Tucked away in the heart of Gurgaon is the millennium city’s best kept secret — Art’est — an Art Abode – a gallery and Centre for Art, in celebration of aesthetics in life.
A unique art hub set up in 2015, it is the culmination of a lifelong dream by artist and educationist Nandini Ghosh and multidisciplinary visual artist Neeraj Mittra. The Centre has been envisioned as a platform for contemporary art, a forum for young curators and a place for artists to interact with connoisseurs and showcase their talent. A non-profit venture, the Centre’s various activities and programmes provide on the one hand, a physical and intellectual space for artists to grow together and a platform for like-minded people to engage in critical appreciation of Indian contemporary and modern art, on the other.
The gallery encourages and promotes the study and research of the creative arts such as painting, sculpture, graphics, video arts, printmaking etc. It also fosters and facilitates cultural exchanges within and outside the city through art exhibitions and workshops. In an effort to enliven the quality and potential of contemporary art, Mittra and Ghosh aim to nurture and promote young, deserving artists.
Bridging the gap between artist and audience, the gallery will play host to a series of talks and lectures accompanying the exhibitions. To sensitise audiences about the concept of art transcending its aesthetic nature and becoming a dynamic part of culture itself, the artists will be encouraged to actively interact with audiences through discussions and debates. Furthermore future programmes will also include, apart from exhibitions and workshops, residencies, talks, site-specific projects, and special weekend classes.
Above all, the gallery will connect people from all walks of life, for after all, the world is an infinitely more beautiful place when there is someone around to appreciate its worth.
About the Founders
Nandini Ghosh, a Montessorian with many years of experience in child development, is deeply connected to the world of art by virtue of being an alumnus in Fine Arts of the prestigious Delhi College of Art. As a respected and highly acclaimed educator, she has been instrumental in setting up a number of Montessori schools in India, including an international one in Gurgaon. Art’est – an Art Abode is housed in ‘Our Montessori House’ (OMH), located in Vipul World, off Sohna Road (click here for a map to the venue). Founded by Ghosh, OMH is a decade-old institution that stands on the faith and support of the parents who have entrusted it with nurturing their children. This melding together of a school and a space for art is driven by Ghosh’s belief that young minds and characters are best shaped when the creative energies are allowed unbridled freedom.
Neerajj Mittra is a multidisciplinary visual artist, educator, poet, columnist, singer and film maker who believes in spontaneity and living life to the fullest. Along with earning his bachelor’s and master’s degree in Fine Arts from the Delhi College of Art, he also took an art appreciation course at the National Museum. In his effort to understand and explore spontaneity in art, he uses various media like metals, ink, etc. to create breathtaking works. It is this versatility that gives him the freedom to maintain his creative vision by moving seamlessly between his projects.