Throwing light on art

Lighting solutions in art galleries get bigger and better.

Lighting designer Amit Gupta of Vis-à-vis turns around his laptop and shows us a graphical representation by Dialux lighting software of an art gallery room "" a dark room with the wall lit by two sharp square spots.

"It's contour lighting," explains Gupta "" lighting where only the artworks are lit and not an inch of light spills on to the walls, giving the viewer undisputed focus on the artwork. "I used this lighting for Bodhi Art Gallery's private art viewing room in Mumbai," he says.

Lighting, often considered the fourth dimension of architecture, is becoming an asset, especially in art display space. After all, bad lighting can ruin the effects of the best exhibits in even the best galleries.

"Good work needs to be shown in a good way," says gallerist Rohit Gandhi of Palette Art Gallery.

With the art scenario still going strong in India, expanding its list of connoisseurs, buyers, investors and galleries, it is not just gallerists but also private art collectors who have started focussing on the nuances of light on art "" not just to highlight works but also prevent damage due to constant light exposure.

Obviously gallerists are realising the importance of using the right light in highlighting important works of art. Renu Modi of Gallery Espace, a Delhi-based art gallery, for instance, had recently hired five lighting agencies to redo the lighting of her gallery especially imported from Europe.

Then there are galleries like Bodhi and Chemould in Mumbai and Palette Art Gallery in New Delhi that have used lights incorporating the same technique and equipment that illuminates the Lourve Glass Pyramid in Paris and the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

Just what role should light play in an art gallery?

For starters, lighting needs to make the entire art space along with art works interesting. Gupta feels that galleries can even do without ambience or scenic lighting but need to focus on accent lighting.

Also, good lighting should be able to orient visitors by playing with the light "" maybe a soft uniform lighting for the casual visitor, and accentuated lighting that would easily draw a serious art patron.

Lighting should be flexible, allowing experimentation with the effects of the artworks, accommodating their size and mediums "" be it sculpture, miniatures, oils, watercolours or even installations.

For his last show at Bodhi Art Gallery in Mumbai, Atul Dodiya used recessed wall-washer lights on some of the paintings. These gently lit the paintings and the walls uniformly, forming no ugly scallops or dark patches.

For some other paintings, Dodiya chose additional spotlights with wall-washers. Spotlights with lenses can elongate a beam horizontally or vertically, depending on the artworks.

Spots also have a unique "potentiometer" allowing individual dimming even if placed on the same track. "In both cases," says Gupta, "it is important to note that the angle of incidence has been calculated correctly, up to a 50 degree cut off angle to avoid disturbing reflections on glass or shiny surfaces for audience comfort."

Riyas Komu plans to replicate the effects of square contour lighting on his large oil canvases for his upcoming show at Palette Art Gallery. "We want the paintings to stand out," says Gandhi.

Artists like Komu are experimenting with the effects of variable art lighting. "Such lighting works well," says Komu, who visualises a row of his wooden wall sculptures lit with a stark horizontal beam spotlight, or even elliptical contour lighting. One could also opt for barndoors "" fixtures with flaps that can be adjusted to cut out the extra spill of light accordingly.

Directed lights enhance the three-dimensional quality and surface structure of sculptures. Gupta suggests using "spotlights or recessed directional spotlights", something what Komu plans for his installations "" direct spotlights with sculpture lenses that would keep certain areas in the dark for effect.

Tungsten halogen lamps have colour rendering properties and work best to enhance the colours of artworks. Interestingly, all lighting fixtures should ideally have UV filters that limit damage to artworks.

Artists are now asking Gupta to light their individual shows and he is planning to cater to their demand by starting "Rent an art of lighting art" "" providing design services and renting lighting tools for ad-hoc shows. Lighting artworks does not come cheap what with individual spotlights ranging between Rs 9,000-1.5 lakh, wall washers from Rs 6,000-40,000 and sculpture lenses and barndoors costing Rs 2,000 and upwards.

"It is a one-time investment and can cost anywhere between Rs 4-20 lakh depending on space and the requirements of an art gallery," says Gupta. Bigger art galleries such as the National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi could cost Rs 35 lakh to light.

Clearly, light is becoming a matter of serious art.