A look back at Delhi’s artist colonies

The focus of the discussion was on artist localities in Garhi village, the Bharati Artists Colony in Preet Vihar, and the Kaladham locality in Greater Noida

New Delhi

Diving into the history of art in Delhi, artists Amba Sanyal, Mridula Vichitra, Rakesh Zharotia and Shabir Santosh discussed Delhi’s artist localities at Lalit Kala Akademi’s artists studios in Garhi on Sunday. (HT)

Garhi village, Preet Vihar and Kaladham in Greater Noida. At first glance, these places may not have much in common, albeit for studios, but these were the first artist colonies of Delhi and were the focus of discussion at the DAG’s “Artists in Residence” discussion, held as part of its “The City as a Museum”.

Diving into the history of art in Delhi, artists Amba Sanyal, Mridula Vichitra, Rakesh Zharotia and Shabir Santosh discussed Delhi’s artist localities at Lalit Kala Akademi’s artists studios in Garhi on Sunday.

Theatre artist and costume designer Amba Sanyal, recalling the stories told to her by her father Bhabesh Chandra Sanyal, a prominent modernist painter and sculptor, said her father and other artists came to Delhi after independence. “This influx of artists is the reason Shilpi Chakra was formed, which was the first articulation that there is a collection of artists in Delhi. When they used to hold exhibitions, they used to lend out art pieces so that the public would have an opportunity to display art in their households,” she said.

She also recalled the transformation of Nizammudin, Jangpura, and Lajpat Nagar into hubs for artists, and the beginning of gallery culture in Delhi, from the Dhoomimal Art Gallery.

The focus of the discussion was on artist localities in Garhi village, the Bharati Artists Colony in Preet Vihar, and the Kaladham locality in Greater Noida. “I remember Garhi being a hub of activity in the 80s. It had well-furnished and well-equipped studios for artists,who could easily walk in and use them,” said painter Mridula Vichitra, whose parents Kanwal and Devayani Krishna live in Bharati Colony. “These colonies were a beautiful community of like-minded people. It was the first time a conglomeration of artists was made, and even international artists were invited.”

Painter-photographer Shabir Santosh said Garhi Jharia Maria village allowed younger, newer artists to receive guidance from older artists, who would “come and sell art here. This allowed the younger artists to meet and talk to them,” he said. “In Jangpura as well, there was a lot of interaction between artists, the colony was like a big family community. Whenever any artist had a solo show, a hundred other artists showed up.”

Artist Rakesh Zharotia, recalling his father Jai Zharotia’s life, said, “Art is not in isolation, it’s a dialogue. His own work underwent a complete shift when he came to Kaladham. Every surrounding brings its own influence, and so did these colonies.”