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Online art: Coming of age

Kavita CHARANJI, New Delhi
In this digital age, can art afford to not jump on the bandwagon? There may be a polarity of opinion on this score but, like it or not, art online is here to stay. Take Delhi, for instance. The city has several galleries, which exhibit theirworks on their websites and even sell their art works without a face to face between buyers and sellers.
One such innovative art gallery is Palette Art Gallery. Since it went online in 2003, says manager Aditi Khurana, the gallery has drawn customers from Australia, USA, Vietnam, Switzerland. France, Japan and Mumbai. While the Palette had only 70 online registered members in 2003, there are now 3,000 such members. In fact, says Aditi, 60 percent of Palette's sales takes place on the Net.
How does she react to the oft repeated criticism that art online is not the greatest ways of buying paintings or other art forms? In her words, " If people really like a work of art, they will buy it. Sometimes the sales go through word of mouth and I am asked my opinion on certain art works."
For younger artists, art online is a popular way of showcasing their talents. Along with artists like MF Husain, lyeb Mehta, Palette has featured young online creative artists such as Baiju Parthan, Atul Dodiya, Anju Dodiya,
and Riyaz Komu. Then there are upcoming talents such as Binoy Varghese, Suneel Mamadapur, Pratul Dash and lately Gigi Scaria. What's best is the website is updated regularly and proffers the public a great way of seeing past exhibitions as well. A big player in online art is the Mumbai-based Saffronart. Says a spokesperson quoted on the Net: "Saffronart has made reach to Indian art simple and instantaneous by combining a series of critically acclaimed international exhibitions, events and auctions, together with a strong online presence. The website (www.saffronart.com) has extended the company’s travelling exhibits and art activities beyond their physical locations by providing convenient access to an extensive range of art for sale, along with detailed information on artists, interviews, exhibitions, events and more.” Saffronart's online catalogues brings together several thousand art works from established and emerging artists, each delivered virtually anywhere in the world, accompanied by a Saffronart authenticity certificate.
There are several heartening stories to show the might of the Net in the art arena. For the Bangalorebased small time art shop owner Vasudevarao Umesh, selling paintings and other art objects was just another source of income, while earning money as a transcripionist from his shop's computer. From cashing in on India's outsourcing boom, he realized that technology could come to his aid and give a much needed boost to his income. In a feature story online, he is quoted as saying: "I have customers from all over India, as well as from Australia and US and now I get greater and quicker response online as compared to my offline business.”
Creating such online galleries are software companies like Gurbinder Dhillon’s Orbit System. In an interview with The Indian Express, Dhillon is quoted as say- ing, “The galleries are linked to the most powerful search engines, including Google, which places even obscure galleries on an online platform 24/7 global customers. The website allows buyers to browse the latest artistic works and then buy what appeals to them through credit card, wire transfer or cheque payment.
Artistic and public opinion is, however, divided on the score of online art Taking a somewhat purist view is well-known artist Madhoor Kapoor, who opposes the commodification of art. “Online trading of art is unfair to both the artist and the buyer. If people are spending money on an art work, they want to see the original and gauge its size, materials and colours." However, Madhoor is not averse to the concept of popularising art through the Net. Explains the artist, “ If the Net can fuel curiosity about a painting or draw people to visit museums, then it is worthwhile."
A diametrically opposite view is that of Vasundhara Tewari Broota, another talented artist Though she herself does not put her work online, she points out that other organisations may have done so. “In this day and age. one cannot help go on the Net In fact, the first time a musical programme was aired on All India Radio in the 1940s, there was vociferous opposition and people called it cheapening music. Today, despite this, music reaches the radio of the neighbourhood paanwala as well.”
Bangladesh art galleries would do well to explore the options of online art exhibitions and trading. And there are a lot of young and upcoming artists who may be open to this option.