ArtBuzz India: An app for art's sake

ArtBuzz is an app which tells you about the shows in town, upcoming shows, detailed catalogues and even directions

There was a time many years ago when I had a healthy interest in art and visits to galleries were frequent. It helped that I had friends who were studying fine art — they explained to me the history, style and the nuances, while I “subbed” their dissertations.

But since I started working, I seem to have lost touch with this high form; it doesn’t help that I can’t afford to be a collector on a journalist’s salary. Living in Delhi, it’s a shame I find no time to visit galleries. What if I had information about exhibitions at my fingertips? What if someone “handheld” me through a show? Wouldn’t I love to get back in touch?

That’s when someone mentioned ArtBuzz India. What’s that, I asked? Well, it’s an app which tells you about the shows in town, upcoming shows, detailed catalogues and even directions, I was told. Immediately, I downloaded the free app on my iPhone and Android phone, set up an account and soon I was browsing catalogues of upcoming shows.

I liked the clean interface of the app and the fact that one could call a gallery or send an email asking for more info about a particular event directly from the app. The app is divided into three sections: What’s On, which is basically about the shows, both current and upcoming; Spaces, which lists the galleries nearby and what they are hosting; and Near Me, which shows all nearby galleries on a map and provides directions via Google Maps.

Besides, when there are certain events on, the app hosts an events page, with all details, co-founders Amisha Chowbey and Anubha Gupta told me. While the app currently has information mostly about galleries in Delhi and Mumbai, the co-founders said they plan to add other cities soon. With this app, the co-founders said, they’re making art more accessible to the younger generation. Even if one’s interested in art, it’s difficult to keep track of exhibitions and other stuff. With this app, it becomes easier.

Its winter in Delhi and thus, there are a lot of exhibitions being held; while I haven’t been able to make time to visit any of them yet, I’m sure with this handy app on my phone, I’m sure to be at a gallery soon.