For art's sake

Mandi House, Delhi's cultural heart, thanks to a slow renaissance, is being replaced by Delhi's prime "social" real estate, Steinabad "" named for the architectural genius of Joseph Stein "" that includes the venerable India International Centre and India Habitat Centre. And now an enviable addition to this prestigious neighbourhood is Alliance Francaise.

The organisation that has spearheaded cultural exchanges between India and France for decades is now moving (from South Extension) into its own new building in Delhi. As the organisation grows (it has 15 centres), it's also preparing to open offices in Jaipur, Noida and Gurgaon.

But at 72, Lodhi Estate, still under completion (it will become functional in June), the cultural organisation has scored a first with the artist community in India. Ninety-four artists have donated 96 works of art gratis, sans favour, to contribute to a percentage of the Rs 7.5 crore building.

Their contribution, which is expected to pull in between Rs 50-60 lakh, has gone towards the creation of a gallery, one of the city's largest, and finest, that is part of the new Alliance Francaise complex.

The show was a huge sell-out, thanks partly to the context, and partly due to the effort of Paris-based curator Ravi Kumar. Sharing space in the exhibition were senior artists, the relatively new ones or even unknown.

They had come with their works on the basis of an appeal by French ambassador Dominique Girard, largely because Alliance Francaise and the French Embassy have been instrumental in sending a large body of artists to Paris on scholarships to gain exposure in what is surely the world capital of art. "It is a gesture that," says Ravi Kumar, "will benefit a future generation of artists."

Kumar, in turn, is hoping that his effort at curating the show will result in a reverse showing in Paris where he will curate a show of a dozen or so Indian artists and sculptors.

"We're in a transition stage," he says of Indian art, "and in years to come, young contemporary artists here will compete with their international counterparts."

Kumar began work on the Delhi show in August last year. Among those whose work he first became exposed to were the couple Subrata and Nupur Kundu, "who are world class artists", he assures. Subrata volunteered his work because "it's for the good of the gallery and for the next generation in India".

Artists often end up donating as many as a dozen works every year for charity, but works are rarely given free.

Clearly, in the case of the Alliance Francaise, an exception was made, but then the Alliance ends up showing the works of Indian artists more than French artists at its Indian centres.

And the goodwill also makes sound sense: "The gallery is not meant to generate funds," says Kumar, "and so can be hired for literally the cost of the electricity and air-conditioning."

Though a committee will approve artists/exhibitions, clearly, the neighbouring Visual Arts Gallery at India Habitat Centre is in for some competition.