I always associate Bangalore with my adulthood. I moved here around 2004 and I’ve witnessed the city evolve rapidly since then. My earliest memories are of walking down MG Road and Brigade Road. The first ever Coffee Day outlet was on Brigade Road and they used to exhibit artwork by young artists there. I also remember walking into a store on Church Street and seeing a drawing by MF Husain behind the cash counter. I was trying to get to know the art community here so I asked for the owner’s contact and reached out to them and they turned out to be avid art collectors. At the end of the same street was the quaint Premier Book Store. I loved buying books there. I always discovered a rare book on an esoteric subject that I didn’t know I’d be interested in, until I saw it. These days it’s not so easy to chance upon a book serendipitously.
In a way my art career evolved parallel to the city’s IT boom. To cater to this boom, developers began to build large scale tech and business parks which had the space and scope for large outdoor sculptures and installations. Creating modern campuses that were on par with the best in the world became a priority. Artists like me who work in the sphere of public art suddenly got a larger canvas to play with.
The first gallery I visited in Bangalore was Time and Space on Lavelle Road. Over the years I have been to numerous exhibitions and have exhibited there myself; met other artists and engaged with the vibrant art community. Mahua Gallery was inside the Leela Palace Hotel when I first got to know them. Both these galleries welcomed young artists and were quite approachable. Alliance Francaise and National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) are the other art spaces that resonate with me. I still like visiting them to see new exhibits and spend time in their respective cafés.
Bangalore being a city of startups attracts people from various parts of the country and the world so I ended up making friends with people who have come here from all over. Some are entrepreneurs who moved here to launch a company while others are here for short term work assignments. Our diverse backgrounds and viewpoints result in lively, inspiring conversations. I form close friendships who are a click away, thanks to technology. That brings me to the other aspect of Bangalore: technology. It is only natural that technology would percolate into my work. For my upcoming show in Mumbai I’ve created an android app called #WhoRU? that comments on personal identity.
Bangalore’s contemporary art world is small but active. I would like to see more young professionals engage with contemporary art. Walking tours or Art Nights where a group of galleries stay open for one a month would entice a new and eclectic audience.
(As told to Shailaja Tripathi)
(This column features the city through the eyes of a prominent Bengalurean)
