20 May,2017 11:10 AM IST | | Benita Fernando
We visited dayDream, the new art store at Kala Ghoda with much hope, but our hearts didn't skip a beat
dayDream's store front and interiors. Pic/dayDream's Facebook Page
The newest art store to pop-up at Ropewalk Lane, ideal for summer saunters, in Kala Ghoda, is dayDream. If you are looking for your monthly fix of art prints, whether to adorn that turquoise wall at home or surprise a friend for his birthday, give this place a shot.
We, of course, wanted to find out if this store, the brainchild of photographers Prasad Naik and Manish Mansinh, should be on your list the next time you venture to Kala Ghoda. The art nook is a little L-shaped store, enough to browse through their selection placed across four rows. But, four could be a crowd here. As we go through the collection, we pause occasionally, musing if we should pick up a print or two. There are canvas and paper prints, mostly across themes of travel, fashion and pop icons, enough to appeal those in their 20s and 30s. Well, 40s too. We were totally into a sunlit Santorini series. The pop icons series - we'd give them a pass unless we were opening a bar for millennials. We also loved prints of minimalist artwork with bold sweeping brush strokes, which, the manager told us, were by Mansinh's children, Ira and Aarav, who are under 13 years of age. They supposedly digitally paint away on their iMacs.
When it comes to pricing, this store seems to have cracked it. There is a wide selection available at Rs 2,500, and, with framing, will touch Rs 5,000. That's not a lot to cough up, you'd agree. Framing takes about four days, which is a decent time to wait. The postcards are priced at six for Rs 500. We'd pick a pack too, but our only grouse was that they didn't have the required markings for postal purposes.
The manager also let us in on the fact that Kangana Ranaut's newly-done up place has a slew of photographs by Mansinh, mostly of female models in exaggerated postures. We wouldn't say these are the most iconic shots out there, but, if you are a Ranaut fan, you may be interested.
We are glad to see the store, even if a bit cliched, come to Kala Ghoda. If they want more than just the yuppies dropping by, might we suggest variety, more jaw-dropping browsing experiences, and fewer manipulated photo-works?
