The fun began after the booking was confirmed. We were lucky to get the North Gallery- the largest
and most prominent of the five galleries in the Academy. First task was to figure out what would be a
right number of exhibits, which would determine how many photographs I should
plan to select from among thousands that were in my archives. I had decided that my theme would be the “Religious
Fairs and Festivals of India”- a subject I have been passionate about in the
last six years. After several visits to
the gallery to see ongoing exhibitions and estimating that it would be
reasonable to plan for 60 exhibits, and after deducting the number of paintings
that were ready, it turned out that I can plan for about 30 photo exhibits.
Next step was to decide which photos to select for
exhibition. This was the hardest
part. In MBA days, I read an article in
Harvard Business Review about “Right vs Right” decisions. This was a classic situation exemplifying
that dilemma. I began with a shortlist
of 100 photos from 8 of my favorite festival travels. After hours of pleasant confusion and several
iterations, I managed to prune it to 40 from 4 events. But that’s it. I could neither reduce the number of events,
nor could I reject any more of the photos.
Every piece seemed critically important to tell the story of the event. So I froze that decision pane and moved on to
the next task, which was to decide where to print and at what size and cost.
I had no idea that printing could be so confusing. First was to decide on the size. Technology has progressed so much that with
the right megapixel size of the photo, an image can be printed to really large
size. And that too, there are several
printing processes- each comes with different price points- and that too over a
very wide range. A digital print of 18”X12”
from one of the many digital studios in the city would cost Rs. 20-30 per piece
on 300 GSM art paper; a photo paper print of the same photo and size could cost
between Rs. 100-300 (depending on the place; I later learnt of a place where
they print photos of this size at less than Rs. 40; but well, hindsight is
always wiser!); and a canvas print with an apparent guaranty of 20 years of
fast color/photo longevity could cost Rs. 900-1000. Faced with this incredible array of confusing
information and complex decision matrix, at that stage I truly felt like Isaac
Newton when he said “…to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on
the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or
a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all
undiscovered before me.” Finally, I did
sample printing of a few on each of the three technology platforms, and came up
with a final mix which served my needs without making my budget shoot through
the roof.
Once these challenging steps were dealt with, akin to a
boatman navigating the choppy waters near the shore and heading for deep sea,
the rest seemed easier. After a research
on art framers and visit to five of them, I was delighted to find a place in
Kalighat (a place with long tradition of art framing) where the owner is an art
connoisseur himself. It was an absolute
pleasure working with him, learning from him and hearing his anecdotes. He was totally dependable, so I was
comfortable agreeing to take delivery of my framed photos on the morning of the
exhibition itself- which made logistics simpler.
Simultaneously, developing content was an important. This included drafting invitation, catalog, poster,
flex, artist’s profile, narrative of my photo exhibit categories, exhibit
titles and press kit. The unique
proposition message of the exhibition was identified and drafted with
meticulous attention. After the language
and format was finalized, it took several days and painstaking attention at the
digital studio to freeze the final product in each category. The end result was sweet- we really liked the
output. It was heartwarming to see the
visitors and recipients appreciating these.
Planning for an impactful inauguration was a key aspect. We worked really hard on developing a strong invitee
list for the inaugural on the opening day, including Chief Guest. We meticulously sent out invitations by
email, WhatsApp or mail and followed up with personalized phone calls. Media was contacted and specific content
developed for them. The effort bore
fruit- the event was announced multiple times in leading English dailies of
Kolkata. We also planned meticulously for
the inaugural peripherals; including arranging for lamp, photographer and
videographer, mementos for invited guests, refreshments, and such other.
Four weeks passed like a breeze and we were at the game day-
opening of our first ever exhibition!
The hall was to be ours from 11 am, and inauguration was slated at 6:00
pm. Logistics had to be managed meticulously-
carrying exhibits in to the hall in time, hiring people to hang the exhibits,
deciding on the sequence in which the frames are to be put up, monitoring the
level at which the frames are to be hung, arranging for the inaugural lamp and
flowers, creating a cozy corner for our bags and refreshment inventory; and
multitude of other tasks. Six hours
later, at 5:00 pm, the exhibition was ready to our satisfaction and we barely had
time to change and get ready for the guests.
Once the guests started arriving, we felt like theatre artists, emerging
from behind the curtain after days of rehearsal and ready to enact the play as
per script. The hall looked resplendent
with its bright lights focused on our creations, the ready-to-lit inaugural
lamp highlighted with floral décor on the floor, and a large backdrop
announcing the theme of the event in the center of the hall. We were in love with our effort right
away.
The inauguration ceremony of our exhibition, titled “Spirit- of Earth & Soul” was memorable. We were honored by the attendance of dignitaries who spared their valuable time to attend. Many friends and relatives came and became part of the celebratory environment. There were a large number of walk-ins. Exhibitors and guests from other galleries dropped in too. The look and feel of our exhibition, the branding and the communication materials printed were well appreciated. It was a huge learning experience for us to be able to organize the event smoothly.
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