Bengaluru’s identity as the tech capital of India works as a catalyst for artistic engagement,” notes Farah Siddiqui, founder of Cultivate Art, who brought the Young Collectors Weekend to the city in a bid to make art “collection accessible, personal, and exciting”.

“Whether it’s tech, food, music, or visual art, people here are hungry for new experiences. That curiosity creates a fantastic audience for contemporary art. There’s no snobbery — just a real desire to understand and engage. I believe there’s a unique creativity that exists within the scientific and technological mind. Engineers, coders, designers — they are constantly solving problems, pushing boundaries, thinking laterally. That spirit is no different from what artists do,” she explains. Excerpts from a chat:‘PEOPLE IN BENGALURU HAVE EXCELLENT ARTISTIC TASTE’“Over the last two decades, the Indian art market has evolved tremendously.

Speaking historically, it was mostly concentrated between Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata. Yet, Southern India, especially Bengaluru, has a rich culture of collecting art. It is not limited to only contemporary art; the collectors here are incredibly discerning and astute. They have a sharp eye with a refined taste in aesthetics,” says Farah, and adds, “Art can feel intimidating for those just stepping into the world of art collecting.

People believe that you have to ‘know’ something before you can even enter a gallery. But really, it starts with looking. The more you see, the more you understand what moves you.”

‘ART HITS DIFFERENTLY IN BENGALURU’ Hansika Sharma, an artist displaying her work at the event, reveals, “Art hits differently in Bengaluru as it interrupts the pace. People used to designing systems and solving tangible problems suddenly find themselves looking at something quiet, textured, unresolved. And in that moment, they seem to soften. It’s like art becomes a portal — a slower, more sensory language that asks them to feel instead of fix.”