Today, industrialists need to come forward to conserve art, culture & literature

She is married into one of the most prominent business families in Kolkata that owns one of the largest diversified conglomerates with interests ranging from FMCG to healthcare, hospital, realty and what not? But her concerns for young Indian artists and the desire to do something on her own and something creative drove her to run Emami Art and Kolkata Centre for Creativity. Motivated by her effervescent father-in-law RS Agarwal and his business partner, RS Goenka's passion for art,

Richa Agarwal, a commerce graduate from Coimbatore, is now burning midnight oil to preserve the artistic legacy and heritage of Bengal, whilst embracing its modern and contemporary avatar. Speaking to Bizz Buzz exclusively, Richa Agarwal, chairperson, Kolkata Centre for Creativity and CEO, Emami Art, shares her story of how she was initiated into the business of arts smoothly and her aspirations to propel Kolkata as a hub of contemporary art

What was the prime idea behind Emami Art and Kolkata Centre for Creativity?

I was never interested in trading of art. It was never like that I will have to buy this, then I will have to sell this. It was not just my cup of tea. I was always interested in promoting art, artists, promoting art education and simultaneously I was keen on understanding and educating myself about various nuances of art. Some 10-11 years ago, I had first started a gallery and had got the hang of it. For us, art was a much bigger idea than just buying and selling. So we started discussing it amongst ourselves (me and my family) and eventually we came up with the idea of Kolkata Centre for Creativity (KCC). KCC was conceived to be and has been a not-for-profit organisation. But in the long-run, you need funds and investments to run an organisation like with such a large vision on a sustained basis. The whole idea of creating Emami Art was to support KCC. These are two different entities with two completely different teams, different systems. The organisation, as a whole, is focused on a future-forward, complex, multi-dimensional approach and steadfast in the advocacy of emerging, mid-career and established artists as well as an engagement with contemporary and historical material.

Normally, corporate patronisation in art and culture comes by way of buying and collection of paintings, sponsoring cultural extravaganza. How have Emami's initiatives been different?

As I mentioned earlier, me or my family was never interested in buying or selling of art. We never thought of getting into art trading. We always wanted Emami Art, one of the most significant art institutions in the eastern part of India, to be a key space for cultural production in the region. The gallery aims to create dynamic, wide-ranging registers of exhibition-making and viewing. Deeply committed to promoting a regional, national and international agenda through innovative and alternative programming, emphasis on community and socially relevant engagements, institutional partnerships and more via a multi-year vision for the future, Emami Art is resolute to be a catalyst of change, research, innovation and inclusivity. Therefore, we are different from the rest in more ways than one. We have also been different in the sense that we never looked at 'my profit' or 'our profit'. We always looked at it as an institution. We have allowed the institution to evolve and shape up.

How challenging is it to run this 'business of art' (if I may say so?), being a student of commerce and hailing from a business family? How do you strike a balance between art and commerce?

Yes I was a student of commerce and studied commerce. I also hail from a business family and got married into a business family. My family which hails from southern parts of India, was always enthusiastic and passionate about traditional art forms and so was my in-laws family that hails from Bikaner, Rajasthan. When I got married there were assimilations of thoughts, ideas, beliefs and culture. My father-in-law, Agarwal ji, always used to say that in earlier times, the Rajas and Maharajas had been the great patrons of art, culture and literature. In the present day context, businessmen and industrialists will have to come forward and take up that role by all means. So, although I studied commerce, art is not something that was new to me- neither at my parental home, nor at my in-law's place. In fact, my two families aptly inculcated the true spirit of 'business of art' into me. Having said these, I must also add that I always wanted to do something on my own, not just my husband's routine work. I always wanted to do something creative.

In terms of your priorities, who would you like to promote more - modern, contemporary artists? Young, upcoming artists or famed ones? Do you promote artists of any particular genre?

Our prime focus has all along been on young, contemporary artists and also on providing them international platforms. Our priorities have also been on bringing in artists from different parts of India and abroad and pave the way for a seamless assimilation and exchange of thoughts and ideas.

For instance, Emami Art will be participating as an Institutional Partner of Hub India at Artissima International Fair of Contemporary Art at Torino, Italy, curated by Myna Mukherjee and Davide Quadrio, from November 5 to November 7. At Artissima 2021, Emami Art will exhibit eminent artists like Bose Krishnamachari, G Ravinder Reddy, Jogen Chowdhury, Prasanta Sahu, and talented emerging artists like Arpita Akhanda, Bholanath Rudra, Gopa Trivedi, and Maksud Ali Mondal. The gallery works in close association with these artists. The artists have created a wide range of works with diverse materials and mediums, ranging from paintings and sculptures to installation and AI Art, which are part of exhibitions at the fair, plus two important museums in Torino, Italy, Oval Lingotto Fiere and Palazzo Madama.

How are you embracing new forms of art like AI-driven arts and all?

Emami Art recently opened its door to India's first solo exhibition of AI Art featuring works by pioneering artist Harshit Agrawal and curated by Myna Mukherjee. The project has been manifested by Engendered, a transnational arts and human rights organization and is in collaboration with 64/1. Harshit Agrawal is a pioneer in the developing genre of AI Art. He has worked with AI art since its inception in 2015. His work has been nominated twice for the top tech art prize, the 'Lumen', and he was the only Indian artist at the first global group exhibition of AI Art at a contemporary gallery in 2018. Emami Art, through its programming, is challenging art viewership. By constantly evolving with cutting edge technologies, we are positioned at the forefront of the changing face of contemporary art in India. By doing an exhibition on Artificial Intelligence, we are also tapping into the future. As the world changes and adapts to new frontiers, it becomes imperative to embrace change. The works by Harshit Agrawal are not only edgy futuristic, but are also philosophical and make us rethink our humanity.

What are your plans to take Emami Art and Kolkata Centre for Creativity to the next level, going forward?

Think of Karu, an exhibition of contemporary tribal and folk art and miniature paintings of India. Done by the widely recognized artists, the large body of diverse indigenous art from different parts of the country showed the ingenuity of the pre-modern art forms and imaginations, giving us a sense of reassurance in our troubled present. Working within the framework of tradition, the artists are faithful to the heritage, but do not imitate the past blindly. In the exhibition, what attracted us were their inventiveness and self-developed ingenuity, which, unlike modern art, are defused and do not dissociate them from the shared traditions. Karu is an astonishment. It is a space for enjoyment, enchantment, and ethical and emotional investment in promoting India's unique indigenous visual arts.

So on one hand, we will be promoting such folk art, painting, culture and on the other we will be embracing the thing of the future- AI-driven art and so on. Our focus will also be on conservation and restoration of art works of various forms. Then we will also offer market linkages to artists, artisans, craftsmen. There will be multiple activities and KCC will eventually emerge as a family destination.