Treating art as commodity is a debate that has no real answers one way or another. Where does an object stop being art and enters the realm of design, is something that we have to increasingly grapple on a day to day basis. Having said that, it is imperative to also highlight that this debate itself stems from a Western view point, where art and design are two different entities.
This is not the case in the traditional Indian context, where kala or art and kalakriti, or the art creation was celebrated in all its manifestations, never mind the art-craft divide. One just has to look at pieces of everyday use in the traditional scenario, and the way they are crafted, embellished and beautified to understand the cultural mindset.
When objects are created around art, I feel it just takes art a step closer to the average rasika, who may not be able to own a painting or a sculpture of their favourite artist, but can still possess a mug or a plate with their painting. I feel that the touch of a three dimensional object makes it much nicer than holding a flat print of the same work.
Most Western galleries and museums play this psyche to the hilt, by creating an amazing array of memorabilia and merchandise like T-shirts, mugs, plates, key chains, pens, pencils, notebooks, hats, caps, scarves, bags, refrigerator magnets, paper weights, mouse pads, hair clips, ties, replicas in case of sculptures, posters, post cards, prints and picture frames of famous and popular works.
In India, this trend is catching on. Among the first to start the concept were the two government agencies: the Lalit Kala Akademi (LKA) and the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), with tastefully designed mugs and prints of modern masters and contemporary art works from their collection. While the NGMA manages with just functional counters, the LKA has set up a beautifully designed and organised shop, keeping in mind international standards of presentation and aesthetics.
Earlier, the LKA merchandise included a variety of mugs, folders with a collection of miniature prints from the Rajasthan School, the Pahari miniatures and Ragamala series. However, off late, works of contemporary and modern masters have also come to the fore.
The National Museum too has been running its shop with some desultory plaster and fibre glass casts, and often what you want or like is mostly unavailable. The shop seems really kitschy and almost ruins the look of the wonderful museum. It made a valiant attempt to get into action post the Nizams’ Jewellery exhibition, and started doing some tacky jewellery as well. It needs an urgent facelift.
And finally private galleries too are making attempts to source and set up counters with arty merchandise. Vadhera has an entire store dedicated to it in the fancy Emporio Mall. The store houses some really interesting articles. But what caught my fancy was this telephone, with its dialing end at least six feet away from the receiver! No marks for practicality! Religare in Delhi started out with a well demarcated space and some well produced, innovative pieces like a wind chime made of miniature ceramic pitchers, but petered out to stocking elegant kitsch.
Gallerie Sara Arrakal in Bengaluru has been running this exquisite shop from her gallery with beautiful mugs and plates by Yusuf Arrakal, Thota Vaikuntham, Acchutan Kudiliar, Bhaskaran, hand painted stoles and small sculptures. Sara Arrakal takes a lot of interest in creating and sourcing new objects in what is almost an art starved city.
Gallery Art Positive is the newest to join this group, with expanded space and a coffee shop. They have sourced some really exquisite pieces that are really art pieces, and are indeed one of a kind. Ceramic pottery from Auroville in Pondicherry with the refined and elegant marbling technique is exquisite. As are Siddharth’s hand painted fibreglass birds. They also stock my miniature canvases that I have turned into jewellery strung with semi-precious stones to great effect. Considering John Abraham flipped for them and danseuse Prathibha Prahlad wears them ever so often, I surely am delighted! Don’t I love this commodification of the arts!

Alka Raghuvanshi is an art writer, curator and artist