Alka Pande on Bengaluru art, Gen Z collectors and AI

“People in Bengaluru are influenced by culture, literature, mythology and stories,” curator Alka Pande said during a visit to the city, describing an art scene she sees as distinct from Delhi’s more political and power-laden visual language.

Pande said Bengaluru artists often bring their own lives and communities into their work, including through experiments with natural pigments and colours. She pointed to students creating independent work at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, alongside the city’s theatre, the Bangalore Literature Festival and the Indian Music Experience, which she called “beautifully done.”

She also sees a shift in who buys art. Gen Z collectors, she said, are finding artists through Instagram and choosing quirky, experimental pieces that reflect their taste, even when they are not buying high-priced works. Artists, meanwhile, can promote their work directly online without relying solely on galleries.

On AI, Pande said she is still learning about the technology and questioned whether machine-made work can offer the same rasa, or aesthetic experience, as art made by people. “Art should always come from the heart,” she said.