By now, My Kolkata readers will be familiar with SawDesi, from the house of Art Melange, a platform for emerging artists across the city to showcase their work. Since November 2023, SawDesi has hosted three separate exhibitions in its aim to support artists and their work. But what about SawDesi’s own journey as an artisan collective? How exactly did it begin and what is the vision underpinning the group?
“When we participated in exhibitions, we often encountered resellers misusing schemes of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) meant for artists. By virtue of the way markets work, resellers will always have more variety of products and, by extension, more customers. At SawDesi, we want to focus on the inherent connection with artists and their products,” says Sourabh Ghose, who co-founded SawDesi alongside his partner Eliza Bhowmik and her sister Raysa. “It feels like Gariahat in a hall,” explains Eliza, on how mass-scale impersonal exhibitions in the city tend to imitate sardine-packed streets where no artist feels seen, let alone valued for their work.
As a rule, only artist-owned brands feature at SawDesi exhibitions
In the exhibitions that SawDesi curates, which represent the teamwork of Sourabh, Eliza and Raysa, the venue is deliberately chosen to allocate adequate space to each artist. Even if it means compromising with the number of artists participating. As a rule, only artist-owned brands feature at SawDesi exhibitions, many of whom have received admiration for their work from guests such as sculptor Tarak Garai and city-based actors like Angana Roy and Ayan Bhattacharjee.
“When I was a child, everybody loved to pull my leg, saying I would grow up to be a tailor!” laughs Eliza, whose classmates in school used to rip pages out of her notebook to hand to tailors for their birthday dresses. Eliza’s knack for aesthetics led her to obtaining an illustrious offer in Gujarat at the start of her career, only to be derailed by bomb blasts in the state, which left her stranded on the Ahmedabad Express. With her prospective employers nowhere to be found, Eliza found shelter in an acquaintance’s home in the secluded town of Bharuch. After spending months on end without work, she decided to try her luck in Surat’s machine embroidery industry. With a new-found love for the art, she returned to Kolkata to assist costume designer Sabarni Das, gradually paving her way into the Tollywood costume industry. Over the years, Eliza has designed ensembles for Byomkesh Pawrbo (2016), Begum Jaan (2017), Eken Babu (2018) and Sweater (2019). In 2013, she single-handedly launched Art Melange after dabbling in the haute couture scape with support from Moustache International, the Future Group and fashion designer Ritu Kumar.
L-R: Sourabh Ghosh, Eliza Bhowmik and Raysa Bhowmik, the co-founders of SawDesi
Eliza had originally met Sourabh at South City College, with the two growing close while preparing for their National Institute of Design (NID) entrance exams. But they went their separate ways soon enough, with Sourabh travelling across India as part of his work for several media organisations, only to reconnect with Eliza at an Art Menlange exhibition. As for Eliza’s elder sister, Raysa, she was breezing through her days in Bengaluru as an architectural visualiser and interior designer. When the Covid19 lockdown hit, unable to sit idle at home, she whisked up a collection of purposeful interior art, ranging from coasters, curtain ties and hand-painted home linens to magnets, pillowy summer coasters and ambience mats.
SawDesi is a labour of love, which ‘won’t stop until we bring art to every home’
Receiving numerous invitations to be a part of exhibitions in the post-pandemic boom, the trio recognised the need to do things differently. After an eight-month-long gestation period, SawDesi was born in November 2023. “We deliberately organised our first leg after the Durga Puja rush to ensure year-round income for artisans. Kulungi, my sister’s brand, was also launched at the same time that SawDesi saw the light of day,” narrates Eliza.
Apart from nominal rates for paid stalls at its exhibitions, SawDesi also floats sponsored stalls to support economically backward artists. Additionally, there is an Ubharte Sitaare section featuring junior creators. “After merely three installations, we’re witnessing our model getting duplicated by others. For us, this is a success,” feels Sourabh. Despite recurring losses, the trio’s dedication to their cause has kept SawDesi afloat. For them, SawDesi is a labour of love, which “won’t stop until we bring art to every home”.
‘What I love best about doodling is how there’s no limit to it, you can keep stretching it to your heart’s desire’
Rivaan Mukherjee, who learnt doodling by watching YouTube videos, is one of SawDesi’s Ubharte Sitaare
One of the highlights at SawDesi exhibitions has been the work of 14-year-old Rivaan Mukherjee, part of the Ubharte Sitaare section. A Class X student of Future Foundation School, Rivaan came across doodling on YouTube and took to it like a fish to water.
Pops of vivid colours and intricate lines characterise his work, which adorn everything from coffee mugs to water bottles to coasters. “Doodling’s an addiction now. What I love best about the form is how there’s no limit to it, you can keep stretching it to your heart’s desire,” says Rivaan.
“Doodling was initially a way to get Rivaan to spend less time on his phone. But when I saw how versatile he had grown in just a couple of weeks, the idea of printing his designs on mugs and bottles struck me. That’s when I reached out to Sourabh, a former colleague, who invited Rivaan for a SawDesi exhibit under the brand name of Artchii, which happens to be Rivaan’s nickname,” says Roshni Mukherjee, Rivaan’s mother. Artchii’s collection has expanded to include diaries, magnets and bookmarks and will soon venture into apparel, key chains and phone covers.
Discoveries like Rivaan are a testament to SawDesi’s efforts to identify and promote talent. As part of its next set of endeavours, SawDesi plans on branching out into workshops, hosted by renowned artists. The intention is two-fold. First, to help up-and-coming artists become more confident by learning the tricks of the trade from proven names in the business. Second, to expand the horizons of collaboration, be it with individuals or organisations. Both objectives fit neatly into SawDesi’s larger goal of empowering artists in Kolkata, one creative step at a time.
