work we never get to see in person, and to exhibit art in a more engaging format. Arora’s motivation lies in moving out of a traditional gallery set-up to provide visitors with an immersive experience, “We will give our artists the freedom to use the walls, the outer door of the gallery and even the staircase as part of the exhibit,” he said in an interview with The Hindu . Arora wants to give artists the freedom to put up the format of art they prefer. Method’s first show, Perfect is also the first solo exhibition of artist Aniruddh Mehta, who is displaying works that deviate from his typical style.
Method’s first show is a case of art collaborations born through social media. Aniruddh or @thebigfatminimalist as he calls himself on Instagram, where he has over 42,000 followers, has a strong graphic design background. He has been involved in exciting projects such as stencilling the walls of the Facebook headquarters in Gurgaon, and creating the logo designs for the Netflix show, Sacred Games . “I have been following Aniruddh’s work on Instagram for five years now. I wanted the first few exhibits at Method to be with artists that I personally love. So I contacted him on Instagram and he loved the space,” explained Arora. Most of Mehta’s work is based on design principles such as geometry and symmetry. His debut show Perfect , is dubbed thus, as he has traded the pixel perfect output one can achieve through digital media, in exchange for a series of black acrylic on canvas paintings. “I have been making art for many years, but always using digital media. This is the first time I have gone completely analogue,” shared the artist.
It’s a process that began two years ago. For Mehta, it means giving up the control that comes with digital design and leaving behind the perfection of symmetry he adopts in his graphic work. “There is only so much control you can have when working with something analogue. You can’t possibly know exactly how the ink will spread each time,” he elaborated. The goal then, is to embrace not being able to go back and fix things. The show’s name encapsulates Mehta’s introspection on the idea of perfection and how he has challenged it with this body of work.
Method’s next show is a week-long fashion immersive pop-up called Gundi by the slow fashion brand, Gundi Studios that celebrates South Asian woman.
Perfect is ongoing until August 11 ; Gundi will be on display from August 26 to September 1, 2019 at Method, 86 Nagindas Master Road, Fort; phone: 98211 14562
