Missed on ground, the annual art fest sets up a virtual market place
Kala Ghoda Art Kart is a curated marketplace for handpicked crafts
The pandemic has dampened the iconic Kala Ghoda Art Festival (KGAF) for the past few years. The nine-day-long festival didn’t just turn the neighbourhood into a cultural hotspot, but also gave local artists an avenue to reach the right audience. Unable to host the festival for two years, the KGAF team launched the marketplace online with Kala Ghoda Art Kart in December 2021. We went shopping and here’s what we found.
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To start, it does justice to the KGAF legacy; it is a curated marketplace for handpicked brands, artisans, artists, craftsmen and small-scale enterprises. The downside is that the options are limited. Brands such as Agapi from Deorali, Gangtok, offer sustainable skincare products; Asama from Guwahati has home décor accessories made from natural fibre; Project Purkul from Dehradun is a collective that makes cloth-based handicrafts; and Tupa from Haryana brings jewellery. You’ll also find Disguise cosmetics—a PETA approved cosmetics brand—Armature candles from Varanasi, Gulmohar’s handcrafted soaps from Raigad, and a textile jewellery brand called Studio Naach, Kuppikali’s pipe lamps. Shaleen Shah’s abstract art and Floursha hand-painted serveware are worth checking out. As for the pricing, they are affordable and each brand has a good range to pick from.
A basket made using water hyacinth by Asama and (right) handpainted hummingbird wooden coasters by Floursha
All brands have their own fair space on the curators’ page, making it feel like an independent website. However, if someone misses that section (click on All Stores below the masthead), the homepage has 41 pages of a mishmash of all brands, with products listed under one dropdown. Each product is accompanied by few lines of information about its history, technique or brand, making the experience informational.
If we had to nitpick, the website design looks dated and the tab that bifurcates each product basis their categories does not work. It just takes you back to the earlier mishmash on the home page. It’s worth the mention that lesser known brands from the northeast like Agapi and Asama are now visible on a national level. However, their Instagram page does most of the heavy lifting by featuring unique creations. So if you follow them and like something, you can find it on this website using the creator tab. It’s tricky navigation, but once you get the hang of it, you can find some exclusive products.
WHAT: Kala Ghoda Art Kart
WHERE: kalaghodaartkart.com
PRICE: Rs 150 onwards
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