CEO Insights Magazine

The power of art is often underestimated! When Alexandre Gustave Eiffel proposed and constructed the Eiffel Tower as the center piece of the 1889’s World’s Fair in Paris, it was only meant to attract a few more eyes to the ‘The Exposition Universelle’ and was widely expected to be decommis sioned after the fair, accounting to mass criticisms. But after more than a century, it has become a global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world.

Preserving art and culture is an instrumental aspect of preserving the identity of a country. Ahmedabad based InventArt is a one-of-a-kind initiative to build an integrated platform for conventional art and modern design. The company embodies art by renowned artists immersed in the roots of tradition and encourages upcoming creators to display their artistic fusion with modernism while also creating authentic interactions between artists and art enthusiasts through its fine arts gallery Gallery Ra, a product design studio home to Design Mill, Pop up shows, exhibitions, art services, and open calls. CEO Insights engages in an exclusive interview with one of the co-founders of InventArt, Niharika Shah, a reputed art & heritage consultant based out of Ahmedabad.

What do you consider as the major milestones in your journey?
Before InventArt’s inception, I served as the gallery director and curator at Kanoria Centre for Arts, Ahmedabad, for more than a decade. With a background in psychology and a postgraduate degree in marketing management, I focused on people management and relation-building for the institute. Something that gave me immense satisfaction back then was the success of the outreach programs that I created for artists to have a dialogue with the outer world, such as ‘Support the artists’ and ‘Meet the artist.’ Subsequently, in 2010, I was promoted to the role of the gallery director. My experience of working with KCA artists and craftspeople was extremely useful for curatorial work as the gallery director. (Some of her collaborative participation, like the National Education Summit and other institutional events, gave KCA a chance to enhance its image).

Another significant step was the initiation of a literature festival on the art campus the zest to bring people close to their mother tongue gave shape to Gujarat Literature Festival.

Based on my experiences and newfound interests, heritage management education and initiatives in a similar field expanded my understanding of the importance of local heritage and art forms. The circumstances brought opportunities to connect art with the social causes of promoting local artists and economy and conservation of traditional artforms. Use art as the gateway for less fortunate communities; for instance, 'Antah Drashti' was an event for the artists with challenged eye sights. These initiatives have given me the motive and our newly found organization InventArt a vision for our future projects to bring art and society together.

How would you define InventArt and its position in the market? Also, how does your organization differentiate itself from the competition?
With InventArt, our objective is to take Indian contemporary art and traditional craft practice at the national and international level by curating unique, comprehensive shows and bringing new experimental aspects from young practitioners. We are a core team of professional art enthusiasts with various skill backgrounds. When it comes to leadership, we are a team of four partners (Niharika Shah, Nitesh Shah, Sameer Shah, and Rutu Shroff) who are keen to promote upcoming artists, traditional artists, and conservation of local heritage and culture of significant places such as the city of Ahmedabad.

We have a strong and lucid organizational vision of promoting traditional art forms & culture, conserving intangible heritage through exhibitions and events and providing heritage & art for public spaces & infrastructure development in the urban areas.We also conduct learning initiatives such as workshops, art courses, curatorial activities, cultural events, public art projects, art dealings, etc. We believe in growing sector wise horizontally, as well as vertically in

each sector as an organization. It is a more resilient way of growing business with our greater social cause of heritage conservation.

How has your response been to the challenges posed by the Covid affected market and the need for new strategies?
COVID definitely slowed our initiatives related to gathering people to participate in our events, exhibitions, workshops for art and heritage representation and conservation. However, we bounced back with technological interventions and the support of the artisan community. We conducted an online display of art and conducted a competitive group show of artists named ‘In transit’ during the pandemic. It showed the strength of our artisan community and our connection with them as an organization, which, in fact, made the initiatives highly successful.

Going forward, what are the changes in market behavior that you anticipate, and what opportunities do you foresee as a leader?
With the changing markets and Indian policies for economic growth, all we see is a great platform for opportunities for businesses that promote local culture and markets. With the ‘Vocal for Local’ national movement, and global frameworks supporting sustainable communities, our organization will thrive in the art and heritage conservation and promotion sector.

In the light of your vast experience, what advice would you like to give to the budding entrepreneurs in the same field?
Have a set of unique, strong ideas and beliefs as your organization’s base. See the opportunities in collaborations and spreading the cause of organizational growth. Follow regulatory frameworks and good practices for steady growth of the organization, building credibility for investors, and increasing rapport in the market. In the process, stay connected to the community for a better future.

Niharika Shah, Co-Founder, InventArt
Niharika is an art and heritage consultant based in Ahmedabad. With her higher education in Heritage Management from prestigious Ahmedabad University and experience working in the field of contemporary arts and craft, her entrepreneurial venture InventArt expanded its horizon by establishing GalleryRa to promote contemporary art while conserving traditional crafts.

Hobbies:Music, reading, and traveling
Favorite Cuisine: Anything local
Favourite Book:Ikigai
Favourite Travel Destination: Maasai Mara
Awards & Recognition:Certificate of Appreciation for National Education Summit.