Where has the art gone?
I remember gawking at my mother every time she would drape a saree. I’d hold the pallu of her paithani and feel the gold zari work for hours. They said it took 7 days to weave that one saree. The vibrant colours with the patterns of a peacock woven together was one of my first encounter with art. Art was always around me in some way or another, the warli painting on the walls of my maternal home or the rangoli we would make on Diwali. I would love to play with the colored powders and make tiny flowers on the floor with it. The powders were replaced with finer mediums like poster colors, acrylics but the love for creating art just increased. I grew up to study architecture that allowed me to take art beyond the canvas. Out of everything that I learnt, I was drawn towards various cultures, local markets were most intriguing. It embodies the cultural spirit. The colors, the local craft & the art from flower garlands to block printed fabric. Every single region in the country, has its distinct take on art which is a part of their life. India has had a rich heritage of flamboyant art forms starting from cave walls to fabrics to window panes to tiles.
I started working at a real estate developer in Mumbai as a Junior Architect . It’s been a decade I have been living here and there is something I have noticed. When I first moved here the city was such a rich cultural hub. Over the years the art is somehow disappearing. It’s not easily available anymore. Where did all the art go?
In a land where art was a part of everyday life has now restricted it to the galleries and museums. Art is now available in a niche space away from the eyes of the world. Art galleries were conceived, in fact still are as something for a elite section of the society. This has further alienated it from the people. Also there is a certain mystery around painting as an art form as opposed to music or theatre where interpretation is less complex. This might be because of the lack of exposure to the masses, that creates an aura of mystery & ignorance around paintings.
Another reason might be because art has always been very objective in our society. Not just ours, through history people have tried to put art into various boxes, trying to define a right and wrong with it. Anyone who colored outside those lines was looked down upon, and shamed for their creativity. Even the greatest artist, Van Gogh wasn’t spared from the “rules” of art. He suffered his whole lifetime, only because he failed to follows the rules. This is what makes art so intimidating for a lot of people.
The point of art is to allow an individual to express themselves. Art isn’t supposed to right or wrong, it’s just a journey of your expression.
In spite of having a successful job, I always felt there was always something missing. An itch to fill this void, to take art out of the galleries. To bring it to the masses, make it accessible to everyone. For everyone to experience art first hand. What I felt as a kid about art, how it shaped me as person; I wanted everyone to be able to feel it. Art makes people sensitive, it encourages empathy, it connects the soul. Sometimes i feel is the inaccessibility art the reason the world has stopped caring?
Bombay Drawing Room was formed as an ointment to this itch. To try and bring art to everyone. For everyone to experience that warmth inside when a color spreads on the canvas expressing your emotions without you having to say a word.
We work towards breaking this prejudice. We aim at creating a platform for every individual to explore their creative side. A platform where everyone can come and create an artwork beyond the boundaries created by the world. A non-judgemental platform that allows you to learn and express yourself freely on a canvas.
Art is one of the strongest mediums of self expression. Through our module, we build a setting wherein a person is comfortable to express themselves and release their apprehensions. Talk to the canvas in the language of color and establish a communication that is nothing less than liberating.
Bombay Drawing Room is a community of artists that have grown beyond the conventional modules of art. Each one is a self-taught artist from different educational backgrounds including myself. The reason I mention this is because in spite of not receiving a formal fine art degree, each of us is so passionate about art that we now stand here bringing a change, no matter how tiny it is in the world around us.

Our community is creating a space for people to come together and paint, bond over colors and explore a side of themselves they are not familiar with. To make art less intimidating and more a medium of happiness.
