Online art platform hosts its first physical show

The group show organised by Art Grooves will include the works of 20 artists from across India

Online art forum Art Grooves is organising its first offline exhibition at Bombay Art Society in Mumbai. Twenty artists from different parts of the country and abroad will be showcasing their works in distinct styles and textures.

While the works are not bound by a theme, each artist is displaying works that depict his or own style best, says Poornima Dayal, a Mumbai-based artist and founder of Art Grooves. Since the platform was launched in early 2020, when the pandemic was raging, Art Grooves has been reaching out to a number of artists in India and abroad through its virtual art exhibitions, competitions, art meets and e-art catalogues.

“The galleries had shut down, there were no spaces for emerging artists to show their works. The idea behind Art Grooves was to create a space for artists to showcase their works and engage in meaningful discussions with other artists,” says Poornima.

It held its first online exhibition in February 2021, which featured 22 artists from across India. Later in March, it released an e-catalogue featuring the works of 12 women artists.

“Online art shows have helped many an artist tide over these uncertain times. We had great participation and support from artists. The regular art meets helped us start conversations about our own works and the works of others, which helped motivate us to keep working,” adds Poornima.

“A physical exhibition was always a dream; it is indeed an experience to view an exhibition in a gallery and imbibe the energy of the space,” Poornima says.

The group show would feature artist Suneil Baukhandi’s work on the Ajanta and Ellora caves on paper, Ambika Kapoor Vij’s portraits, Anjum Shah’s works in mixed media and Vedha Sreeram, whose colourful mandalas depict her own unique style. A few works from Poornima Dayal’s award-winning paintings of cityscapes will be on display.