Software engineer from Pune creates portal with augmented reality to help artists get global recognition

“During my stay in the United States, I frequented art festivals and exhibitions. While I was glad to find artworks by some famous Indian masters, I also questioned why other talented Indian artists were not on display. This deprives the rightful recognition of the brimming talent we have here. Moreover, when the pandemic hit, the global art space went virtual for art enthusiasts, appreciators and collectors, a similar thing needed to be translated in India. In order to bring something on the parallel line, specifically for Indian artists, the inception of artPRESENT happened,” said Ingale.

The development of the portal started last year in May, Ingale said that he was determined to make it into just another platform. “We did not intend to just put images of the artworks but allow the people visiting the portal to experience the exhibition like they would in an art gallery. With a virtual gallery, one can visit the exhibition online while with augmented reality, collectors and buyers can get an accurate understanding of how the art piece, whatever size, type of medium it may be, would look like in a real-world environment,” he said.

For its virtual exhibition debut, artPRESENT, along with the city’s Art2Day Gallery, will feature acclaimed artists Madhuri Bhaduri and M Narayan at the Hamptons Fine Art Fair in New York City, USA, from September 2-5.

“The artists who had some approaches were able to sell their art pieces but the pandemic totally took away the experience of physical exhibitions. Secondly, in my experience, there are sets of hassles like losing or misplacement of artwork when it comes to exhibitions which are addressed through the portal. It will open up avenues for the artists in the international market,” said Bhaduri.

The artPRESENT portal makes sure that the art pieces retain their essence in virtues of colour, medium and appeal for user viewing along with a detailed description of the artist and the artwork and audio of the same for inclusivity. It also ensures that the artwork is not downloadable or replicated in any form. Additionally, the portal, with the help of data analytics, will give a clear understanding of which artist’s work is appreciated in which corner of the world. This in turn will help decide where and how to promote the artworks.

Meanwhile, artPRESENT also has begun two of its own virtual group exhibitions called ‘Aarambh’ and ‘ArtStories’. While the former includes abstract paintings, ‘ArtStories’ include figurative and art related to India. So far, the portal showcases works of 16 onboard artists, including Vivek Nimbolkar, Sachin Pakale, Harshit Bondre, Gayatri Tambe-Deshpande, Pandurang Tathe, Rahul Dangat, Ramchandra Kharatmal, Ramesh Gujar and Nilesh Pawar.

“Artists will benefit from this as they will be able to present their artwork at the right place and will also be supported by the art promoters and galleries. It is light on pocket for the artists and the overall ambition is that talented artists should become household names. We also help in facilitating the purchases of artworks which will help individual artists,” said Ingale.