Art gets an address

Q&A: Anupam Poddar, Founder, Devi Art Foundation

He's widely rumoured to be the most prolific collector of artworks in India. And now Anupam Poddar has thrown it open to the public at his Devi Art Foundation.

What is the scope of the foundation?
The foundation aims at becoming a platform that enables contemporary artists from India to present their works in an environment that does not emphasise commercial success or viability and instead focuses on experimentation and pushes the boundaries of their practice. It will also, at the same time, allow the general public to interact with such a practice, which is not very accessible to people other than gallery regulars. Also, the exhibitions are curated out of a collection that has acquired works in varied media and different artistic practices from the subcontinent.

Besides exhibitions, what are the events planned?
An education and outreach programme will accompany every exhibition wherein we will invite schools from Delhi and Gurgaon to bring in their students, see the works and get the children to talk about what they see and interpret, their ideas about the works, their preferences, et cetera.

Apart from that, we hope to organise talks by leading speakers on various subject which should bring together the art community for much discourse and debate. As the foundation grows, we hope to put in place many more initiatives.

Will the accent be on the contemporary artists and experimental, avant garde practices or will the moderns be in focus?
The accent will be mainly on the contemporary and experimental rather than modernist works.

Is the foundation a gallery, or will there be a permanent exhibition of works from the collection like, say, in a private museum?
The foundation will be an exhibition space in the sense that it will host at least three exhibitions every year, without permanent exhibits. However, curators will also choose works from the private Lekha and Anupam Poddar collection.

What is the long term plan?
The long term plans include a continual engagement with cutting edge and experimental works from the Indian subcontinent. We hope to present a meaningful and exciting set of exhibitions. The outreach programme should strengthen as the foundation grows and develops a dedicated audience. We are also working on a residency programme for artists.