Kalart Gallery
Kalart began its existence as a traditional gallery in the late 90’s. It was founded by San Francisco architect, Arvind Iyer. With the dot.com bust in 2001, Mr. Iyer decided to focus his efforts on his core architectural business. He rented out the space to another gallery. With the recent re-location of that gallery, Kalart Gallery has, in the best Indian tradition, been resurrected. Currently it is not truly a commercial gallery. Rather it is devoted to projects and artists that appeal to Mr. Iyer.
Salma Arastu, a Bay Area artist by way of Rajasthan, India, approached Mr. Iyer about an exhibition of her paintings to coincide with the launch of her new book, “The Lyrical Lineâ€. The exhibition, which included her painting, her book launch, a lecture and Sufi music at the opening, was just the sort of project that Mr. Iyer embraces.
Much of Salma’s work is influenced by Indian folk art, Mogul miniatures and Arabic calligraphy. She has combined these traditional influences with many of the western techniques that she has embraced in over thirty years as a professional artist (see also site banner). The result is lyrical work that can often approach abstraction, where her deep spirituality is always present.
