Confluence Of Art And Entrepreneurship

Very few of us have the good fortune of making a profession out of one’s passion. One such lucky individual is Babita Gulati, who started her own art house named Babita Arts and Designs in New Delhi back in 2001. Today, it is one of the biggest bespoke art and design studios in the NCR dealing in murals, sculptures, wall art and fibre designs, growing handsomely year on year and expanding into newer categories, craftsmen, and international and national collaborations.

Babita Arts and Designs takes pride in giving a life of recognition and empowerment to indigenous, native craftsmen whether there are kaarigars or artisans for Thangkaa from Gangktok or Thikri from Rajasthan. They aim to make a supportive and superior life for creative hands hailing from different corners of India. 

One of the achievements of Babita Arts and Designs has been undoubtedly encouraging the skills of these kaarigars along with preserving and bringing to life the traditional artforms of the nation. Gulati has also been recognised, appreciated, and acknowledged by eminent personalities in art exhibitions, seminars and other platforms. “The late Chief Minister of Delhi Sheila Dixit was an ardent admirer of my work,” she says. 

One of the projects closest to Gulati’s heart and one that improved processes and aided the studio’s growth is Namami Gange in which the ghats of the river Ganga in Varanasi were covered with murals. Another prestigious project they bagged pertained to the beautification of the Varanasi Railway Station and installation of murals, artwork and sculptures. 

However, the business was not without challenges. “We have had struggles in finding the right craftsmen but we realised the solution for it at an early stage by ‘respecting the art and craftsmen is sustaining the art and craftsmen’, hence it is ideal to make them a part of our family and encourage, nourish and grow with them,” says Gulati. 

“Another major challenge that we faced was that most of the market segment in art is unorganised with no regulation in terms of product being sold, copyrights, imitation and licensing or certificate. We overcame this gap strengthening our legal compliance team in case of any imitation or copyright,” she adds. 

The brand, according to Gulati, is looking to expand nationally and internationally with 100 per cent year-on-year growth. It plans to specifically target “the hospitality industry, auction houses, individual sales, dealers, residential buyers, real estate developers and builders, architects and interior designers as well as private collectors whereas competitors include various other art studios along with individual artists and sculptors.”

With an increase in disposable income and spending power of the potential client, growth and revenue will come from the clients’ will to lead a better lifestyle along with a proportionate rise in cashflow and gross profit of the organisation.