- #HGCREATORS
- #HGEXPLORE
- #HGVOICES
- #HGSHOP
- CAREERS
- ABOUT US
- CONTACT US
Art is understanding. It’s flexible and it adapts itself to everything just as everything adapts itself to art. It’s fearless and unapologetic and stands just fine by itself. It’s strong and comforting, for what do we actually turn to in moments of crisis? We seek comfort in art because we know that its roots are strong enough to hold all of our confusion, our worries, our doubts, our hysteria, our tears, and most definitely, our happiness. Art can also be all-giving. Recently, an Indian art company called Art&Found took up the initiative to let the world know about the power of art. Founder & CEO of Art&Found, Aditya Mehta, with his team members, Mahak Malik, Tanvi Desai Thakkar, and Amiya Bhanushali, launched a campaign called ‘Design Fights CoVID’ to unite the global creative community in the fight against CoVID-19.
Homegrown took the opportunity of speaking with Aditya Mehta. Here’s what he had to say.
1. Could you please introduce yourself and your company?
My name is Aditya and I am the Founder CEO of Art&Found. We’re into everything art – from space styling to art projects and art for homes, offices, hospitality. Apart from selling curated, affordable art online, we do up homes, offices, hospitality spaces with custom art, murals, installations, etc. We also commission our artists for interesting collaborations and projects with brands.
2. What factors do you base your curation on?
Curation started very early while putting together the platform. There’s no checklist, it’s intuitive. Initially, it was what I liked and what I wanted on the platform. Over time, I’ve had to be objective about including works beyond just what I liked, which gradually set a curation standard for Art&Found.
3. How did you come up with your ‘Design Fights COVID’ campaign?
With Design Fights COVID, we wanted to unite the creative community for the fight against COVID-19. The idea is simple – every artwork is created to help fund a verified NGO. There were a few ideas but finally, it came down to simply helping NGOs who are working tirelessly but don’t have access to the power of design. We put together the initial NGO list, let them know what we’re doing, wrote the content, built the platform and started reaching out to a few artists. Since then, the entries have been pouring in and the response has been incredible.
4. Please could you share the progress with the campaign?
More than 100 artists have contributed their art for the cause. This is a self-funded project, all the designers are working pro bono and the donations directly fund the NGOs. It feels amazing to hear back from the NGOs thankful for our initiative and including them as one of the charities that will benefit this project. We are so grateful to all the artists who have contributed their art for this cause.
5. How are you coping with the lockdown and how have artists who you’ve been in touch with doing the same?
It’s been great. The team is motivated and there for each other. We do our weekly team meetings online where half the time is spent discussing non-work related stuff and that keeps the mood light. With regards to work, we’re completing on-going projects, thinking up new collaboration ideas, ramping up on tech and design. E-commerce has completely taken a hit so revenues are down. When shit goes down, you build internally. We’re also actively working to generate work for creatives. For example, our Design Fights COVID project has led to commissioned work for our artists from brands and business owners approaching them for work. And it feels amazing how one project has opened up conversations and opportunities shaping new work in the future.
6. What can organisations and common people do to support artists during these tedious times?
We’re seeing a lot of content right now on Instagram. Companies and brands can really ramp up the design in their content by working with curators like us who have access to designers, artists, illustrators, photographers, etc. I think it’s a win-win that would bring out some truly amazing design for brands while generating more work for creatives.
Follow Art&Found here.
Find more about Design Fights COVID here.
If you enjoyed reading this article, we suggest you also read:
