Pop Goes The Art

As the founder of the country's first pop art gallery, Amrita Deora is working to elevate the art scene in India to whimsical, giddying new heights, discovers Hasina Jeelani

- Hasina Jeelani

Amrita Deora had soaked in the sounds and sights of the Venice Biennale, and rubbed shoulders with art elitists in the Museum of Modern Art, New York. But the eureka moment would strike as she jostled in the crowd at the annual Durga Puja festival in Kolkata. Craning her neck to comprehend the architectural virtuosity of a pandal constructed with 8,000 kilos of glass, the wheels began turning. Why was there a stark disparity between the international art stage and the untapped talent within India, she wondered. Now the founder of The Designera, which is counted among India's first pop art galleries, she appears to have inched closer to the answer.

Pop, Clink, Fizz

With a background in commerce, Deora is pursuing a master's degree in the history of design from Oxford University as she cleverly fuses her love for business with art. The resulting lovechild is The Designera, a haven that pays an ode to the whimsicalities of contemporary art right in the heart of Mumbai. "Pop art, at its core, is a celebration of popular culture and a reflection of the current zeitgeist. The pieces in our collection are an amalgamation of whimsy and vivid colours, often exploring humorous and thought-provoking themes that resonate with the pulse of modern society," she shares.