About Us

I truly believe that art can build bridges. Between cultures, communities and art practices. It was this belief that led to me to start my small art gallery Tejas in 2007. The motive was to give a platform to good but unknown artists who were denied shows in established spaces. And to belong to a space I loved – the art world. What began almost as a social venture soon became a full-fledged business when the ‘art bubble’ burst in 2008, and people shied away from signature art, moving towards folk and affordable art. 

We became an essential part of the Kolkata art scene, and soon many small galleries and initiatives sprang up to cater to this new audience of first-time art buyers. We have hosted solo shows for new artists who are today well-established and well-represented. Artists have sold their first works through us, buyers have bought their first piece from us. We find great satisfaction in this process.

A project close to my heart has been the curating of folk and tribal art to bring it into the gallery space. Years ago a young Kalighat patua named Bhaskar Chitrakar almost gave up painting under pressure to help with the family business of statue-making. We nurtured his latent talent with ideas and opportunities. Today he is a gallery artist whose works are in demand all over India and have even reached museum space abroad.

Ceramics entered our space through the gallery shop which stocks a popular collection of craft and gifts made by artists, both urban and rural. Ceramics, mixed media art, 3D printed art and metalwork have become an essential part of our shows today, as we continue on our path of breaking down walls between genres and mediums, and building bridges instead.

Aban Desai, Gallerist