How Geetika and Jyotsna are making art accessible to all

“Yellow Ochre is a pigment found in the earth, which consists of clay coloured by Iron oxide. It is one of the oldest pigments used by mankind; it was even used in prehistoric/cave paintings in India. In addition to this, Yellow Ochre is a happy colour; the emotional association with it is of optimism, confidence and happiness. It is held in prestige in various civilizations like India, ancient Greece etc. and hence, it was the appropriate name,” say Jyotsna Shrama and Geetika Singh Jamwal, the founders of YellowOchre.

Making art accessible

They started in 2014 with the aim to make art accessible to a larger audience. According to them, one of the biggest challenges to the development of the Indian art market is that art is still seen as elitist in our country. “This is exactly what we decided to remedy, YellowOchre is a small step in that direction. By renting art for a fraction of the value of the piece we make it accessible to a lot more people.”

Not only can you rent, but also change the art on your walls every three months. The art available is mostly contemporary art by emerging as well as established artists from around the globe. Their target audience is a new segment of people interested in art- young professionals who typically work in the corporate sector.

The duo started working with artists, who they have known over the years, and due to which they enjoy mutual respect and a certain level of comfort. “Now that we are growing, artists are contacting us,” they say.

It was Jyotsna and Geetika’s passion and love for art that got them started on this initiative.

Jyotsna- art is immersive

One never stops learning. You learn every day and that’s how you grow,

says Jyotsna. After she graduated in History from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University, Jyotsna pursued a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing and Advertising. A few years in the advertising industry made her realize that her true passion lay with art. So she decided to immerse herself totally in art and trained as an artist at Triveni Kala Sangam under the guidance of Rameshwar Broota.

“For me passion is very important, be it any aspect of my life. I am passionate about art and that’s why I enjoy every minute of my job,” says Jyotsna.

Her love for art took her to Kingston University, London for a Masters in Curating. As this was in partnership with the Design Museum in London she got a lot of practical training. From there she went on to work for Kenny Schachter/ Rove gallery, Flock London, Stanley Picker gallery and the I -Jusi Portfolio in London.

“Meeting Bill Wyman, the bass guitarist for the Rolling Stones while working at Kenny Schachter’s gallery in London, where we put up a show of Bill Wyman’s photographs was a memorable moment,” she

adds.

In 2012 she came back to India, and worked for Osian’s Connoisseurs of Art and gallery Nature Norte till 2014.

She and Geetika set up YellowOchre last year and Jyotsna along with it decided to study for another masters, this time in Art Market Appraisal.

Though Art Appraisal and Curating are niche sectors, Jyotsna feels that in a couple of years we might see a change. “The key is to educate people about art, they need to stop feeling intimidated by art. Once that happens, we will find a lot more people enjoying art increasing the need for trained curators and appraisers.”

Jyotsna who appreciates and enjoys the work of artists such as Mark Rothko, Gerard Richter, V.S Gaitonde and Ramkumar finds art to be immersive and that is the reason it never feels like work to her.

Geetika- expressing through art

“Art in any form is the most beautiful way to express yourself, it gives meaning to things. Art is in every aspect of life. From cooking to dancing to singing, everything that has been done with love and passion is art,” says Geetika.

As an army kid, Geetika has travelled extensively experiencing various cultures and making new friends. A graduate in commerce she moved to Delhi after her marriage. “My first job with Art Loss Register (ALR) just happened, till then I wasn’t clear about what I wanted to do in life. It took me some time to get the hang of this entirely new world but soon I started to enjoy it. It was then I realized that this is my calling.”

This was followed by her stints at Seven Art and Nature Morte. She calls it an exciting phase of her life as she got to work with some of the best artists of India. “Getting to witness their works live, I started to understand art even more.” While working for these companies she had some outstanding experiences, the most special one being her visit to Amsterdam for The European Fine Art Foundation (TEFAF).

Reminiscing about the visit, she shares how while she was at the TEFAF, she and her colleague were approached by a lady who suspected that one of the art gift shops at the fair had a painting which was stolen from her family collection, a couple of years ago and she wanted us to help her find out if it indeed was the same painting.  Thus, the whole investigation process was like a Sherlock Holmes experience.

Drawing from these experiences the idea for YellowOchre came to Geetika.

Art for pleasure, not investment

They feel that right now art is purchased purely as a form of investment.

For people to buy purely for the love of art, again, education is important. Things are moving in the right direction, it will take time but I am sure we will get there.

Talking about artists and the popularity of local artists in elite circles and among connoisseurs of art, they share that they are not very popular unless they have a good CV, or are being backed by a good gallery.

According to Jyotsna, “there need to be lot more museums. Attitudes have to change, people should stop by the museum instead of the mall on their day off. Plus in our country art needs government support, which is sadly lacking. Having said that, things are changing in India for example, galleries, art fairs and biennales have become more experiential in the last couple of years, this has encouraged more people to interact with art, which is a positive thing.”

For the love of art

Other than renting and selling, the YellowOchre curatorial team can commission artwork to suit one’s

artistic and spatial needs. They also provide valuable services such as Advisory, Valuations and Restoration.

As of now promotion has been word of mouth. They also encourage people to try out the rental process, which establishes trust.

The response they have received has been very positive. Almost a year old, they have done two projects with DLF and the Smile Foundation, which were well received. They have a number of projects lined up for the end of the year.

As regards running a venture and working together, they make a good team where they complement each other and decision-making is shared.

Challenges have been there and they say, “being women and doing everything on our own for setting up YellowOchre hasn’t been easy. We have had to learn about things we knew nothing about.”

What keeps them motivated is their passion towards art, and the fact that, “we know we are helping a lot more people enjoy art.”