Hyderabad: Setting a great example of never-say-die attitude, Hyderabadi mother and daughter duo — Avani Rao Gandra and Lipika Rao Gandra — has become the most significant contributor to promote art, artists and artisans.
Their endeavour is not only restricted to the city. They have been of great support to many artists and have helped them express. While 45-year-old Avani Rao Gandra organises art shows and exhibitions for many prominent and aspiring artists and creates a platform for them through her Icon Art Gallery, her daughter, 24-year-old Lipika Rao, quit her job at Amazon and started the Earth Gallery to pursue her passion for revival of the many dying art forms from Andhra Pradesh.
“My mother has been my inspiration. She is my idol and I was introduced to the art world through her,” said Ms Rao.
Earth Gallery, which is almost one-and-a-half years old, has created a space for many artisans from across Andhra Pradesh. “I have interacted with a lot of artisans and weavers from across the state who have been following the same procedure for a while now. So, to make their work appealing to people today, it was important to fuse it with contemporary art while retaining the aesthetics and create a market for them. Pottery, Nakashi art, Kalamkari, wood cut printing, Nirmal art and many more such dying art forms have been the focus,” she said.
Despite not belonging to an art background, Avani Rao Gandra has created a niche for herself in the city. Her Icon Art Gallery has so far hosted over 60 shows and covered more than 150 artists, both established and aspiring.
The Icon Art Gallery Artist’s Residency is the only space in the state where more than 100 artists can come together, ideate and work from. “Many states have the Lalitha Kala for artists, where they work together. But here we do not have such a space. In the gallery, we conduct workshops to make sure Hyderabad retains its place on the art map of India. And one very satisfying aspect is the fact that I was able to introduce new talent through this,” she said.
