CEO Insights India

As the business landscape is evolving spontaneously, it takes a lot more than just a college degree to compete and succeed in the industry. If taken a deeper dive into the present market scenario, it won’t be an astonishing factor to stumble upon numerous industry stalwarts such as Steve Jobs, Jack Dorsey, Ritesh Agarwal, and so on, who initiated their entrepreneurial voyage with no relevant degree. Joining the list as one of the avid players of the present art and craft domain, Kanan Asher (Founder, KANAN - The Art Space) has been able to arrest the attention of many keen industry aficionados owing to her prolific success stories ever since she started her entrepreneurial adventure. Despite her lack of art background, Kanan’s passion, as well as her skillsets burgeoned with time, enabling her to get a better hold over the current market drifts of Art, Craft & De sign industry and navigate her business accordingly. Starting her journey in 1996 with charcoal paintings and clay potteries to terracotta, wood, metal, fiber, and so on, Kanan has received profuse commendations for her work, both nationally as well as internationally. Acquiring projects from reputed Government and Semi Government Organizations, which further refurbished her profile to gain much prolific experience and exposure across the industry, Kanan has been successful in establishing her identity as one of the trailblazing leaders of the craft and design arena.

Below is an excerpt of Kanan’s interview with CEO Insights.

As an artist, you have been working closely with local artists. So, what are the opportunities you provide them to promote their talent?
Owing to the rise of the internet and rapid digitization, I can quote that now the artists, even the local arti

sans are smart enough to reach the market. But the main problem for them is the basic infrastructure and investments, which obstructs them financially and prevents them from developing more artworks. I want to work with the local artists because I am aware of the skill sets they possess and I am willing to connect them with the right market. These artisans are comfortable in doing the routine work, and although they have the right skills and craftsmanship, they don’t have the apt knowledge of the market which refrains them to remain distinguished from others.

Currently, I am focusing on Buster art and Dhokra Casting, and to get the work done, I have been working closely with the artists of Chhattisgarh. We work closely to create mesmerizing artifacts, feasible for today's market. Through my innovative portal - KANAN, The Art Space, I am eager to penetrate more deeply into the market and by 2022, I am planning on relaunching it on a bigger scale to promote the Indian art and craft of different states.

What key factors do you keep in mind before organizing your exhibitions and workshops?
I simply keep two key aspects in my mind, firstly to invite good and budding artists in need of a platform, and secondly to invite the right set of art enthusiasts or art collectors to encourage them. These artists are in need of encouragement and guidance which will compel them to work more prolifically. I like to work with these promising artists because being 100 percent devoted to their work, they are always ready to experiment and they have a lot of enthusiasm to prove themselves.

In your professional journey so far, which major milestones bestowed you with utmost satisfaction, both at a personal and professional level?
Even if I don’t have an art background, I am quite proud of myself for coming this far. I had my share of doubts at the initial phase of my journey but I man-aged to come this far because I was following my heart. I am one of the luckiest persons to convert my passion into a profession and I can’t think of doing anything else other than this. At a personal level, this is one of my key achievements.

Professionally, there were many innovative projects which I have completed so far and all of them came with a different set of challenges. I have completed them successfully and proudly consider them to be my professional milestones. In 2018, I completed one Inter national Art Camp at Duqm, Oman, and with my team of nine artists and nine fabricators, I completed nine sculptures of an average of '25 feet' as well as nine sculptures of 'five to eight feet' each within 18 days. It was an international project, and to complete it within the stipulated period was a huge accomplishment for me.

What is the future roadmap of your endeavors?
I am envisioning myself to do much extra ordinary work in this field, as far as I'm physically able to do it. Rather than any large goals at present, I am focused on my shorter objectives for 2022 which include completing my art residency, where I can conduct a lot of art activities at my own place and relaunching my online portal in a superior way.

Kanan Asher, Founder, KANAN – The Art Space
An experienced Founder with a demonstrated history of working in the Arts and Crafts industry, Kanan is skilled in Conceptual Art, Field Installation, International Sales, Arts & Crafts, and Executive Management. She is known for being a strong business development professional with an experience of more than 20 years.