PORTRAIT OF A STREET ARTIST

and life as a piece of art

Kala Ghoda Art District is a vibrant hub of art activity in Bombay with museum and gallery spaces forming an anchor for art and culture in the precinct. Art lovers, collectors and critics as well as art & design students throng the domed museum galleries and chic art spaces, immersing themselves into these imaginative worlds of history and beauty, shapes and forms, colours and textures, materials and patterns.

My study of the Kala Ghoda Art District

However, nestled quietly on the wide pavement outside the oldest and largest art space in the district, Jehangir Art Gallery and the magnificent museum of art and history, CSMVS (erstwhile Prince of Wales Museum), is an art gallery of another kind. Aptly named Art Plaza, this open air gallery sheltered by blue skies and a canopy of sprawling evergreen trees, provides a space for a number of artists to display varied art styles ranging from live portraits and verdant landscapes to miniature and abstract paintings.

The street gallery that extends outside the Jehangir Art Gallery. Pics: Author

Artist Saudagar Abdul Gani occupies a tiny sliver on Art Plaza, close to the entrance foyer of Jehangir Art Gallery. Neither the travails of weather, dust and street noise nor his ageing eyes and amputated toes ever dissuade Saudagar from coming back to his street gallery, day after day, to exhibit his work. Simple watercolour paintings in various sizes of art paper stand proudly in his makeshift display, set against the boundary wall of the museum premises. Painted postcards and bookmarks are spread on a ledge, with a small chair for the artist to place himself.

Often, Saudagar walks down to Apollo Bunder, a waterfront at the edge of the precinct, looking for inspiration. Every day, the sun puts up a tantalising display of light and colour, painting the horizon and its reflection in the water in a riot of colours. Fishing boats and private yachts bob joyfully in the foreground as he captures these moments on paper with his paintbrush and a palette of deep blues, cool aquamarines, blazing yellows and oranges, and fiery reds.

Artist Saudagar Abdul Gani at his gallery. Images: Author

The artwork finds its way into his street-side studio outside the sprawling Jehangir Art Gallery, trying to catch the eye of passersby. Ask Saudagar about his art and his faded eyes light up, his face crinkling into a smile as he signs every piece with great pride.

Every time I visit, I wonder if I will still find him sitting in his little corner, his trademark peaky cap jauntily perched on his gray head. And rightly enough, he shows up every time, fighting poor health and life’s battles with the strength and joy that can only come from creating art.

I stare at these two art worlds separated by walls in brick and mortar - one that is spacious, fancy, and elite, and the other, narrow, plain and common, and I wonder - What really determines the place of an artist in the world of art? What makes art truly worthy of appreciation and acclaim? Will artists like Saudagar ever get their due?

Artist Saudagar Abdul Gani immersed in his work. Image: Author

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