Art and creativity know no bounds. While artists are playing up and experimenting with different types of media, India’s first and only pop-art gallery The Designera is all set to inaugurate its first physical art gallery. The art gallery will feature unexplored mediums of art like augmented reality (AR) art where you can witness the magic of the art coming to life by scanning the painting with your phone. We speak to the founder and CEO Amrita Deora to know more about it.
What was your main concept behind The Designera? Why did you feel that there’s a requirement for a physical gallery?
The Designera is a platform for emerging artists and an incubator for creators. In a country brimming with talent, we handpick emerging artists and provide them with all the creative support and tools they need to conquer a global canvas. Although agnostic to medium, The Designera’s portfolio is united by our signature pop art aesthetic. Our statement art pieces often reference popular culture, while being jovial and bright. Art is still an extremely touch-and-feel industry. As much as we can have a technology layer, I still believe that a viewer needs to be enveloped by a piece when they’re standing in front of it. Thus we felt the need to open doors to our gallery.
How is it different from other art platforms?
Apart from being India’s only pop-art gallery, we are the only gallery to purchase and own every single piece that we represent. This allows the artist to have financial freedom right off the bat. Designers also experiment with uncharted mediums of art. We have forayed into augmented reality art, artificial intelligence art, lenticular technologies, and so many more experimental mediums.
With AR art coming into play, what do you think is the future of art in India?
Augmented reality is going to change the landscape of art across the globe. Traditionally when an artist has an idea, the only way that they could visualize it is to sketch, illustrate, sculpt or paint it. This is what would constitute the actual art piece. With the advent of augmented reality, the artist can put their idea into a series of words and have an AR-generated visualization of this piece within seconds. This shift will make it increasingly important to have a really strong concept or thought behind the piece, putting the emphasis on creating more thought-provoking and conceptual pieces. However, everything does come full circle. As there are more and more art pieces created with augmented reality, the charm of an oil painting or metal sculpture will be most valued.
Does any upcoming artist fascinate you?
There are so many. Internationally, I’ve been drawn to the photography works of Tony Kelly. A pioneer of pop art, he takes these high-gloss photographs depicting themes of indulgent luxury. The creative direction and photography of his works are truly unparalleled.