Like father, like daughter
It is not easy to establish a business. And combining it with art requires zeal, innovation and devotion

By Jyotsna Singh
There are many famous father-daughter couples who have made a mark on the public memory. Be it Jawahar-Indira, Ravi Shankar-Anoushka Shankar, Muhammad Ali-Laila Ali — we have been awed by them and have adored them. There might be similar stories, may be of not so famous people, around us which are inspired, and further inspire. One such story is of Rajesh Mathur and his daughter Apeksha Mathur.

Rajesh started the business of tiles 35 years back in Noida, a part of National Capital Territory. “I wanted to do something on my own so I established Raja Tiles. I realised that people will like you to work hard without being paid enough. So, I wanted to do a business of my own since childhood,” says Rajesh. If he was an entrepreneur, so is his daughter. At 25 she runs a firm called The Apeksha. It is a sister concern of Raja Tiles. If the father is into the business of tiles which is made of ceramic, daughter is an artist of ceramic material. Some of the huge artistic colourful murals that we come across in malls, buildings and offices might be designed by her. Not only this, she also puts exhibitions in famous galleries like that of India habitat Centre, teaches in Amity University and designs tiles for her father’s firm. “My father had the ceramic tiles business. Since childhood I have seen clay, glazes etc. Also my parents told me from the beginning that this is the line I have to get into,” confides Apeksha.

The sojourn
“I took up sculpture as a part of extra-curricular activity in school. I did fairly well there. Then I was told after XII standard that I have to get into College of Arts. I took coaching for sometime, and to my surprise topped the entrance of Delhi College of Arts. During coaching I was initially discouraged by the teachers who said that such preparation should begin well in advance and that I was pretty late. But within few days they found out that I was competent enough to take the test, says Apeksha.

She was a science student, but did surprisingly well in the entrance of the College of Arts and topped the exam. She was a topper throughout, be it in bachelor of fine arts or at the masters level.

“After founding The Apeksha firm I started designing murals and doing all my artistic ventures under this. It was exciting as there was so much to do at such a young age. I have always loved to meet people and tell them what I do. I started getting respect for my work; though there were times when people wondered that how will I manage it all. After one or two project even that hesitation went away,” says Apeksha. The firm was founded in 2007. She has designed and executed 19 large 3-D murals at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, New Delhi; NBCC Plaza, New Delhi; and 17 sector Shopping Complex, Chandigarh.

She has also been selected for an exhibition of 10 ceramic artists across India. It will be held in November in India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.

Thoughts into work
She is very particular about how to evolve a theme. She can’t be restricted even by thoughts. “There are two ways of working. One is where you select a theme and all your productions fall within that paradigm. The other way is to first take out all your feelings — be it anger, or irritation, or an upbeat mood — in your work. Then see the pattern and decide on the theme. As far as my sculpture work goes, it is the latter which dominates. I feel that deciding the theme in advance restricts your thought process and work”, opines Apeksha.

It is a misconception that arts students don’t study. They do, and build their thought process there. “We have theory papers. You need to do history of a field to realise how the vocation evolved and what more is to be explored. What are the old and the contemporary mediums? We also did a course on appreciating art,” says Apeksha.

Building a market
When you travel a less travelled path, getting recognition is easy and tough. Easy because the competition is less; tough because less people know about it. Creating a market in such conditions needs a lot. “The selling price of an art work has nothing to do with the cost price. How good is it aesthetically and visually, what is the utility, whether it is a realistic or a symbolic work, how much time has been put and what is the level and fame of the artist — ultimately all this determines the price. Original and innovative products cost more. There are some products of mine which are with me for two to three years. I put them at higher price now as I have become a master artist. “Investment depend on the kind of material used. Cost of materials in ascending order is terra-cotta, ceramic, fibre glass and metal. Other investments include cost of cement, colours, firing etc. “There is a huge market right now for murals. Thanks to 2010 Commonwealth Games. Also the awareness about murals and art work has increased. When a building is constructed there is an understanding that murals should be a part of it for beautification sake. Murals can be put on outside walls as well as interiors,” informs Apeksha.

She further informs “You can only be a freelance artist in this field. There is a lot of investment initially. You have to pay for booking a gallery; get invitation cards printed and distributed; arrange for the inauguration, among others.”

Toiling hard
“It’s a 24X7 job. When I am in studio I make products, while at home I keep designing. At times I work till 3-4 the morning.

“First I make pencil sketches for a rough idea as soon as a concept hits my mind. Then I finalise it when there is time and mind is relaxed. Then I put it on computer. Everyone demands a computerised colourful presentation now-a-days.

“There are times when I do work knowing that there will be no immediate materialistic result. But I do it to build rapport which can provide fruits later. “An artist creates mural specially for a particular location. The design should suit the place and ambience. Other thing to be kept in mind is the use of materials. If I put metal in a place which is accessible by hand, it might be stolen. So it is used only at locations which are much above the ground. There are similar details that need to be kept in mind while planning and designing,” says Apeksha. There is also a lot of pressure in keeping others in the field updated with one’s work. “You have to keep making public appearance to maintain authenticity. People should recognise you and your work, only then they’ll buy and appreciate. Most of the people buy for investment. They see what will be the value of the product 10 years down the line. So you have to be around all the time,” says Apeksha.

The only thing she is still to do on a large scale is travelling, which calls for some restrictions at home. But as her father’s work has expanded to Australia, US and Maldives, among other countries, she also has bright chances to go international. It might be just a matter of time now.