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For art’s sake

Photo: H.Vibhu

slow but steady Anoop Skaria and Dorrie Younger of Kashi Art Cafe, Fort Kochi, in their house

There was a time, not so much in the distant past when artists from Kerala would leave the State to earn a living, recognition and appreciation. But things changed dramatically in the last decade. The couple at the centre of the change, Anoop Skaria and Dorrie Younger started it all in 1997 from a small art café in Fort Kochi, called Kashi. Little did they anticipate then that this small venture would enable their dream come true; that mugs of coffee and art on the walls would be the right medium for a contemporary canvas to emerge, a canvas that would slowly draw the art world to the sleepy by lanes of Kochi.

But yes, it did happen, this renaissance of art, leaving Dorrie and Anoop a bit stunned when a grand 850 people, celebs from across the world, students, artists and layman, gathered at the celebrations when Kashi turned 10. It was a far cry from their earlier art openings when only 8 to 10 invitees showed up!

But that was then and by now things have changed completely. More art spaces, a gallery, an art residency were opened. Five years into the café the tide had turned. Says Dorrie, “The café not only created a space to sustain art but also became a gathering point for people. Artists began getting together and sharing their ideas, thoughts and views.”

Adds Anoop, “A turning point came when Bhupen Khakkar died and within one month we pulled together an emotionally charged homage exhibition of 18 artists. From then on it was as if the ice had broken between the artists and us.”

With this, things became easier for the duo who continued their efforts by holding public art functions. ‘Everybody’s Space’ had artists using available materials and creating installations at public spaces, conveying a message. At that time tourism was opening up and international audiences found the art activities inspiring. “But art sales were not happening; tourists don’t buy art,” they said. But by then the art cafe had become a centre of intellectual activity, a hub where poetry reading, film screening and art exhibitions were daily happenings.

PHOTO: Priyadershini S.

Tourists flocked the café and were surprised to see new wave art on the walls. But Anoop feels strongly about the one-sided tourism policy. “We are harping only on the old, traditional, and ancient. There are so many things happening. We are not a dead society.” Dorrie, who began collecting art soon after her university days notes, “People tell us we don’t like modern art. I ask them do you like poetry; do you always understand everything about it? When approaching art, let the questions come, the answers will come, the communication will happen. It’s a natural evolution.”

And so contemporary became the word and caught on. With it came the next big show, “Bombay x 17”. The artists who came to Kochi were surprised to see that Anoop and Dorrie lived quite humbly in a small home, driving a Maruti Omni, not the stereotyped deep pocketed gallery owners they expected. It created an immediate camaraderie that continues today.

Regarding the art market, they feel that it has settled, “We don’t encourage people to buy art as an investment. Art may appreciate, but people should buy it because they want to enjoy it,” says Dorrie. “Art isn’t limited to flowers in a vase, it covers the spectrum of thought and emotion,” she says. Ask her how she, an American and her Indian husband who she knew only through letters, should have a common canvas.

“It’s a blessing. If we individually view 200 works of art, it’s the same five we will both recall,” she says. And what lies ahead? “There is more awareness of contemporary art and when it reaches the level that literature enjoys we will know that we have reached what we set out to do,” they say. Till then art continues to bloom over mugs of coffee.

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