Artists in Kashmir valley have long been struggling for a physical art gallery to showcase their work but thanks to the pandemic that made them think out of the box.
Naushad Gayoor is a multidisciplinary artist and a fine art teacher from Srinagar who devotes most of his time to paintings and sculpture art. He has been striving hard to start a physical gallery that can showcase art in Kashmir valley. During the lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic, his idea of starting an online gallery has become a reality.
The website is aimed at providing a much-required platform to the youth of the valley who would otherwise struggle to showcase their work. Under the name "FRAMES," the Gayoor Art Foundation aims at organizing more photography exhibitions, seminars, workshops, and talks through the online platform.
“We don't have a gallery but it doesn't mean we will not work. Finally, we decided to for an online gallery because this is the time of the internet and by this, we have more viewers,” says Naushad Gayoor, Founder & curator of Gayoor Art Foundation.
Titled, "Let's move on" the website is currently showcasing the work of 170 photographers from different countries like Greece, Turkey, Egypt, and Senegal and from different parts of India. Usually, artists from Kashmir would have to travel outside Jammu and Kashmir for exhibitions but now they are able to present their work to the global audience at the click of a button.
“It has been since decades that people have been fighting for this physical space in Kashmir but it never happened. It's very heartening to looking at this online space for anyone associated with the art here. It's going to give them a wider audience,” says Showkat Kathjoo, an artist and a teacher.
The aim is also to help the emerging talent to witness the body of art from different countries to give them a new dimension. Several artists from the union territory have made their name global.
