Fire destroys rare artworks

MUMBAI: One of the flats engulfed by the Colaba fire on Thursday contained hundreds of artworks of the Clark House initiative — including prints by the renowned

MUMBAI: One of the flats engulfed by the Colaba fire on Thursday contained hundreds of artworks of the Clark House initiative — including prints by the renowned 19th-century artist Raja Ravi Varma.

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“We’ve lost a lot of Clark House’s art collection, including works by artists who have shown at our space in the four years since it opened,” said Sachin Bonde, an artist associated with CHI.

While paintings by Varma are highly prized and hard to find, the works lost in the f i re were prints — which are easier to come by but still precious.

Along with these, works by young and up-and-coming artists like Bonde have gone up in flames.

“We have lost a valuable collection,” added Clark House manager Sanjay Londe.

“As they haven’t let me inside the building, the actual loss is yet to be estimated.”

Clark House Initiative was started by curators Sumesh Sharma and Zasha Colah to provide exhibition space to young artists and display experimental works.

It has also invited artists from Tunisia, Greece and Istanbul to present photographs, charcoal works, installations, art performance sand text-based works on varied contemporary subjects including migration, borders and feminism.