What makes an art gallery inviting?

There was a time when even if you were a declared art lover, going to an art gallery or a museum meant a compulsory upping of your self-importance. You had to be a bit la-di-da and toffee-nosed, you see. Art galleries too prided themselves on being uppity and elite, never mind if some of them did nothing extraordinary except hang framed paintings on pristine walls.

But all that’s changing and fast. The pandemic came as a huge wake-up call for galleries worldwide, especially private ones, many of which were left with only two choices — shut shop or reinvent. 

And reinvent they did. Private galleries gingerly stepped into the online world and many public museums soon followed suit. Several shook off their cloak of exclusivity and welcomed community-based art. Today, the physical landscape of the art gallery is about openness, contemplation and activism. Artists and designers are thinking hard about how the design of galleries, the way exhibitions are structured, and the very architecture of the building art is housed in can spark the kind of change that feels more important than ever in a world cleaved by strife and inequality.

This is as true of galleries in Indian metros as it is for art spaces in London or Vienna. While our government art museums are still extracting themselves from the spider-webbed time warp they have fallen into, private galleries in India are now ‘on the ball’. With technology playing what was first a sneaky but now a bolder role in the creation and curation of art, there are challenging shifts not only in the nature of art but also in the behaviour of the people who see, love and buy it. Add to this mix the looming presence of social media, especially Instagram, where everything has to look fancy, and you begin to understand why multimedia installations and performances are becoming par for the course and galleries are transforming into a sort of multi-utility Instagram-worthy spaces. 

Vineet Kajrolkar, manager-exhibitions at Museum of Art and Photography (MAP), Bengaluru, says the museum building resembles a giant industrial water tank for a reason. The external facade is built with steel embossed with a cross pattern to “bring out the metaphorical connection with the idea of storing something precious — in this case, art”. The interiors have been envisioned as a “hybrid institution that seamlessly blends physical and digital dimensions”. Adds Meghana Kuppa, research curator at MAP, “The goal was to steer away from the traditional perception of a museum as intimidating. Ours is a vibrant place of ideas, storytelling and dialogue. The visitors should be able to associate art with fun.” For instance, in Zobop, a floor installation by Jim Lambie inspired by Bebop jazz, the museum created an interactive space where visitors could listen to a public-sourced Spotify playlist. The open space allowed for dancing, singing, and taking selfies and also hosted performances. 

MAP’s team has no qualms in employing technology to help people learn more about art. “The landscape is designed for freedom in navigating the museum. For instance, our digital experience centre allows visitors to engage with an AI persona of M F Husain while the Sasken Multimedia Gallery is touch-enabled for all ages,” Meghana explains. 

Pippa Nissen, director of the renowned UK-based Nissen Richards Studio, which often designs exhibitions at DAG (Delhi Art Gallery), says colours set the tone for a show. She gives the example of an ongoing exhibition, ‘Destination India’, where “we are picking up on the heightened colours within the works created by visitors to India — the blues of the ocean or the earthy colours of the architecture — and celebrating them in careful gradients through the space”. Pippa also stresses the importance of clutter-free spaces in today’s art galleries. “There is nothing worse than trying to see works, whilst also navigating through tight corners or having to be overly careful of objects on display,” she adds. Ashish Anand, CEO and MD, DAG, says the primary idea of the gallery design was for it to be welcoming and full of light. “The design philosophy works on creating warmth — achieved by the off-setting of the wooden flooring with the white surfaces. This also helps align the focus on the artwork — the hero of the space.”

The 70,000 sq ft Emami Art Gallery in Kolkata believes it is minimalism that will bring in visitors of all shapes and sizes. Designed by Pinakin Patel, the gallery is all clean lines and geometric forms. “We didn’t want the gallery to be imposing so emphasis was placed on natural light and modular areas — adaptability over grandeur,” says Richa Agarwal, CEO of the gallery. It also extensively uses social media to promote shows, and hence, exhibitions are often designed keeping the smartphone screen in mind. “We also make sure installations are social media-friendly. It is all about blending traditional art display with the needs of modern digital sharing,” she adds.

However, a few artists believe focusing on the design of art galleries will take you only so far. Senior artist S G Vasudev says what is more crucial is to bring art to people, rather than the other way round. It is with this intention he began his cultural initiative ‘Art Park’, which held its 75th event a few months back in Bengaluru. “I feel many still get unnerved by art galleries and so we thought an open studio in a public park where people can interact with artists and see their work will help dispel such feelings,” he adds.  Vasudev says employing technology and making galleries less stuffy “is all well and good but there is also a need to foster a critical understanding of traditional visual art”. 

Art curator Nalini Malaviya too has a word of caution. She admits that in today’s age of attention deficit, galleries have their work cut out. She elaborates: “Interactive and immersive multi-sensory exhibits and Instagram-friendly art spaces are all handy to make art accessible but the danger is when inventive technology begins to overshadow art itself. The real challenge for galleries today is to find a balance between art and technology so that authenticity is not lost in the process.”