You have found your way to Artkyk (pronounced 'kick' - because we are consumed by art!). We talk about it endlessly, so this website was a natural progression from all our 'offline' conversations. We have endeavoured to maintain the fluidity and ease of our discussions without getting bogged down by 'art speak' and academics, because we believe that one of the ways to 'get' art is to TALK about it, dissect thoughts and of course exchange gossip!
So this is where it all comes alive! We share thoughts, ideas, latest trends and demystify terminology and ‘art speak’!
Keeping this in mind we have 'structured' the content into bite sized pieces, while packing it with information - sounds like a health snack tag line, well it is for your cultural health!
We have begun our foray with three main formats: (a) Art Talk -conversations on different aspects of the artworld, but for no longer than 15 minutes (b) Art-in-a-Minute – a quick snapshot of important Indian artworks which have made headlines, and (c) Art Story – a short brief on artworld news, which we feel might be of interest.
Our views on all subject matters presented on this platform are personal. We welcome all, whether you agree or disagree with us - we want to share our enthusiasm with you. We hope that you are hooked on to ArtKyk and help us spread the happiness we gain from the elusive thing that is art.
About ArtKyK
About Urvija and Yamini
You will read about individual profiles below, but as a team we bring a unique and well-balanced insider and outsider perspective on the sometimes opaque art world.
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Urvija Shukla:
I might have stumbled into art as a professional like Alice in Wonderland, but the experience has been enriching and not as befuddling (as for Alice).
Let me explain, I charted a career as a management specialist, with experience of conceptualisation and implementation of projects across industries including leisure and hospitality, and high-end real estate. This took me across India, Australia, UK and the US. These years were all about defined patterns and structures, albeit still diverse, challenging, and exciting.
But guess what, it all got turned on its head when I chose to work with an art gallery in Delhi. Goes without saying that I suddenly found myself in a world that had its own set of rules – if you could call them that. From being someone who dabbled in art, I was now looking at it from the eye of the storm. So, like Alice I was navigating a new world without any landmarks or orientation.
With my prior professional training, however, I was able to form a balanced view of the inside and the outside. And the view has been fascinating, enriching, and of course often bewildering. So, my conversations with Yamini are also an attempt to bring my own logic to this space.
To round up this introduction, I have an MBA from Indian School of Business, Hyderabad as well as Bachelors and Masters degree in Urban Planning from School and Planning and Architecture, New Delhi.
Yamini Telkar:
Unlike Urvija, I have been surrounded by art since childhood, my parents, grandparents have all been artists, and not the ones who painted as a hobby, but art professionals. As a teenager I once toyed with the idea with the idea of rebelling and studying archaeology instead of Fine arts! But I chose the “straight and narrow path” and stuck to my first calling of fine arts.
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This led me to a career in the big wide world of art, and I have had the privilege of working with both auction houses and galleries in India. Though I believe my true calling is teaching art history – give me an audience and I am on a roll! (you will hear this in our podcasts).
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But art is still a wide term right? So more specifically it is modern and contemporary Indian art, folk and tribal, textiles, crafts and I could bore you more! But what I am saying is that my interests and experience has been in art in all its facets.
So my insiders perspective, includes not only the technical understanding but also the more juicy bits which makes it human and fun! This is what I started sharing with Urvija, as a precursor to ArtKyk, and made us realise that our individualistic perspectives would create an interesting shared space for others as well.
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To complete my profile, I would say I am Indian Art specialist who has worked in the art industry including museums and institutions for 28 years with a Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) focused in Art and Aesthetics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, M A in Ancient Culture, St. Xaviers College, Mumbai and BFA, Sir. J. J. School of Art, Mumbai.
