L E G AT U M G A L L E RY
‘‘This is so exciting, thank you for choosing us to work with! Every piece really makes a difference to each artisan. The magnitude of profits given back to each artisan may seem small to us but is consequential to them.’’ Rebecca Hui, Founder at Roots Studio
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Investing in artist communities supports innovation, creativity and creates economic opportunities. The artists represented in this gallery book especially thank the
Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship
Legatum Gallery Welcome to our gallery. This unique experience is brought to you by the Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship and Tekuma, an emerging startup out of MIT. Together, we have turned this space into an art gallery for you to learn about the artists, engage with their stories and enjoy their beautiful pieces.
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to find, learn more or purchase the artworks please visit discover.tekuma.io
Te k u m a
Roots Studio connects artists from rural India to consumers through a print and matchmaking platform. By providing design centers to select villages, artists can widen their market and license their practice by uploading unique artworks online.
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ROOTS STUDIO rootsstudio.co
Can you imagine that tucked far, far, away from the city, thousands of artisans paint about a lifestyle worlds apart from the urbanized world most of us know?
CHANDRAKALI SHYAM 1
The forests surrounding them, their farm work, and their evening song and dance, inspire fantastical creatures and eyegripping patterns.
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RITA 1
S U N I L S H YA M 1
ANIL TEKAM 2
GOND 11
SURESH KUSHARAM 1
Gond art is characterized by intricate details and signature patterns. It is colorful, playful, and joyous.
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BA L R A M I
Gond artists are inspired by everyday scenes, frequently depicting the birds, cows, and trees that surround their villages.
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BA L R A M I I
UMED PATTA 1
K A I L AS H PA R D H A N 2
SA N TO S H PA R AS T E
SANTU UIKEY
Gond art began as tattoos on the body with socially significant patterns.
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RAJENDAKU UDKE
The art eventually evolved as murals on walls and houses.
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S H A B E T I PAT TA 1
But Gond art found its rise when the late painter J.Swaminathan discovered a seventeen year old Gond boy, Jangarh Singh Shyam, through his beautiful murals on the hut walls of Patangarh in Madhya Pradesh.
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PULA TEKAM 1
SANTU UIKEY 2
SA N TO S H U I K E Y
GOND 10
SURESH KUSHARAM 2
KAILASH PARDHAN 3
BA LU M U N 1
Whether it be bold abstract drawings by Alessandro Babini, one-of-a-kind 3D printed models by Kun Qian or avantgarde architectural representations by Marwan Abou Dib, all have looked at technology and their expertise in scientific fields as inspiration or medium for their work. Check out our MIT artists.
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MIT Shen Guo Alessandro Babini Jonathan Sun Feifei Feng Tengjia Liu Martin Elliott Sixto Cordero Kun Qian Marwan Abou Dib Sayjel Patel
Shen Guo Shen is currently working with Bostonbased MIT startup Woobo, where he is leading the design for a toy-robot that relies on artificial intelligence to inspire children to learn and grow. Woobo is being prototyped at MIT by a group of students.
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Alessandro Babini Born in Paris, Alessandro travelled the world at a young age. After living and studying in Paris and London, he worked to help entrepreneurs build successful companies. When he realized he was sitting on the wrong side of the table, Alessandro moved to Boston, where he graduated from MIT Sloan. He is now CEO of Humon, a company building the next generation of sports wearables to enhance human performance.
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Jonathan Sun Jonathan is an architect, designer, engineer, artist, and writer. As well as this, he is a PhD candidate at MIT with the Senseable City Lab. His multidisciplinary work addresses narratives of the human experience.
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Feifei Feng At MIT’s Architecture School, Feifei explores alternative urban narratives. Using illustration as her medium, she works to evaluate our living environment and activate the mundane.
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Martin Elliott Currently earning his Masters of Architecture at MIT, Martin makes work at the intersection of culture and media consumption. His work with community organizers, activists and artists has further sparked his interest in design.
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Sayjel Patel Sayjel is a Teaching Fellow at the Singapore University of Technology and Design, and an Affiliate with the MIT Digital Structures Lab. His work explores 3D Sampling, a new field of design inquiry and research.
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Sixto Cordero Sixto is a designer, hacker and maker. He studied architecture at MIT and has exhibited work in the first Chicago Architecture Biennial and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.
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Tengjia Liu Alongside his architectural studies at MIT, Tengjia researched traditional Chinese drawing techniques. Today, his work graphically represents the discourse between contemporary art and architecture.
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Kun Qian Kun received dual degrees in Architecture and Real Estate at MIT. He taught himself how to build websites and developed his interest to become a web architect. Kun is a dedicated chess player and has won the Hong Kong Chess Championship as well as represented Hong Kong in the World Chess Olympiad.
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Marwan Abou Dib Marwan is a dual degree graduate with a Master of Architecture & a Master of Science in Real Estate Development. He is the CEO of Tekuma. He carries his wide lens everywhere he travels.
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ART NEEDS SPACE SPACE NEEDS ART creating beautiful galleries everywhere
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Tekuma is an emerging startup out of the Massachusetts Insitute of Technology (MIT) founded in 2015. We provide on-demand art curation and our mission is to democratize the arts by creating beautiful galleries everywhere. By matching artists with spaces in-need, we provide a cost effective way for property owners to enhance the aesthetic, authenticity, and value of their real estate. A unique narrative and experience accompanies each artwork, engaging viewers and spreading artists stories.
tekuma.io
discover.tekuma.io