gallery g: Nurturing An Artistic Ecosystem | CEOInsights Vendor
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gallery g: Nurturing An Artistic Ecosystem

gallery g: Nurturing An Artistic Ecosystem

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Gitanjali Maini, Founder & Director

Gitanjali Maini

Founder & Director

Possibly the only country with an artistic repertoire as diverse as its culture, language and food, India is home to an exceptional cache of artists. While the talent pool is varied and vast, there are but few organisations that work towards nurturing them, and even fewer who make it their mission to showcase their talents to the world. While India as a country is flush with art galleries, most of them stick to the brass tacks and concentrating on selling art. Few take into account the dynamics of creating a nurturing ecosystem forthe organic and progressive development of the artists and the community. In keeping with this ideology, gallery g a Bangalore based art gallery, has been providing a platform for existing as well as upcoming artists from across the country through its array of services in the industry.

Established by Gitanjali Maini(Founder & Director)in 2003, an art management entrepreneur, her knowledge and extensive network has placed the organization at the forefront of the Indian art investment and retail scene. Today with extensive, well-proportioned spaces gallery g works as an intimate viewing space for serious collectors & investors as well as a larger venue for exhibitions and related events. With its holistic vision, extensive reach and ethical practices, the company has etched a name for itself as a reliable platform in the art market, while meeting the requirements of the artists and investors it deals with.

"gallery g keeps its online platform open to artists of all genres who may wish to display or showcase their work to the public"

Common, yet Unique Offerings
In keeping with people’s busy schedules and the inability to make time for activities such as visiting an art exhibition or gallery in one’s leisure time, gallery g has made best use of the digital space, creating a unique and appealing model of displaying art online. Also, in line with today’s trends of online purchases, this digital presence adopted by the gallery some 10 years ago has worked well in keeping its patrons and other interested clients abreast of all gallery activities.

What sets gallery g apart from other online art galleries and market spaces is the manner in which they have approached and managed this online platform. The organisation, after verifying details and clearing permissions, allows artists (with no restrictions,joining fee or commission) to display their work through its online platform. This way, gallery g keeps its online platform open to artists of all genres who may wish to display or showcase their work to the public.

What is interesting to note is that the gallery does not sell work online. One can view, get relevant details and understand about each artwork & artist, but purchases are encouraged to be conducted offline. While the advancement of
technology has made it increasingly easy to widen geographical boundaries and make art accessible to all, it has also given rise to a huge market of fakes, prints of original art, thereby devaluating the artist’s original work. gallery g firmly believes that a buyer must see and experience a work before purchasing it - it is important to touch, feel, and understand the space, size, colour and texture before buying.

To validate the quality and authenticity of the artworks, every art piece that is sold by gallery g is given with a validated provenance and authentication certificate


Outside of this and keeping in mind its wider role as an organization dedicated to the arts, gallery g also offers curating, acquisition, custom framing, authentication, valuation, restoration and preservation services. “In the art world, things don’t always move at a frenetic pace, especially given that creative process is little slower. But that said, it doesn’t allow one to sit back and ponder. With the creative output being at an all time high, we are setting the dual goals of not just following the Ikigai theme for the next two years, but also to step-up our underlying practice of what we love doing best make art available for all,” explains Gitanjali.

A Thoughtful Initiative
Another aspect that differentiates gallery g is its ‘Artist’s Initiative Programme’, through which the organization identifies, nurtures and promotes new talent. Through this programme, they have, been supporting 15 professional artists since the gallery’s inception in 2003. The firm assists these artists by helping them to participate in international shows and competitions, furthering their education, helping with exhibition of their work at the gallery, conducting regular shows, and more, in order to promote them and their work. This does not mean that the artists are contractually bound to gallery g; instead, they are free to explore as many options available in the industry.

“Our motto is to allow artists to thrive, and we aim to create a nurturing environment for them so that they can grow and showcase their talent. At gallery g, we understand and relate to the art world’s needs and combine our excellent resources, as is evident in its support of The Raja Ravi Varma Heritage Foundation, the Sandeep & Gitanjali Maini Foundation, as well as its association with the country’s one and only biennale the Kochi Muziris Biennale,”states Gitanjali.

Dedication & Determination
Not only known for selling art, it is gallery g’s firm set of values and ethical practices that enable it retain a loyal bank of patrons and customers. Having set a high standard since its inception, gallery g has always chosen to inform and advise its clients rightly, rather than misguide them in order to close a sale. Often, customers contact the gallery for suggestions on home decoration, and the team is happy to help them by suggesting the best art and accessories for their space. Over and above this, the gallery also gets artists to custom make pieces in order to match a client’s requirement.

The firm also has recently collaborated with a Singapore based company using blockchain to assist in selling and authentication of art. “It’s interesting to understand how accurate data, once provided, helps in narrowing borders for the client. It’s a simple, yet effective model of sale, and we are very excited with
this new tie-up,”says Gitanjali.

Ensuring Authenticity
Art can’t be authenticated retroactively by an art gallery. As the website Art Business.com says, unless a certificate of authenticity originates from and is signed by either the artist who created the art, the publisher of the art (in the case of limited editions),a confirmed, established dealer or agent of the artist(not a casual third party or reseller)or an acknowledged expert on the artist, that certificate is pretty much meaningless. Hence to validate the quality and authenticity of the art works, every art piece that is sold by gallery g is given with a validated provenance and authentication certificate that is procured either by the artist themselves or through a valid enterprise or family member after the artist’s time.

The firm also has recently collaborated with a Singapore-based company using blockchain to assist in selling and authentication of art. “It’s interesting to understand how accurate data, once provided, helps in narrowing borders for the client. It’s a simple, yet effective model of sale, and we are very excited with this new tie-up,” says Gitanjali.

Workforce that Inspires Confidence
gallery g has earned its clients’ confidence with a diverse team on board. The firm has a team of four experts at the gallery, each with a distinctive back ground. For instance, one of the four has a keen interest in art and followed art & art practices closely for more than 20 years the other is from a media and publicity background that helps with the branding and PR of the organization. Of the other two, one is an engineer who assists with all of the precision and logistic requirements during framing and installation, and the other is an expert from a project and services background who handles all of the legal matters, registrations, authentication and more.

“I truly feel some where along the way, we have found our Ikigai, being constantly associated with all these entities/ foundations, and it is only befitting to mention that our team, which is as varied as they come, is firmly entrenched in our ideals of embracing our passion and making it a mission,”Gitanjali says.


Progressing Ahead
Curating special projects, authenticating and evaluating artworks, customizing services to suit the client’s needs and offering advice on art purchase, gallery g is already doing much more than what conventional art galleries do. And for the next two years, the firm is set to stick to these services before considering further expansion of its service portfolio. However, the organization aims to become the most preferred art gallery as well as a one-stop-shop for anything related to art in India. “It is also a deep desire within me to rise above the distrust that most artists have of galleries, as we do not want to undercut them in any way, but instead help them grow by holding their hand and showing them a new path,” concludes Gitanjali.

Key Management:
Gitanjali Maini, Founder & Director
A dedicated leader and an art management entrepreneur, Gitanjali aims to bring a change in the Indian art market. She stands as the leading driving force behind promoting art and making India a strong space for art & galleries.

Awards Acquired by Gitanjali:
•Asia’s Woman of Substance
•Woman Achiever in the Field of Art 2019


Location: Bangalore

Offerings: Platform for artists, Curating, Acquisition, Custom Framing, Authentication, Valuation, Restoration , and Preservation.

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