Aakriti Art Gallery Launches India’s First AI-Powered Virtual Art Advisor “Ask Aakriti” and Biannual Research Journal “Art Insights”

Kolkata, 17 July 2026 — In a landmark evening that seamlessly blended tradition with cutting-edge innovation, Aakriti Art Gallery unveiled two transformative initiatives at its iconic space on 12/3A Hungerford Street (Picasso Bithi), Kolkata. The gallery, a pioneer in the Indian art ecosystem since 2005, launched Ask Aakriti — India’s first AI-powered digital art advisory platform — alongside the inaugural issue of Art Insights, a new biannual research journal dedicated to Indian art history, documentation, provenance, and collecting practices.

The event drew a distinguished cross-section of Kolkata’s art fraternity, including eminent art historians and critics Mrinal Ghosh, Nanak Ganguly, Prasanta Daw, and Debdutta Gupta, alongside leading artists, collectors, scholars, writers, and enthusiasts. The intimate yet intellectually charged gathering reflected the gallery’s longstanding philosophy of going beyond exhibitions and sales to preserve knowledge, foster research, and create meaningful conversations around Indian Modern and Contemporary Art.

The Launch Ceremony

The ceremony was conducted by Aman Bachhawat (graduate of Sotheby’s Institute of Art, New York), together with noted art collector Pradip Bothra and Chhatrapati Dutta, Principal of the Government College of Art & Craft, Kolkata. Their presence underscored the collaborative spirit bridging institutional academia, private collecting, and curatorial innovation.

Against a striking backdrop of bronze sculptures of cultural luminaries and thoughtfully curated artworks, the gallery’s white-walled space was reconfigured into a dynamic forum. White slipcovered chairs were arranged in clusters and semi-circles, encouraging dialogue rather than a traditional stage-audience divide. A projector and laptop setup facilitated live demonstrations, while a tripod-mounted camera documented the proceedings for posterity.

Highlights from the Evening

The evening began with warm welcomes and contextual remarks on the gallery’s two-decade journey of innovation — from the GenNext platform for emerging artists to the popular Affordable Art Mela concept. Attendees then witnessed the formal unveiling of the two new initiatives.

Ask Aakriti, the flagship AI-powered platform, was presented as a practical, intelligent companion for collectors, students, researchers, and art lovers. Drawing on Aakriti’s deep curatorial archives and two decades of expertise, it offers contextual search, artist insights, intelligent artwork recommendations, collection guidance, and accessible knowledge on Indian Modern and Contemporary Art. The live demonstration (visible in several photographs via the projector setup) showcased its intuitive interface and potential to democratize high-quality art advisory services across India.

Art Insights, the new biannual research journal, was introduced as a collective endeavour of the gallery’s in-house research team. The inaugural issue focuses on overlooked artists, archival discoveries, provenance research, market perspectives, and lesser-known narratives — filling critical gaps in Indian art scholarship. Copies and previews were shared, sparking immediate interest among the scholarly attendees.

Thoughtful Dialogues and Engaged Participation

What truly distinguished the evening was its conversational format. Speakers and panelists, including members of the gallery leadership and distinguished guests, engaged in open exchanges while seated among the audience. Photographs capture candid moments: thoughtful crossed arms, animated hand gestures during discussions, attentive listening from all generations, and warm smiles amid serious deliberation.

One particularly evocative image shows a core group of speakers and moderators — including figures in crisp white shirts, patterned polos, and scholarly vests — seated near the large window with the bronze sculptures behind them, deep in conversation. Another wide shot reveals the full breadth of the gathering: seasoned scholars with flowing white hair and beards alongside younger professionals and enthusiasts, all united by a shared passion for Indian art.

Water bottles, notebooks, and the visible “ART INSIGHTS” publication on a stand added to the authentic, working-session atmosphere. The evening flowed naturally from formal presentations into lively Q&A and informal networking, embodying the gallery’s vision of creating “meaningful conversations.”

A Visionary Quote

Vikram Bachhawat, Founder-Director of Aakriti Art Gallery, encapsulated the significance of the dual launch:

“For more than twenty years, Aakriti has believed that a gallery should do much more than exhibit and sell art. It should preserve knowledge, encourage research, educate collectors and create meaningful conversations around Indian art. Ask Aakriti and Art Insights are natural extensions of that philosophy. One embraces the possibilities of artificial intelligence, while the other strengthens the culture of research and documentation. Together, they represent our commitment to making Indian art more accessible, better documented and more deeply understood.”

Looking Ahead

With Ask Aakriti now live and accessible through the gallery’s digital platforms, and the first issue of Art Insights marking the beginning of a sustained publishing programme, Aakriti Art Gallery has positioned itself at the forefront of India’s evolving art knowledge ecosystem. These initiatives complement the gallery’s core strengths in authentication, provenance research, and client advisory while opening new doors for wider public engagement.

The 17 July launch was not merely an unveiling — it was a celebration of dialogue, scholarship, and technological possibility, set within the living heritage of Kolkata’s art scene. The photographs from the evening beautifully capture this spirit: a room alive with ideas, where bronze icons of the past bore witness to conversations shaping the future of Indian art.

Aakriti Art Gallery continues its journey of innovation with the same integrity and passion that has defined it for over two decades.

For more information, to interact with Ask Aakriti, or to enquire about Art Insights, please contact the gallery at +91 98304 11115 / 11116 or visit 

Quiet Masters in Focus: Kolkata Gallery to Revisit the Works of Asim Basu and Sunil De

 In the evolving landscape of Indian contemporary art, several artists of considerable merit have developed substantial bodies of work outside the immediate spotlight of the art market. Two such figures from Kolkata—sculptor Asim Basu (b. 1947) and abstract painter Sunil De (b. 1948)—are receiving renewed attention through an initiative planned for the 2026–2027 season by Aakriti Art Gallery.

Both artists belong to a generation that matured during a period of transition in Indian art, when modernist practices were consolidating while new approaches to abstraction and form were emerging. Over the past four decades, Basu and De have pursued deeply personal artistic paths shaped by sustained studio practice rather than by the dynamics of self-promotion or market visibility.

Asim Basu, trained at the Government College of Art & Craft in Kolkata, has developed a sculptural language rooted in the expressive possibilities of the human figure. Working primarily in metal and bronze, his sculptures often capture moments of reflection and everyday interaction, balancing figurative elements with subtle abstraction. His work is noted for its quiet narrative quality and emotional restraint, transforming ordinary human gestures into contemplative sculptural forms.

Sunil De, by contrast, has dedicated his practice to abstraction. His paintings are characterised by vibrant colour relationships, layered textures, and gestural movement. Rather than depicting identifiable subjects, his canvases explore the expressive potential of colour and rhythm, producing compositions that evoke mood, movement, and sensory experience.

Despite the depth and maturity of their practices, both artists have remained relatively outside the more visible circuits of the contemporary art world. Their reputations have instead developed gradually through exhibitions, critical engagement, and the support of collectors familiar with their work.

In the coming months, Aakriti Art Gallery plans to organise a series of exhibitions and events dedicated to the two artists, presenting a wide range of sculptures and paintings created across different phases of their careers. The initiative aims to provide audiences and collectors with a broader opportunity to engage with their work and to re-examine their place within the evolving narrative of modern and contemporary Indian art.

The renewed focus on Basu and De also reflects a growing interest in reassessing artists whose contributions have matured quietly over time—reminding viewers that some of the most enduring artistic practices develop away from the immediate visibility of the marketplace.

Aakriti Art Gallery

(A unit of Chisel Crafts Pvt. Ltd.)

Orbit Enclave, First Floor 12/3A,

Hungerford Street Kolkata-700 017

Phones : +91 33 22893027 / +91 33 22895041

Fax No : +91 33 22895042

E-Mail : art.aakriti@gmail.com

Gurcharan Singh – A World Made Visible

Aakriti Art Gallery is proud to announce Gurcharan Singh – A World Made Visible, a solo exhibition of recent paintings by the acclaimed Indian artist Gurcharan Singh, curated by distinguished art critic and poet Prayag Shukla. The exhibition opens on 19 November 2025 and will be on view until 7 December at Aakriti Art Gallery, Kolkata.

Gurcharan Singh, born in 1949 in Patiala, is celebrated for his deeply humanistic figurative works that transform everyday life into visual poetry. Over five decades, he has developed a signature style that draws from Indian miniature painting, folk traditions, and modernist sensibilities, capturing the quiet theatre of the street, the courtyard, the veranda, and the marketplace. In his world, street performers, vendors, children, animals, gods, and lovers coexist in vibrant harmony—depicted with empathy, colour, and lyrical grace.

This exhibition presents a new body of work that continues Singh’s exploration of the ordinary as extraordinary. With bold forms, flattened perspectives, and symbolic detail, these paintings immerse the viewer in a world that is both familiar and timeless. As Singh himself reflects, “This is my world made visible from the invisible.”

Curator Prayag Shukla notes, “Gurcharan’s art does not impose spectacle—it invites reflection. His figures breathe, dream, and dwell in spaces that reflect not only social life, but emotional and philosophical depth. His recent works reaffirm his place among India’s most sincere and evocative painters.”

Singh’s works have been exhibited extensively in India and abroad, including the Tokyo Biennale, the Seoul Contemporary Art Show, and the Festival of India in the USSR. His paintings are part of major collections including the National Gallery of Modern Art (New Delhi), the Museum of Non-Aligned Countries (Yugoslavia), and the Birla Academy of Art & Culture (Kolkata).

Exhibition Details:

Title: Gurcharan Singh – A World Made Visible

Dates: 19 November – 7 December 2025

Venue: Aakriti Art Gallery, Kolkata

Curator: Prayag Shukla

For media inquiries, interviews, or high-resolution images, please contact:

N.G.Rao

admin@aakritiartgallery.com

 +91-9830411115

 www.aakritiartgallery.com

Aakriti Art Gallery Unveils Unique Artistic Trophy at RWITC’s Indian Racing Carnival 2025

Sculptor Akhil Chandra Das creates original bronze trophy to be awarded to race winner

Mumbai | April 1, 2025:

In a landmark moment that blends the worlds of contemporary art and equestrian sport, Aakriti Art Gallery, in association with Chisel Crafts Pvt. Ltd., is proud to present an original bronze sculpture by Akhil Chandra Das as the winner’s trophy for the Aakriti Art Gallery Million—a featured race at the Indian Racing Carnival hosted by the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) on Saturday, April 5, 2025.

This marks the first time in RWITC’s history that a winning horse will be awarded a bespoke, artist-created sculpture, ushering in a new era of art-meets-sport innovation. The initiative reinforces Aakriti Art Gallery’s longstanding commitment to promoting Indian contemporary art beyond conventional platforms.

Speaking on the collaboration, Vikram Bachhawat, Director of Aakriti Art Gallery, said:

“We’ve always believed that art has the power to transcend its usual spaces. By presenting an original sculpture as a trophy, we celebrate not just victory on the turf, but the spirit of creativity, endurance, and cultural richness that both art and racing share.”

The trophy, conceived and executed by acclaimed sculptor Akhil Chandra Das, features a striking bronze figure bearing a radiant disc—symbolizing strength, triumph, and resilience. The work exemplifies Das’s mastery of material and metaphor, making the trophy not just a symbol of success, but a collectible work of fine art.

This initiative follows earlier efforts by the Bachhawat Foundation to integrate art into equestrian events, notably the much-lauded “Art Race Day” at the Royal Calcutta Turf Club in 2014 and 2017. With the Indian Racing Carnival drawing top owners, jockeys, and horses from across the country, the inclusion of a sculptural trophy adds a distinctive cultural dimension to the weekend’s celebrations.

About Aakriti Art Gallery

Established in 2005, Aakriti Art Gallery is one of India’s leading spaces for contemporary and modern Indian art. With a strong curatorial vision and an inclusive platform for established and emerging artists, the gallery is committed to fostering meaningful engagement with visual culture across India and beyond.