Four of a kind

(By Nalini S Malaviya)
At the recently held art summit several works of art competed with one another to catch the visitor’s eye. Anish Kapoor’s installations were of course the biggest draw at the fair. Then, names such as Ravinder Reddy whose iconic Head in a brilliant red and Subodh Gupta, whose large scale installation made out of utensils created an impact right at the entrance. While, Nataraj Sharma’s humongous installation made out of metallic wire and tiny airplanes and Manjunath Kamath’s digital montage were outstanding. Apart from these well known names there were several others that were truly brilliant and that stood out either because of the thought process behind them, or they were just so spectacular that they could not be ignored. Although there were many that grabbed my attention, I have listed four of these below.

Sandata ni Lila by Lirio Salvador
A sculptural assemblage by an artist from Philippines is essentially a guitar made out of scrap that stood against the wall at The Drawing Room, a contemporary art gallery based in Philippines. The stringed instrument was made out of gears, mixing bowls, utensils and door handles, and the interesting part of this assemblage was that visitors were encouraged to pluck at the strings. The musical instrument was a creative fusion of art and music.


One Thousand Tears by Suchitra Gahlot
This installation comprised of a thousand 10 ml bottles containing artificial tears and a typewriter. Based on the replies that one thousand people gave to the question “Why did you cry last?” the vials were labeled. This installation caught my attention with its simplicity and poignancy.


Black River by El Anatsui
A massive installation on the wall spanning approximately 8 feet by 12 feet made out of aluminum bottle caps and copper wire was displayed at the Sakshi Gallery. This stunning piece of work could not be ignored by any stretch of imagination.


Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious by Princess Pea
At the Rob Dean Art – a U.K. based gallery one encountered a fun and quirky series of photographs and installations that used a cartoon character to create the artworks. The stall was buzzing with activity with the artist wearing a ‘cartoon head’ while posing with the visitors, and offering everyone cupcakes. Although, the theme of the project was based on the angst that the artist faced in her growing up years as she was very thin, and was always reminded that her head was too big for her body. However, the treatment was fun and made literal use of cartoon figures. This one caught ones attention with its sense of humor, and the novelty of execution.

(Published in Bangalore Mirror)

India Art Summit

(By Nalini S Malaviya)

Last week, I was in New Delhi to attend the second edition of the India Art Summit 2009 being held at Pragati Maidan. The VIP and media preview organised on the 19th, from 3:00 PM in the afternoon saw the who’s who from the art community get together for this much awaited event. A Sculpture Park created right at the entrance greeted visitors with its large scale sculptural installations by artists such as Navjot Altaf, G. R. Iranna, Vibha Galhotra and Ravinder Reddy
amongst others. Beginning from the foyer, installations by some of the best known names in the art business were placed strategically at various locations throughout the exhibit area. These were specially created for the summit as part of the Purple Wall Project curated by Gayatri Sinha. Installations by Subodh Gupta, Nataraj Sharma, Riyas Komu, Manjunath Kamath, T. V. Santosh and Subba Ghosh were some of the exhibits that were on display.


Out of the 54 galleries participating in this year’s fair, 17 were from abroad. Lisson Gallery, London, Arario Gallery, China, Beck & Eggeling, Germany, Galerie Christian Hosp, Germany were some of the major overseas galleries. Incidentally, galleries Sumukha and Ske were the only two from Bangalore who participated in the fair. The highlight of the exhibits had to be the sculptural forms and paintings by the Mumbai born artist Anish Kapoor, who is based in London, and whose works were brought to India by Lisson Gallery. In fact, this is the very first time that his works have ever been showcased in the country of his birth.


There was so much art all around that it would be impossible to go into details of all the exhibits, but to give an idea, the variety ranged from Souza and Raza at the Delhi Art Gallery stall, drawings and etchings by Picasso at Beck & Eggeling, a large triptych by Jitish Kallat at Arario and Thukral & Tagra at Nature Morte. Apart from these names there were numerous other artists who shared space in the gallery stalls. Unfortunately, some of the larger works were displayed in such a way that there was no viewing space in front of it, which was such a pity!
There was also a video lounge and a Speaker’s Forum that included eminent personalities from the field of art, both from India and abroad.

The four day modern and contemporary art fair provided an excellent opportunity to view art by some of the best known artists from India, as well as emerging artists - all under one roof. Compared to last year, the fair this time was not only bigger in terms of scale, but the quality was also better in terms of the galleries participating in it, and the artists that were represented. Obviously, not all the exhibits can be categorized as exceptional art, but overall it was quite good and definitely an event worth visiting.

(Published in Bangalore Mirror)

Art is back

(By Nalini S Malaviya)

If sales at the India Art Summit are anything to go by, one can conclude that art is once again back in demand. And, the good news is that buyers now have the means to pay for it. According to art summit sources, sales worth approximately Rs 25 – 26 crores were made during the 4-day modern and contemporary art fair, held in the capital. More than 40 thousand footfalls were recorded to indicate that these many people visited the fair. These reports indicate a reawakening of interest in art, and is a positive sign for the Indian art market in general.


At the second edition of the Art Summit held earlier this month many buyers were spotted finalizing deals. In comparison to last year, this year’s event managed to gather top galleries from the country, showcased the biggies from the Indian art world, and also managed to convert a lot of interest into sales. An important point to remember is that at the moment art prices are comparatively less than what was seen last year. This, in fact, makes it a good time to buy art.

As galleries from Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata and a few from abroad, participated in the summit, it meant that there was a wide selection of art on offer. With the cash register ringing, galleries and artists have come away happy. The sales happening after a particularly dull period in recessionary times gives more reason for cheer. And now that experts feel that the economic scene is looking up, it is all the more reason for buyers to turn to art for investment purposes. After all, as in any other investment, it makes sense to buy when the prices are low.

Hopefully, the next edition of the Art Summit will be bigger and better with more focus on emerging artists and increased participation from the well known international art galleries.

(Publsihed in Financial Times)

India Art Summit – an opportunity for networking

(By Nalini S Malaviya)

The second edition of the India Art Summit kicking off two days from now, promises to be a meeting ground for members of the art fraternity. A mix of curated projects, gallery stalls, educational programmes, art films and speaker forums, the summit offers its visitors plenty of opportunity to get initiated into art and into interact with artists and connoisseurs. Art collectors, investors, critics and other members of the art community from across the country are looking forward to the art extravaganza. However, how much of this enthusiasm is affected by the H1N1 flu and the resultant travel advisories remains to be seen.

According to Neha Kirpal from the India Art Summit, "It's the one time of the year that every member of the Indian art community convenes, participates, and benefits from coming together. The exchange and dialogue happens on many levels - while discussing trade in the art fair, debating issues in the speakers' forum, informal chats over coffee, or wine, or an evening out at one of the fifteen collateral events"

This year 54 galleries, including 17 from around the world – from UK, China, Philippines, Germany, UAE and USA are amongst those who are participating. In this edition, the international speaker forum includes topics related to the economic and social implications of globalism and globalization, emerging markets, valuation of art, and conversations between artists and critics. The panel of speakers includes curators, critics, artists, collectors and representatives from museums and galleries from the world over. The Sculpture Park is going to be another major attraction that utilizes an open-air space at the entrance of the fair, where large-scale outdoor sculptures and installations will be showcased. The Purple Wall Project is a curated project that has been specially conceptualized and will be exhibiting installation art and a Video Lounge that will showcase video art by contemporary Indian as well as international artists.

A wide cross-section of art both conventional and conceptual will be on display thus offering collectors and investors a unique opportunity to not only enhance their understanding of art, but to also discover latest trends in international art.

(Published in Financial Times)

India Art Summit – an opportunity for networking

(By Nalini S Malaviya)

The second edition of the India Art Summit kicking off two days from now, promises to be a meeting ground for members of the art fraternity. A mix of curated projects, gallery stalls, educational programmes, art films and speaker forums, the summit offers its visitors plenty of opportunity to get initiated into art and into interact with artists and connoisseurs. Art collectors, investors, critics and other members of the art community from across the country are looking forward to the art extravaganza. However, how much of this enthusiasm is affected by the H1N1 flu and the resultant travel advisories remains to be seen.

According to Neha Kirpal from the India Art Summit, "It's the one time of the year that every member of the Indian art community convenes, participates, and benefits from coming together. The exchange and dialogue happens on many levels - while discussing trade in the art fair, debating issues in the speakers' forum, informal chats over coffee, or wine, or an evening out at one of the fifteen collateral events"

This year 54 galleries, including 17 from around the world – from UK, China, Philippines, Germany, UAE and USA are amongst those who are participating. In this edition, the international speaker forum includes topics related to the economic and social implications of globalism and globalization, emerging markets, valuation of art, and conversations between artists and critics. The panel of speakers includes curators, critics, artists, collectors and representatives from museums and galleries from the world over. The Sculpture Park is going to be another major attraction that utilizes an open-air space at the entrance of the fair, where large-scale outdoor sculptures and installations will be showcased. The Purple Wall Project is a curated project that has been specially conceptualized and will be exhibiting installation art and a Video Lounge that will showcase video art by contemporary Indian as well as international artists.

A wide cross-section of art both conventional and conceptual will be on display thus offering collectors and investors a unique opportunity to not only enhance their understanding of art, but to also discover latest trends in international art.

(Published in Financial Times)