Art is made wearable and accessible through Srila Chatterjee’s BARO Market. Srila Chatterjee, co-founder and curator of Mumbai’s BARO Market, hopes to dismantle the barriers around art with the Affordable Indian Art Show.

It’s not a huge issue to spot Srila Chatterjee, co-founder and curator of BARO Market, a community platform for crafts, art, and lifestyle.

The Mumbai entrepreneur recently made a statement at the BARO pop-up in Bengaluru International Centre, which was surrounded by craftsmen, local art, and interested tourists.

Srila loves wearable art. She donned an aubergine Bengali Baluchari saree, three handcrafted jewelled bindis dazzling her forehead, and silver filigree jewelry from Odisha, a look that only Srila and the great vocalist Usha Uthup can pull off.

Srila tells , “Any modern designer who draws from a rich heritage helps to keep it (the heritage) alive.”

BARO Market, launched in May 2019 as a logical development driven by Srila’s enthusiasm for Indian art, design, and craft, showcases the work of over 60 artists, designers, and craftsmen from across India.

BARO Market features ethically sourced and reasonably priced fashion, art, home decor, stationery, toys, beauty, wellness, and edibles from indigenous enterprises and grassroots craftspeople.

It has cooperated with well-known Indian businesses such as 145 East, Latasita, Bhomra, Dookdi, Padukas, Shillar House, and The Bindi Project.

However, Srila feels, “There is an ocean out there, and all I have known is a few drops.”

My (commercial film) shootings took me to many different locales, and each discovery was both enriching and invigorating. I met a variety of craftsmen and became intrigued by their art and craft. Every time anything piqued my interest, I learned more about it and got to know the people involved.

Srila explains that as she began interacting with those she knew, it created a ripple effect that led to the introduction of many more people.

Making Art Affordable Aside from offering a platform for Indian designers and local lifestyle companies, Srila also curates for BARO Art, which sells a varied range of art from throughout India for between Rs 1,500 and Rs 3 lakh.

The Affordable Indian Art Show, a traveling curation of BARO Art, brings artworks to various Indian towns to break down artistic barriers, bringing together a diverse spectrum of genres and ensuring there is something for everyone.

Artwork by Dolon Kundu. “I believe art should be accessible to all” By displaying a variety of styles, we seek to create an inclusive environment in which art enthusiasts and newbies alike can discover something that speaks to them,” Srila adds.

BARO Art showcases works by approximately 50 artists, including Prashant Miranda, Vikalp Mishra, Anita Alvares, Banoo Batilboi, Ashish Malakar, Gitanjali Das, and Dolon Kudu.

At each exhibition, Srila personally entertains guests and visitors, introducing them to the artists and their work.

“I don’t intellectualise art,” she says. “I hope everyone leaves convinced there is magic to be found across India in ways that can impact their lives and the lives of so many others” I hope more people are drawn to becoming original rather than simply following dummy trends.

” Artistic legacy and current aesthetics We were fascinated about Srila’s approach to expressing India’s cultural legacy with modern aesthetics.

He gives the example of Laltu Chitrakar, a Pattachitra artist from Mednipur in West Bengal who works with BARO Art. Laltu is the ninth generation to carry on his family’s Patua art history.

“Laltu has taken what his forebears did and updated it for modern living—in scale. Instead of 20-foot artwork (as his forebears did), he paints 7-foot canvases that can comfortably fit in an apartment,” Srila says.

Similarly, Laltu employs subtle colour tones in his pattachitra, or painting, which focuses on modern environmental and political issues.

When asked about growing regionally, Srila says, “Scale kills many things, and that isn’t what we obsess about.

” She launched the BARO website to make artwork available online. Srila discusses prospective collaborations and initiatives, stating that they respond to at least 25 new persons per week and thoroughly review each one.

I want to expand BARO Market globally, however the current systems are difficult to use.