Millennium City is new art hub in NCT

Art has a habit of switching addresses wherever it finds patrons. Till a few years back, Delhi/NCR’s art destination were the gypsy bylanes of Hauz Khas, teeming with art galleries among other markers of a slow but sturdy cultural awakening. 

Soon, the spotlight shifted to India’s own art mile Lado Sarai, to where many gallery owners migrated in search of a more affordable space that would also serve as hip and 

inspiring. 

And now, artists, gallerists and connoisseurs seem to have moved the graph further south to millennium city Gurgaon.

 

Galleries are coming up in the tech city dime a dozen; major art exhibitions and 

fairs are being held here and not just Delhi anymore; and most significantly, Gurgaon residents are driving this growth with their unabashed love for art - not just the old mediums of sketches and paintings but the more experimental art installations and mixed media too.

Till a few years back, art aficionados in Gurgaon would head to Gallerie Alternatives in DT Mega Mall – the oldest gallery around – when looking for art. 

Now they have a multitude of choices not just in newer galleries like Art Alive, Art Pilgrim, Gallery 1 etc, but a string of hotels and showroomAs which are also hosting path breaking art shows.

Manu Dosaj, owner, Gallerie Alternatives, credits the phenomenon to “a growing tribe of young, affluent and aware residents in Gurgaon.” 

“It is incredible how the art scenario here has evolved over the years,” she exclaims,

“With the influx of top multinational companies and their honchos to Gurgaon, we are seeing a remarkable rise in interest in art. 

This particular class is educated, has travelled the world over and visited museums and exhibitions at the best places around. We are surprised to see that they browse the internet, study the prices of different genres of artwork and then come to negotiate with us.”

Sunaina Anand of Art Alive Gallery had a facility in Panchsheel Park in south Delhi already but decided on getting another one in Gurgoan three years back “on huge public demand.” 

“People would come down to our exhibitions in Panchsheel Park from Gurgaon and tell us ‘We wish you had a gallery in Gurgaon as well,’” she informs. 

“More so, we have found this venture to be very successful with increasing viewership and footfall. Our visitors don’t just come to purchase pieces of art but understand them. 

We are holding art appreciation workshops on a regular basis to encourage this trend. 

Also, as opposed to the traditional mediums of art like paintings, in Gurgaon, sculptures, installations and mixed media works are also garnering attention.”

Thanks to Gurgaon’s fascination for art, ‘seasonal art bazaars’ are also coming up at a steady pace. Gurgaon’s cultural hub Epicentre started the trend with the much-loved Art Mart and now similar shows like Motley Bazaar are pulling crowds. 

Artist Sabrina Gill, a co-founder of Motley Bazaar says, “The formal gallery-viewing style of art appreciation is slowly giving way to art walks. Here, the curator stays in the background and the artists take centre stage. Buyers directly interact with the artists, learning about the piece and giving instant feedback. It’s a very appreciable trend.”

 

Notably, many renowned artists have also moved base from Delhi to Gurgaon in the past few years and are setting up a new network of artists there. 

The list includes well-recognised names like Subodh Gupta, Krishen Khanna and Goldy Malhotra of The Art Gallery, Sushant Lok. Goldy explains, “Gurgaon inspires art. 

Its green environs, fellow artists, people who truly appreciate art – all are very conducive to creative work. I am hopeful that it shall mature further and Gurgaon will 

become the thriving art hub In Delhi/NCR.”