Saurabh Tankha
The once-famous industrial address is fast turning out to be the National Capital’s newest creative art space. Okhla, an acronym for Old Canal Housing & Land Authority, has had art galleries in its vicinity like The Stainless Gallery, Pearl Art Gallery and MF Husain Art Gallery. And now, thanks to two enthusiastic young art-lovers, it has an open, artist-friendly venue — ArtBuzz Studios — for creative individuals.
Around the middle of this month, this creative space witnessed a two-day exhibition of 31 emerging artists from across the country. “The response to our maiden effort was tremendous,” says Amisha Chowbey, co-founder, ArtBuzz Studios.
Elaborating on the concept of ArtBuzz Studios, Amisha explains, “This is not just a place to exhibit creative works. Our aim is to offer convenient, accessible and affordable community working spaces for art students, artists and art professionals. Perhaps, it is a one-of-its-kind setup in the country. We want to make it a creative hub for all kinds of artists. With open houses, workshops and training modules by industry experts, it is the perfect environment to create, network and grow.”
The Lady Sri Ram College art graduate shares that the, at ArtBuzz Studios, want to support the phenomenal amount of young talented artists in Delhi who lack space and a platform. “Our core objective is to create platforms and events that support young creative practitioners in the city with a goal of making art inclusive and accessible to all, with a particular focus on artists who have recently completed their arts education and who have with limited prior exposure to the art world. Our space is a catalyst for dialogue between artists, curators, community organisations, galleries, museums, and others in the cultural sector encouraging open creative collaboration and interdisciplinary exploration,” she says.
The studios at ArtBuzz are non-residential and for working artists. Facilities include an open plan communal studio space (which can accommodate 15 artists), 10 private studios, traditional printmaking facilities and an open-air terrace. The space can be converted to host exhibitions, talk, workshops and other events.
And that is not all. One also has the option of either choosing a desk in a common working space or a private cabin at a nominal cost. Studios space has the option of flexi-payment plans to suit the needs of varied artists.
“What started as an idea to promote artists who co-create at ArtBuzz Studios evolved into an open platform encouraging creative exchange and dialogue whilst assisting young artists in developing their careers,” avers Anubha Gupta, co-founder, ArtBuzz Studios.
Talking about the recently concluded exhibition, Anubha, a postgraduate in history of art from the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London, says, “We enjoyed every bit of the madness, shortlisting and curating, meeting talented artists along the way and sharing our passion for the growth of art. The first of many more to come, we’ve always looked forward to a project that explores the potential of ArtBuzz Studios in the way it was intended to be.”
