See it now

See it now

Experimentation is what makes one stumble upon invention. It gives way to new ideas, new techniques and new mediums to become a part of the mainstream, eventually. But it all starts with experimentation. Stressing on how important it is to experiment with art, and how experimental art forms contribute to the culture of art in the country, Pawan Rochwani, founder of Platform For Artists (PFA), says, “They stand out as compared to the mainstream art forms and once they have a potential to stand out they are going to be known to everyone with an internet connection. These art forms have a very powerful influence.”

Encouraging this concept of collaborating with other artists who practise different art forms in their own styles, PFA has set up a unique art exhibition titled Unseen. Experts at PFA have selected a total of 19 artists to be featured in it. Talking more about the exhibition, Kshitija Sarda, CEO and co-founder, says, “This exhibition will be a unique experience for artists as well as audiences. There will be an element of surprise as they showcase their work.”

THE ARTISTS
This is a special project and the artists, who are featured, were chosen based on a few criteria. Sarda says, “The nomenclature is derived from the literal nature of the initiative, as only those whose artwork has not been seen by the world yet will be on display. The artwork displayed can be in the form of paintings, sketches, photographs, illustrations, motion graphics, installations, fashion, typography and all forms of visual art.” 

They set out a call for application for artists who would be interested to showcase their work at Unseen. “We received an overwhelming response from 350 enthusiasts across the country who had also shared their portfolio with us. Our team then, with the help of our art mentors, went through the application in a week. We shortlisted people whose work would do justice to the concept of Unseen. We ended up selecting 19 people in total, because some of them wanted to work in groups. All the selected artists are unique in their own way. Everyone works with a different medium of visual art and their skills are exceptional. A few of the artists are already associated to PFA for a year now,” says Sarda.

She stresses on how all the selected artists have their own quirky style of working. “These artists are not those who frequently display their artworks at exhibitions, so even for the audience, this is going to be a very new experience,” adds Sarda. 

The lineup of artists includes illustrators Siddhi Ashar, Siddhesh Gautam,  Annada Menon, and Danish Shaikh, painters Christian Anthony, Shweta Ektare, Devshri Chandrakar Taijasi Mishra, and Amey Bhokare, digital artists Vaishnavi Karad, Mihir Kardile, Mohit Tanpure, photographer Parag Kidile,  sketcher Arpit Vyas and installation artists Shrishti Bhandari, Anushka Damani, Unnati Shaurya, Sanika Shah and Sneha Shetty. 

GROWING INTEREST IN ART
Sarda believes that the growing interest of youngsters in art as a profession is the inspiration behind organising such an exhibition. By exhibiting the most exciting and innovative works by the artist community, they want to give those who are considering art as a career option a motivating push.  

“PFA was formed in April 2017 and it has grown to become a community of 7,000 creative people today. We have conducted more than 150 projects in 20 cities across the country so far. We have analysed, studied and evolved in the ideas that are implemented based on the interactions with these artists. There is a vast demand for creative professionals across the country in different fields. Every corporate firm, event, business needs content writers, photographers, graphic designers, performing artists these days and our country holds infinite talent. Pursuing art as a profession is widely chosen these days because society has started acknowledging and accepting this,” she says. 

Rochwani adds, “This is the first time we have organised an exhibition like this. We are planning to do this in other cities soon. Since we can only select a few people from the many that apply, we want to give other artists, who we could not feature this time, a chance to be a part of the exhibition and showcase their work.”

AIDING ARTISTS
Rochwani believes that the art industry in the country nurtures immense talent by the virtue of a culturally rich upbringing, but it is time to shift the limelight onto the lesser known artists who are innovating and experimenting with their art. “The Unseen exhibition is thus aimed at becoming a revered arena for struggling artists to promote and showcase their work which deserves to be out in the world,” says he describing PFA as a common platform for artists across the nation to find exciting opportunities and projects to get involved. 

Sarda adds, “We intent to bridge the gap between demand and supply in the creative filed where networking plays a very important role.”

PFA also helps artists connect with people who require their services. “The Artist Service Provider (APS) is a lean distribution channel which connects the people looking for artists with the artists. It is an online service which allows you to put in your requirement and specify your budget and the channel will link you to the right artist within 24 hours,” he explains. 

ST READER SERVICE
Unseen is being held at The Monalisa Kalagram, Koregaon Park, September 15-16, 10 am-7 pm 

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