It was the first day of CIMA Gallery’s winter exhibition, CIMA Art Mela. Opening its doors at 11am everyday, the artworks at this fair boast of being some of the most affordable in the city as well as the country. The opening day drew visitors from across Kolkata who couldn’t help being awed by the unique and varied collection from some of the best up-and-coming artists and established artists in India.
The Art Mela is home to a myriad styles of art displayed in a harmonious array. It features works that span everything from traditional realism to Modernist abstracts. The etchings of a chaotic cityscape hang beside pop art of cartoonish characters; muted scenes of the city contrast with the vibrant Kalighat patachitra, and so on.
A project that began at the hands of director Rakhi Sarkar, CIMA Art Mela aims to erase the notion that collecting art is reserved exclusively for the elite. It brings new artists to young collectors, catering to every aesthetic and sensibility.
Chandan Sengupta, the first buyer of the three-day exhibition, picked up a Surrealist portrait sketch for himself. He loved the way every single display looked, going so well together despite being so different.
Chandan Sengupta picks up a Surrealist portrait sketch
The morning crowd on Friday took its time to look at and enquire about every wall of the gallery, leisurely strolling through and discussing the works that caught their eye. The mixed media Impressionist paintings of Yashpal Singh were especially attention-grabbing, as several visitors paused to browse through his works. Made mostly against grey or desaturated backgrounds, they used unexpected foregrounds to capture the eyes.
Pratiti Basu Sarkar, chief administrator of CIMA, joined the visitors to talk about the artworks and the artists’ vision, while recommending the most suitable styles for the curious buyers.
Pratiti Basu Sarkar (left) converses with a visitor
Amid the canvases sat a wooden chair that resembled a tiger. It was particularly favoured by a group of visitors, who leaned towards similarly bright paintings. Yogesh P. Naik’s canvas, showing a bunch of vehicles popular in India dominated by abstract human figures, was one such work. Finally, they chose a framed Odisha patachitra of Jagannath; they were especially enamoured of its intricate details.
Two visitors discuss the tiger-shaped chair and the Mainaz Bano canvases
A few portraits by Subir Dey were picked up by a visitor who is touring the city this week. He dropped by at CIMA and decided to check out the collection, and immensely admired how the spotlight is on up-and-coming artists.
“As part of CIMA’s initiative to bring the world of art to everyone, we encourage people to choose not what we like, but what they like the best,” said Rakhi Sarkar. “We curate the artwork for everyone.” The response of the visitors proved that this approach was successful. Some visitors leaned towards hues dimmed by grey, while others gravitated towards saturated, multi-coloured paintings. Etchings of precise geometric patterns received the same attention as shapeless Surrealist or distinct Impressionist works.
Friday’s audience also consisted of young children accompanying their parents, curiously observing the works that caught their eye as they flitted about amid them.
A young boy enjoys the displays with his parents
A Precisionist artwork by Sandeep Suneriya also made some of the visitors pause. It features a deep purple background against which is etched the subject, perched on the rooftop of an urban landscape, while birds fly around. His signature monochrome seemed to impress quite a few.
A group looking to decorate the interior layout for a new house spent considerable time comparing and contrasting various art styles. They shortlisted various works of different styles, discussing how each would fit in with the different spaces of the house.
The group discusses one of Yashpal Singh’s abstracts. Architect Dhiraj Bhansaly (second from right) studies the dimensions of the paintings they liked for decorating interiors
Visitors so far all agree on how affordable, unique, and innovative the displayed artworks are, and have been won over by the brilliant descriptions provided by the gallery staff as they study each work.
Art Mela 2024 is on till November 24, 11am to 8pm, at CIMA Gallery (43, Ashutosh Chowdhury Avenue, Sunny Towers, 2nd Floor, Kolkata - 700019)