The Uttarayan art foundation is in district Vadodara (Gujarat), located at a distance of approximately 20 km from the main city. The industrialist of Vadodara, Mr Rakesh Aggarwal proposed the art centre on the banks of Mahi to promote the art and craft and Ar. Karan Grover designed the Uttarayan art foundation. The art space provides working space and accommodation for visiting artists. Artists are invited to practice various forms of art in the complex. The foundation extends over large perimeters and allows pedestrian as well as vehicular movements. The site has art space at one periphery, canteen and cottage area at the middle while the other contour has a deck for river viewing. Canteen has a sitting area that is open from three sides. The big painting on that canteen wall captivates the attention of visitors. The art space dominates with domestic architecture. It has collections of paintings like Patachitra from Odisha and West Bengal, Warli painting from Maharastra, Pithora paintings from Gujarat and Rajasthan, Madhubani paintings from Bihar and many more. The precise detailing and mythological narratives are associated with Patachitra art forms while Warli paintings depict tribal life. Pithora paintings are done on the inner walls of the house. This art form doesn’t try to mimic nature, and their rawness adds beauty to paintings. On another hand, Madhubani painting is full of colours and brightness. The diversities of collections of the Uttarayan art foundation engage the eyes of the visitors for a whole time. The art centre has a studio for sculpture making and pottery. It has a distinct assembly of masterworks that surprises visitors. The art foundation also has a separate workshop area of wood, ceramic, stone and metal. Since it is a working space for artists, workshops are carefully angled towards the best source of light. Natural lights are used in the Uttarayan for the art exhibition. The Uttarayan art foundation highlights each type of media either analogue or digital. The art space has a different zone for the digital studio. This studio is well equipped with recent technologies. The high definition printer is used for portraying digital art on high-quality papers. Every safety is taken by the authority for preserving the quality of digital artworks. The courtyard of Uttarayan acts as a social gathering space or interaction space. The Uttarayan not only retains the colour of arts but also maintains the tone of nature. All the areas of the foundation shield with green grasses. Trees are lined in a row which adds beauty to the premises. The deck on banks of the Mahi River is a scenic attraction for visitors. The bridge leads to a beautiful view of the river.
A visit to such the art space is a lifetime moment. To get an opportunity to be in the vicinity of great artworks is one of the remarkable memories of these research days. The Uttarayan art foundation is the right place for understanding the core of our subject. The visit supports the phrase coined by Marshall McLuhan and that is “The medium is the message.” A huge thank to the course (Digital media and new culture) for bringing folks close to the art.
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