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Art aficionado provides artists platform to showcase work

Ritu Kakkar celebrates the beauty of art from the sub-continent and the Middle East and brings to enthusiasts an eclectic mix of artworks by artists based in the region.

Paintings on display at the Art and Soul in the City exhibit at Capital Club, Dubai International Financial Centre on Saturday. — KT photos by Leslie Pableo

Mysterious designs spread over canvas with colours that are a blend of both bold and subtle; art from the Indian sub-continent easily captures the awe and fascination of art lovers from across the globe.

Art aficionado and curator Ritu Kakkar, through her online portal Art Fiesta, celebrates the beauty of art from the sub-continent and the Middle East and brings to enthusiasts an eclectic mix of artworks by artists based in the region. For those fascinated by Indian or Pakistani motifs looking for the right kind of art work, Kakkar is your woman. The last one-day exhibition was hosted on Saturday, at the DIFC Capital Club. The exhibitions are titiled ‘Art and Soul in the City’. Artworks on display are carefully selected and sourced directly from artists and reflect the diversity of the region in terms of its different styles and art genres.

“Art Fiesta is a Dubai-based initiative celebrating the beauty of art from the Indian Sub-continent and the Middle East region. The Art Fiesta online portal, www.artfiesta.com, provides regional artists a platform to showcase their work. The exhibition is open to all art enthusiasts in the UAE,” said Kakkar.

She added: “I began this initiative seven and a half years ago. When I initially started out in Dubai 10 years ago, the art scene here was very nascent. Things have obviously changed now. It began with coffee-shop discussions with other art lovers, and one thing led to the other, after which the idea for Art Feista was born.” Kakkar said that she did not sell art for the ‘sake of it’.

“Each piece that I put up in the exhibitions are pieces that are very close to my heart. I don’t clutter my exhibitions and I put up only those pieces that give me immense satisfaction. Recently, I even had a show with 30 pieces,” said Kakkar. Her current exhibition houses pieces by artists from the Indian cities of Kolkota, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and some from Pakistan, as well. “I’ve taken works from famous Pakistani artists Mashkoor Raza and Shafique Farooqi. Like I said earlier, I need to really feel an overwhelming emotion when I see these paintings. That is the only reason that I put them up for sale,” she added.

Kakkar is personally a big fan of form and figures; however she says that as a maturing art aficionado, she is starting to enjoy abstract art. “I love forms and figures, but I understand that the more involved you are with art, the more you enjoy the abstract form,” she added.

In terms of curating, Kakkar said the artists contacted her to put up their works as part of the exhibition. However, recently, she had been looking to work with international artists, as well. “I recently got enquiries from Russian artists, who are interested in exhibiting works with Art Feista. We are looking to expand, as well,” said Kakkar.

(Kakkar can be contacted on contactus@artfiesta.com.)

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com