Rachael Brown and Deepa Bhatia are clear about their working relationship. Brown is the “artist”, who is sometimes chaotic and lets ideas form organically, and Bhatia is the “designer” – neat, tidy and organised. But they are both extremely creative as well as driven and their business has flourished as a result.
It has been two years since they launched Capsule Arts, an incubation service for emerging artists offering limited-edition prints that give audiences the opportunity to buy original artworks at affordable prices.
It also offers a bespoke service that doubles up as an art consultancy. This side of the business has been involved in the interior design of several hotels, restaurants and other commercial enterprises, commissioning original pieces of art for them.
In this area, the women have been leading the way in a new trend – pushing forward buildings and interiors that focus on art as a central point, not simply as an add-on or afterthought.
“We are really pleased to have been part of that movement,” says Brown. “We would like to see, for example, a new hotel spring up in the region dedicated to art.”
One such project that is about to be launched is the Bay La Sun hotel in King Abdullah’s economic city in Saudi Arabia. Capsule Arts has been working on art for all public areas of this hotel – the first in the investment zone – and has commissioned several one-off pieces for it.
“The bespoke section is a more complex division of what we do, and for us what has been interesting is that it is the artists in our print collection we have commissioned to do the original pieces,” says Brown.
“We always wanted to showcase artists from the region and use artwork for far more than aesthetic value,” adds Bhatia. “Our success in this area has far exceeded our expectations.”
So, Capsule Arts has grown from a small start-up to serving the entire region within the short space of 24 months. On Thursday, to celebrate its two-year anniversary, the women will launch their second limited-edition collection with a one-night-only exhibition in their Al Quoz warehouse.
They have 13 artists, five of whom were included in the first year’s collection, who have either produced new work or provided existing pieces to become exclusive limited editions. With prices ranging from Dh300 to Dh2,250, the idea is to offer affordable art and boost the audience of their artists, the majority of whom are emerging.
“It is a great way for people who are interested in art to make a start on their collection,” says Brown. “This year we have also widened our scope by including a more varied range of artists.”
From Khalid Mezaina, an Emirati graphic artist, to Matthew Ryder, a British artist and caricaturist who has created a collection of images called Friday Brunch depicting animals lolling over one another, there are illustrative options.
Also in the collection is Laober Zhu, a Chinese watercolour artist who paints scenes of Dubai, and Mahmoud Abbod, an Iraqi whose idiosyncratic paintings show oversized women and symbols such as cockerels and watermelons.
They will all be displayed on Thursday at the Capsule Arts warehouse in a curated show in collaboration with The Urban Yogi, which will provide conceptual furniture.
“We are an online business but it is important for people to have the opportunity to see the art in context,” says Bhatia. “We also look for a local connection with the region in the art because it is important that anyone buying art from us can see the local relevance. We have discovered that that has been the most successful element.”
That being said, they exercise their artistic eye when choosing the pieces and make sure the artists meet a certain standard and skill, with a heavy emphasis on fine art.
This year, one of the new additions is a collection of paintings by Najat Makki, who is one of the most prominent Emirati women artists, known for the strong female figures in her work.
Another Emirati, Mariam Abbas, has created two new illustrations depicting the facades of homes in the Emirates. These will be featured, along with a print of her intricate pointillism drawing of Arabic coffee pots, Karam, which was exhibited as part of Sikka Art Fair 2012.
“We were interested in bringing in artists who have a higher profile to complement the emerging ones,” explains Brown. “For us, it is about making a balance between what is commercially viable and what speaks out to us as pieces of art and we hope people agree with us.”
Print Collection II will take place on Thursday from 7pm to 10pm. Capsule Arts is located at Warehouse A-2, Street 4, Al Quoz 3, Dubai. Visit www.capsulearts.com or call 04 388 1799
aseaman@thenational.ae
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