FAQ's

We review every artist, curator, artwork, event and programme before it appears. We run the shop and the order record. We hold the buyer's protection window and settle disputes against what a listing actually said. We pay artists after delivery. What we do not do: we do not make the work, we do not pack or ship it, and we do not collect money for events. Those belong to the artist and the host respectively, and are marked as such throughout.

Everything about the work itself. That it is original and their own; that the listing describes it truthfully — size, medium, framing, condition, year; that the photographs show it honestly; that it is priced to include delivery, packing and taxes; that it is packed well, insured and dispatched on time with a packing video; and that questions from a buyer get answered. If a piece does not match its listing, that is the artist's to put right.

The whole of their event or programme: the venue, the schedule, the guest list, the money and the delivery of it on the day. Curators collect their own fees directly — House of Arts takes no part in event money at all. If an event is cancelled, changed or disappoints, it is the host who answers for it.

Read the listing properly — size, medium, framing and condition are all stated, and most disagreements come from a detail that was there all along. Ask before buying if anything matters to you. Pay through the site. Check the work when it arrives and tell us quickly if something is wrong, keeping the packaging until it is settled. That is all.

You order and pay. We confirm within 24 hours and tell the artist. They pack the piece, film the packing, insure it and dispatch it, sending us the courier and consignment number — which we pass to you. It arrives. You have a window to raise anything wrong. Fifteen days after delivery, if nothing has been raised, the artist is paid. The wait is the buyer's protection, and it is why it exists.

An order placed and paid through House of Arts is recorded: what was listed, what you paid, when it was dispatched, when it arrived. The artist cannot be paid until fifteen days after delivery. If the work does not match its listing, arrives damaged or never arrives, you raise it and we settle it against that record — and we can hold or return the money, because we still have it. That is the whole basis of the protection: we hold the record and the funds.

You can, and people sometimes do — but understand clearly what you are giving up. If a buyer and an artist arrange a sale between themselves, House of Arts is not part of it and carries no responsibility for it. We hold no order record, no payment and no evidence. There is no protection window, no dispute process and no refund we can make, because no money ever came to us. If the work never arrives, or arrives as something other than what was promised, we cannot help you — not because we will not, but because we have nothing to act on. Any private arrangement is entirely between the two of you and at your own risk.

Do not, and please tell us. Asking a buyer to pay outside the platform removes their protection and is against our terms — it is also the commonest pattern in art fraud, because it leaves nothing to trace. Report it on 85660 15214 or order@hoagallery.in and we will look into the account.

The buyer's money is taken before dispatch, so nobody ships into silence. The packing video is the artist's evidence of condition on leaving. A complaint is judged against the listing, not against whoever is more insistent — a truthful listing and a good video will hold. And courier insurance covers transit damage, which is why shipping with cover is required rather than encouraged.

Anything arranged privately between a buyer and an artist. Money collected by an event host. Damage caused by a courier once a claim has been passed to them and their insurer. A change of mind about a piece that matches its listing. Work bought elsewhere and brought to us. We say this plainly rather than burying it, so nobody discovers it at the worst moment.

Every listing says which. Paintings and drawings are one of a kind — once sold, that piece is gone and no reproduction of it is offered. Photographic works are archival prints, editioned and signed. Nothing is mass-produced and nothing is printed on demand by a third party. Reproductions of an artist's own paintings are not permitted here at all.

Yes. Every original and every editioned print ships with a signed certificate giving the title, medium, dimensions, year and — for prints — the edition number. Keep it with the work; it matters if you ever sell or insure the piece.

The listing states it, and it varies by piece. Unframed work ships flat or rolled depending on medium and size, which also makes it cheaper and safer to send. If you would like a piece framed before it comes, ask — most artists here will arrange it, and the cost and time are agreed with you first.

Dimensions are on every listing in centimetres and inches. The commonest disappointment in buying art online is a piece being smaller in a room than it looked on a screen, so measure it out on your wall with masking tape before you order. Ask and the artist will photograph the work beside something familiar.

Close, not identical. Every screen renders colour differently and no photograph reproduces a painted surface exactly. If precise colour matters for a particular wall, ask before buying and the artist will send further photographs in daylight.

Keep it out of direct sunlight and away from damp and heat sources. Dust a frame with a dry cloth; never use spray cleaner on or near the surface. Unglazed paintings should not be touched — skin oils mark them. Works on paper are best framed behind glass with a mount so the sheet does not touch it.

Yes, a proper GST invoice with the order. Our GSTIN is 03ASHPK6221E1Z8. If you need it made out to a company, give the name, address and GSTIN when ordering rather than afterwards.

Yes — the virtual catalogue presents available work as a flip-through book, which is easier than a grid when you are deciding rather than searching.

Three you can hold. A customer account buys work, tracks orders and keeps a wishlist — no approval needed. An artist account lists and sells your own work. A curator account runs events and programmes. Artist and curator accounts are reviewed before going live and both need a membership plan. You can hold more than one: the account page has a switcher, so a single login can be a customer and an artist.

Sign up, then apply from Become an Artist. Tell us about your practice and show us the work. We look at the work, not your following. Once approved, choose a membership plan, complete your profile and start listing. If we ask for changes, the reason is always given — it is usually something fixable rather than a refusal.

Apply from the curator sign-up page. A curator account is for running exhibitions, workshops, talks and programmes — not for selling your own work. If you do both, you need an artist account too; tell us and we will sort out something fair rather than charging you twice over.

That it reads as a real practice: a clear name, a genuine biography, real work. The one thing always sent back is contact details in the description — phone numbers, WhatsApp, email addresses, website links, payment details such as UPI IDs or bank accounts, and postal addresses do not belong in your profile text. There are proper fields for the contact details you want shown, and we display those. Anything in the free text is removed and the profile returned.

Two reasons, neither about control. A buyer who pays an artist directly after finding them here has no order record, no protection and no route to a dispute — and that leaves the artist exposed too. And published personal numbers attract a great deal of unwanted contact. Use the contact fields, choose what is shown, and let enquiries come through the gallery where there is a record of them.

Allow 24 to 48 hours for anything reviewed — profiles, artwork, events and programmes. Every listing is read by a person before publication and demand is high. We do not publish automatically and we do not skim. If something is time-sensitive, say so when you submit it.

Both accounts, on the same login, and a plan for each — they cover different things. Get in touch before paying twice: if you genuinely do both, we would rather arrange something sensible than have you over-charged.

Original artwork only. Paintings, drawings, sculpture, original prints pulled by the artist. No reproductions of your own work, no print-on-demand, nothing mass-produced, and nothing generated by AI. Photography is the single exception: photographic work sells as signed, editioned archival prints, because that is how the medium is properly collected.

Seven things. Originality — your own work, and original rather than a copy. Quality — does the piece hold up. Image quality — sharp, well lit, colour-true, uncluttered, because it is all a buyer has. Attributes — medium, surface, dimensions, year, framed or unframed, all correct. Description — does it describe the work. Concept — is something being said. Price — sensible for the size, medium and your record. Listings sent back nearly always fail on the photograph or a missing attribute.

From your account choose Post Artwork. Add photographs, attributes and description, set your all-inclusive price, submit. It goes for review — 24 to 48 hours — and shows its status in My Artwork throughout. You can edit any time; substantial changes go back through review.

Flat on, in daylight, away from direct sun. Fill the frame with the work and nothing else — no floor, no easel, no hands. Photograph it square so edges are not skewed. Check the colour against the actual piece before uploading. Add one detail shot of the surface and, for anything large, one showing scale. Good photographs sell work; poor ones are the main reason a listing is returned.

That depends on your membership plan — each allows a number of live artworks, events and programmes. Your account shows what you are using against your plan. At the limit, remove a piece or move to a larger plan.

Read the reason — we always give one — fix that thing and resubmit. It goes back in the queue at the same 24 to 48 hours. Being sent back is not a judgement on your work; most of the time it is a photograph or a missing dimension.

The artist, always. Selling a piece transfers the physical work, not the right to reproduce it. A buyer may photograph work they own for their own purposes; commercial reproduction needs the artist's permission.

Price it all-inclusive, before you list it. The figure you enter is the figure the buyer pays — nothing is added at checkout. So take your price, then add on top: packing materials, your shipping cost, any government tax you owe, and the gallery's convenience fee. What remains is what you keep. Buyers see one clear price with free delivery, which is why work sells here — and it only works if you have done that arithmetic first.

A 10% convenience fee, deducted from your payout once a sale is delivered successfully. It covers transaction protection, the delivery process and the follow-up after a sale. No listing fees, and nothing charged for work that does not sell. The only other cost is your membership plan.

See the pricing page — plans differ for artists and curators, and each sets how many artworks, events and programmes you may have live. Every plan is paid; there is no free tier, because this is a platform for people serious about their practice. Paying yearly costs ten months rather than twelve.

The buyer never pays separately — delivery is included in the price shown. The artist arranges and pays for it, which is why your price must include it. Artists ship from their own studio, so work and frame are packed by the person who made them.

None. The price on a listing is the price paid — delivery included, taxes included, no checkout surprises. The artist knows their fee before listing and sees it on every payout. A buyer is never asked for more after ordering, and an artist is never deducted anything not stated here.

Yes. Tell us the subject, the size, the space it is for and roughly what you want to spend. You will get a proposal covering approach, size, medium, timeline and price before anything begins. Commissions are best started six to eight weeks ahead of when you need the work; large pieces need longer.

An advance to begin, the balance before dispatch. The advance covers materials and reserves the time, and is not refundable once work has started — a commissioned piece cannot simply be resold to somebody else.

You see progress at agreed stages and can ask for changes then, which is exactly why those stages exist. Changes of direction after a piece is finished mean a new commission rather than a revision.

By UPI, or cash on delivery where that has been agreed. Full payment, or a part payment to reserve a piece with the balance before dispatch. Details are given when you order; if anything is unclear, ask on 85660 15214 before sending money.

Yes. An advance takes the work off sale and holds it for you; the balance is due before dispatch. If you change your mind on a ready-made piece the advance can usually be moved to another work. On a commission it is not refundable once the artist has begun.

By UPI. Choosing a plan opens a dialog with our QR code and UPI ID — on a phone it can open your UPI app with the amount filled in. Pay the exact amount, then send the transaction reference or a screenshot. Our accounts department confirms it against the bank and your plan starts then, usually within 24 hours.

No. We hold no card details and take no payment online, so nothing is charged without you choosing to pay. We email well before a plan ends — a month ahead on yearly plans — and you renew as you first paid. Automatic renewal is being worked on. If a plan lapses, posting new work pauses but everything already published stays exactly where it is.

Please do not — and see what you give up if you do. A payment outside the gallery has no order record, no protection and no route to a dispute, and that cuts both ways. If anyone asks you to pay outside the platform, tell us.

The artist, from their own studio or store. Nobody knows better how a particular piece needs packing, and the work passes through fewer hands. The artist chooses the courier and pays for it.

A packing video, filmed in one continuous take, showing the work, its condition and the whole of it being packed. Email it to artist@hoagallery.in with the order number, courier, consignment number and dispatch date. This is not optional. If a piece arrives damaged, that video decides whether it left you sound — without it a dispute will usually go against you.

It must be. Artists are required to ship with a courier whose service covers the work for its full value, and to keep the proof. Transit damage is a matter between the artist and the courier, and the insurance is what makes it recoverable. Choosing an uninsured service to save money leaves you carrying the loss.

Usually a few days to a fortnight within India, depending on distance and whether the piece needs a crate. Large or framed work takes longer to pack properly. You get the courier and consignment number on dispatch.

Yes — the consignment number is emailed on dispatch and shown with the order in your account.

Case by case. International shipping means customs, crating and much higher insured freight, so ask before ordering and we will quote honestly for that piece and destination. Any duty at the destination is the buyer's.

The courier will normally try again or hold it locally. Artwork should not be left with a neighbour or on a doorstep, so give a delivery address where somebody can receive it — an office is often better than a home.

15 days after delivery. The wait is deliberate: it is the window in which a buyer would raise a problem, and paying before it closes would mean clawing money back afterwards. Once fifteen days pass with no complaint, your payout is released less the 10% convenience fee. Every sale and payout is listed under Payouts in your account.

The payout is held while it is looked at. You will be told what has been raised and asked for your side, including your packing video. Most complaints resolve quickly; the hold exists so there is something to resolve them with.

By UPI or bank transfer to the details on your artist profile. Keep them current — a payout to a closed account takes weeks to unwind.

Your earnings are yours to declare. We deduct our convenience fee and nothing else, and your payout record shows every sale, fee and date for your accounts. Price your work with your own tax obligations already included.

Tell us straight away with photographs of the packaging as well as the work, and keep everything until it is settled. We take the artist's packing video and your photographs to the courier, whose insurance covers transit damage. You are kept informed throughout rather than left between two parties.

Raise it and we will look properly. How we decide is simple and the same every time: we compare what you have raised against what the listing actually stated — dimensions, medium, framing, condition, photographs. If the work does not match its listing, that is on the artist and you get your money back. If it matches and the difference is one of expectation — a screen showing colour differently, a piece looking smaller in a room than on a phone — a refund is not usually due. We go by the facts of the listing rather than by who argues hardest, and we always say which part of the listing the decision rested on.

Where the work does not match its listing, where it arrives damaged and the claim is upheld, or where it never arrives. Not for a change of mind on an original piece made or reserved for you. If you are unsure about a piece, ask for more photographs first — every artist here would rather answer questions than take work back.

We aim to give you a decision within the fifteen-day window, so the payout is not held longer than necessary. A courier insurance claim takes longer, as it depends on them — but your position with us is settled first, not held hostage to it.

Tell us. We trace it with the artist and courier. If it is genuinely lost, you are refunded in full — the loss sits with the courier's insurance, which is exactly why insured shipping is required.

Before dispatch, yes, and you are refunded in full. After dispatch it becomes a return, which is only accepted where the work does not match its listing. Commissions cannot be cancelled once the artist has started.

No. We take no event fee of any kind. We list the event and nothing more. All money is collected by the host, directly, at their end — House of Arts does not handle ticket payments, holds no funds and takes no percentage. If you are attending, you are paying the host, not us. Read the listing for how they wish to be paid, and address anything about money, places or refunds to the host.

The host — the artist or curator running it. They set the price, collect the money, manage the guest list and deliver the event on the day. House of Arts provides the listing so people can find it. This matters if something goes wrong: a cancellation or refund is the host's to settle, and we can put you in touch but cannot settle it for them.

Art-related only. Exhibitions, openings, workshops, demonstrations, talks, residencies, portfolio reviews, artist markets. If it would not interest somebody who came here for art, it does not belong — general commercial promotions, unrelated networking and anything using the arts as a pretext are declined. Every event is read by a person before publication; allow 24 to 48 hours.

Several events under one title — a festival with an opening, three workshops and a closing talk is one programme containing five events. It gives the whole thing a single page people can follow rather than five unconnected listings. Programmes are created by curators and reviewed as events are.

No. Interested tells the host you are considering coming and helps them judge numbers — it reserves nothing. To hold a place, contact the host using the details on the listing.

Contact the host — they took the payment and they make the refund. We can pass on a message and we do take repeated complaints seriously when deciding whether to keep listing somebody, but we cannot refund money we never received.

Yes. Private events do not appear in the public listing and are reached only by an invitation link. They are still reviewed before going live, for the safety of everyone involved.

Your name, photograph, biography and practice, your location as far as the city, work for sale and any events you run. Contact details appear only where you have chosen to show them. Your email address, postal address, payment details and account information are never published.

Yes — there is a switch on your profile. Work can still be sold while the profile page stays unlisted, though a public profile sells considerably more.

Your firm or practice name and logo, city, speciality, and the events and programmes you have run — past and upcoming. It is the page people judge you by before writing to you, so keep it current.

The gallery chooses. Featured artists, curators, events and work appear in the promoted sections around the site. It is editorial rather than paid — you cannot buy a place, and being consistently good at listing well is what gets you noticed.

Yes — for homes, offices, studios, shoots and events. Tell us the space, how long you need the work and the feel you are after, and we will put a selection together. Delivery and installation are arranged with you, and pieces can be swapped at the end of a term.

A monthly rate per piece with a minimum term, a refundable deposit, and delivery and collection arranged by us. You look after the work while it is with you; ordinary wear is expected, damage is not.

Very often, yes. Living with a work is the best way to know whether you want it. Ask and we will tell you whether that piece is available and what the rental already paid counts for.

Yes — original paintings as Diwali and Christmas gifts, which is a considerably better gift than another hamper. Tell us the number, the budget per piece and the timeline. Start six to eight weeks ahead of a festival; original work cannot be produced to order at short notice.

Yes. We work with architects, interior designers and hospitality projects across the tricity and Punjab — selection for a specific scheme, sizes to suit the walls, framing and installation. Send the drawings or photographs of the spaces and we will propose against them.

Yes, with a GST invoice to your company details. Give the name, address and GSTIN at the time of ordering. Our GSTIN is 03ASHPK6221E1Z8.

From your account, choose Raise a Ticket. It keeps the whole exchange in one place with your order attached, which is far better than a chat thread when something needs sorting out. You are emailed when we reply, and the ticket stays in your account afterwards.

Yes — book an appointment with the House of Arts support team and we will call at a time that suits. Useful for commissions, rentals, corporate gifting, or a decision you would rather talk through than type. You can also reach us on 85660 15214 or at order@hoagallery.in.

By email, and in the Notifications section of your account. Approvals, orders, dispatches, payouts, ticket replies, event interest and plan reminders all appear there, newest first. Nothing important is left only in a notification — anything needing your attention is emailed too.

Tickets and email within one working day. WhatsApp is usually faster. Reviews of artwork, events and profiles take the full 24 to 48 hours because they are read properly rather than waved through.

Yes, by appointment in Mohali. Say which pieces interest you and we will have them out and properly lit when you arrive.

We hold what is needed to run your account and orders — name, contact details, delivery address, order history. We use it to fulfil orders, to reach you about them and to meet our tax obligations. We do not sell it and we do not pass it beyond what an order requires: a courier gets a delivery address, an artist gets what they need to send your work.

Only what the order requires — your name and delivery address, so the work reaches you. Not your payment details and not your browsing.

Only the gallery. Payment screenshots are kept out of the general media library, and packing videos are used solely to settle a dispute — shown to the buyer or the courier only if a claim requires it.

Yes. Write to order@hoagallery.in and we will remove what we can. Records tied to completed sales must be kept for a period for tax purposes; everything else goes.