Visual Cultures of Kitsch in India: Art, Aesthetics and Design

Life is been really abundant for a man who came to Ahmedabad with nothing to someone who founded the Archer Art Gallery in 1978. Anil Relia is a man who wears a lot of hats but the common thing that keeps the hats connected is ART. Born in Surat – Gujarat, he graduated from the illustrious M.S. University of Baroda in Fine Arts Major [Applied Arts, Serigraphy and Photography] in 1978. Anil Relia began his career with being a graphics artist in an advertising firm in the city of Ahmedabad. He worked on the serigraph series of M. F. Husain and along with the use of technology, he could also come out with the largest serigraph ever done in India – Husain’s Mother Teresa, which was launched at Paris in the year 2004. He also works as Honorary Director at the art gallery known as Amdavad ni Gufa, which was designed by artist Husain and architect B. V. Doshi and serves as Trustee of the Kala Ravi Trust, founded by Kalaguru Ravishankar Raval.

Atul Dodiya lives and works in Mumbai, India. He is widely considered as one of India’s most significant artists, and was trained in Mumbai, at Sir JJ School of Art, 1982 and École des Beaux-Arts, Paris, 1991-1992. Trained in both Mumbai and Paris, Atul became known in the Nineties for hyperrealist paintings depicting middle-class Indian life and for his water colour series on Mahatma Gandhi. His paintings are populated by diverse traditions, the written words, images from the media and of saints, legends, national history, political events, traumata and autobiographical narratives. His allegorical paintings on canvas or metal roller shutters and water colours may be aggressive or poetic. He has had more than 30 solo shows in India and abroad, which include, several private and public collections showcased at the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, Mumbai, Tate Modern, London and Japan Foundation Asia Centre, Tokyo.

Sangita Sinh Kathiwada qualified as a graphic designer and further studied jewellery designing, interior decoration, photography, and silkscreen printing. A combination of inherent talent and design education led to the creation of Mélange, the premier fashion house of India which opened its door to Mumbai city in 1992. Mélange reflects Sangita's impeccable sense of style and aesthetic. With a commitment to incorporating the latest design with ancient Indian handicrafts, she went on to establish The Morarka Cultural Centre at the prestigious National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA). Sangita Sinh Kathiwada drew the attention of the city to its magnificent heritage architecture by painstakingly arranging path breaking Fashion presentations at the Royal Opera House, Faramji Kavasji Hall and the Mumbai University Convocation Hall. She also committed herself to the cause of redefining the role and reach of our national fabric Khadi and other Indian textiles. To innovate new threads from our tradition, while building professional platforms from which the artisan, artist and entrepreneur can create together is of great importance to her. Sangita worked with Ketan Mehta as a creative director for his film Rang Rasiya based on the life of Raja Ravi Verma.

Krsnaa Mehta known world over for his quintessential taste in textiles and art is focused on nurturing relationships – spatial, material and personal – through his distinctive home décor designs, resulting in spaces and combinations that are bold, balanced and dynamic. Growing up in the hustle and bustle of the city life and in the midst of all the symbols, vibrancy, heritage and pride in Bombay, he started from a young age working with textiles in his family business ‘Zeba’, absorbing the inspirations that would later inform his striking designs. Krsnaa Mehta has been associated with various brands like Godrej, Good Earth, The Elephant Company, Bombay Store, Celio and several other renowned lifestyle brands in India and all over. He has also featured in Vogue, Elle Décor, Inside Out, Architectural Digest and several other international lifestyle magazines and has an impeccable name for his designs in the industry. For Krsnaa Mehta, his design philosophy translates in “Taking Indian Contemporary to the World”

Ketan Mehta is a critically acclaimed Indian film director, who has directed several documentaries and television serials since 1975. During his career he has made many important feature films. His movies have been selected for various international film festivals such as Nantes (France) and the Moscow Film Festival, where they have won numerous awards over the years. Ketan is credited to have India's largest film animation studio. Rang Rasiya, the Indian drama film based on the life of the 19th-century Indian painter Raja Ravi Varma, is among his most recent films.