The concept of art for use as distinct from design for use is something new. Good design, even artistic design, has been with us for a long time.

The forms of various vessels to fill and pour water in India, like the ever-present lota, are regarded as among some of the best design in the world. Our carved doors, wooden beams and wall-paintings, our cloth wall-hangings and carpets are all collectors? items. But they are not art.

In Europe, the concept of ?Art Deco,? of the late 19th and early 20th century comes close to it, but it is linked to mass-production and design.

A wooden sculpture by Atul Sinha for use

The same is true for the Bauhaus to whom we should be thankful for our folding chairs. Though the Bauhaus artists took up the challenge of creating art for use, they actually ended up with designs for use.

In India, a number of experiments have been done to produce such art. We have crystal bowls with the drawings of Jamini Roy. We have furniture pieces painted by Anjolie Ela Menon, toys and furniture by MF Husain; but they all are in the field of design. Or at best, refurbished design.

The only artist who I know of whose work can be called ?Art for Use? is the sculptor Atul Sinha, from his first exhibition of ceramics at the Village Gallery in Delhi in 1989, where he created remarkable bottles that reminded one of pre-Colombian terra-cottas.

He went on to create works on etched glass, ceramic sculptures that could serve as night-lights, and finally, wooden sculptures that could be sat on, used to eat off, like tables, or keep things on like racks. Today, he has graduated to wooden sculptures that serve as bars and fire-places.

The prices of his works that were Rs 750 per bottle, rose to Rs 1 lakh for sculptures at New Delhi?s international airport to Rs 3.20 lakh for a bar. Obviously, the concept is catching on.

In fact, from the very beginning, discerning collectors like Delhi?s Dr Trehan; gallery-owners like Dolly Narang, Shabha Bhatia, Ashish Anand, Sidharth Tagore and Sunaina Anand, have all bought works of his. The National Gallery of Modern Art bought one of his sculptures with lights; international collectors have taken his works to Germany, Portugal, Spain, Cuba, Chile, Brazil, Canada and a number of other countries. In India too, Tarun Tejpal of Tehelka is one of his major buyers.

His consistent efforts over the last 15 years has given him a global market and he has just sent a large consignment of sculptures for an exhibition in London, his first there. So investing in his work has a future.

His concept has depth and has carried him with its momentum for over 15 years. The idea is to have sculptures whose form is not only aesthetically pleasing to the eye, but also have a tactile dimension.

They not only have textures that respond to the sense of touch, but also their proportions imprint themselves on our minds through use.

Each work is unique. It is not for mass production. It is primarily a work of art, except that to understand it, one needs to exercise the visual faculties, the sense of touch and a sense of proportion through body-contact. It reminds one that just as seeing is related to appreciation of a work of art, its texture heightens perception and its use gives one a holistic capacity to apprehend its special quality as a work of art.

This concept is ahead both of ?Art Deco? and the Bauhaus. This is art expressing itself through body-contact.

In my view, this art is more avant-garde than most in the country. So, it is worth investing in.