Hues of South : May 10 – 15, 2007, Chitrakala Parishath, Bangalore
11 Jun 2007
Hues of South
Please click on the link http://www.mattersofart.com/june_matter/exhibit_revie/1.html
28 May 2007
Indian Art Scene
(By Nalini S Malaviya)
Investment in Indian art has never looked better before. If reports from international auctions are any indication, Indian art and artists have performed exceedingly well in the recent past. At the Christies auction held in London earlier this month, Indian artists fared extraordinarily well where Syed Haider Raza's ‘La Terre’ (1985) went for 720,000 pounds, followed closely by VS Gaitonde (490,000 pounds), FN Souza (311,200 pounds), MF Husain (132,000 pounds) and Akbar Padmasee (204,000 pounds). Similarly, according to reports from Sothebys, in 2006, artists and artworks from India (and China) performed outstandingly well where Sotheby's Asian Art sales alone totaled US $332,000,000.
The domestic market too is thriving well, with auction houses such as Saffronart recording excellent sales. This in turn spells good news for those owning artworks by well-known Indian artists who are in demand internationally. Remember, in an auction the seller stands to gain the most. Auction houses work on a commission basis and generally the artist does not figure anywhere in the sale proceeds.
Where earlier it was seen that even at international level, Indians and NRIs were the ones investing in Indian art, the trend is slowing changing and the buyer base is now expanding to include non-Indians, as well. Despite, a correction in the prices, (recently, the art index dropped from around 3400 to 2200) the art market continues to sustain itself and is even expected to recover soon. There are a number of domestic and international auctions lined up this year and the results are bound to affect the market.
One has to just look around to realize how extensive and deep the interest in Indian art is - the spurt in number of art galleries, dealers, consultants, art funds all bear testimony to the fact that Indian art is happening and how. The demographic age has also dropped to include buyers in their twenties who are looking at art as part of their investment portfolio. And, the best part with investing in art is its intrinsic value which one can constantly enjoy and derive pleasure from.
(Published in Financial Times)
Investment in Indian art has never looked better before. If reports from international auctions are any indication, Indian art and artists have performed exceedingly well in the recent past. At the Christies auction held in London earlier this month, Indian artists fared extraordinarily well where Syed Haider Raza's ‘La Terre’ (1985) went for 720,000 pounds, followed closely by VS Gaitonde (490,000 pounds), FN Souza (311,200 pounds), MF Husain (132,000 pounds) and Akbar Padmasee (204,000 pounds). Similarly, according to reports from Sothebys, in 2006, artists and artworks from India (and China) performed outstandingly well where Sotheby's Asian Art sales alone totaled US $332,000,000.
The domestic market too is thriving well, with auction houses such as Saffronart recording excellent sales. This in turn spells good news for those owning artworks by well-known Indian artists who are in demand internationally. Remember, in an auction the seller stands to gain the most. Auction houses work on a commission basis and generally the artist does not figure anywhere in the sale proceeds.
Where earlier it was seen that even at international level, Indians and NRIs were the ones investing in Indian art, the trend is slowing changing and the buyer base is now expanding to include non-Indians, as well. Despite, a correction in the prices, (recently, the art index dropped from around 3400 to 2200) the art market continues to sustain itself and is even expected to recover soon. There are a number of domestic and international auctions lined up this year and the results are bound to affect the market.
One has to just look around to realize how extensive and deep the interest in Indian art is - the spurt in number of art galleries, dealers, consultants, art funds all bear testimony to the fact that Indian art is happening and how. The demographic age has also dropped to include buyers in their twenties who are looking at art as part of their investment portfolio. And, the best part with investing in art is its intrinsic value which one can constantly enjoy and derive pleasure from.
(Published in Financial Times)
22 May 2007
‘Any Moment Now’ by artist Ravikumar Kashi
(By Nalini S Malaviya)
Ravikumar Kashi’s new works titled ‘Any Moment Now’ highlight the role of media advertisements in building up expectations, which subsequently breeds desire. The media focuses on creating and increasing dissatisfaction by continuously bombarding the viewer with something better and greater. The advertisements encourage people to spend more money in order to feel better. It is this aspect, which finds place in Ravi’s paintings. In his last show the artist had explored urban complexities and conflicts arising out of media hype. While, these present works are an extension in a sense, they also explore the idea of proximity of images (Sannidhi – the art of proximity), which in turn generate a meaning. For instance, any change in proportion or presence of text results in a change in the entire meaning of the composition. According to Ravi, “I am interested in how these images loose some of their original identity, get altered and gain new meanings when combined with other images and text.” He therefore uses Photoshop as a tool to experiment.
The artist continues his tryst with mediatic imagery, but this series brings out the sense of anticipation, expectation and unfulfilled desires, in today’s fast paced world. The protagonist as if suspended in time, awaits the next moment where an extraordinary future is round the corner. He hopes and waits to experience intense pleasure or maybe even a divine intervention. It also reflects the psychology of the human mind that is ever optimistic and always hopeful for a brighter tomorrow. And, this is what the media exploits and utilizes to the hilt, when selling a product. Ravi believes the media by itself has become an entire secondary reality by all these promotions, and has acquired an independent existence, which cannot be ignored.
The artist has borrowed symbols commonly seen on the computer screen, such as the cursor, sand timer, and hyperlinks to emphasize how deeply these icons are rooted in our consciousness at the moment, and to create the illusion that the painting itself is part of the electronic medium.
The title work, a triptych focuses on the theme of the series, where the central panel depicts a man running, while the two side panels are filled with splashes of color. The imagery hopes to convey the feeling of escaping from reality or running towards one’s goal. It plays upon the aspirational value, which causes such contradictions. The five stars on the top part of the canvas could signify a rating for a movie. ‘Wait a minute’ shows a closed door and a man sitting on an inflated balloon. The sense of waiting, underlying tension and anticipation comes through. ‘Wish’, a distorted and magnified image reflected on the petrol tank of a gleaming new red bike reiterates the desire for all material things - more expensive and more powerful whether it is automobiles or bikes. ‘Pinnacle’ a panel divided into two has a stepladder going up, where the top part of the canvas has a burst of colors, which symbolizes intense pleasure and once again draws attention to power games and the pursuit for happiness.
In his compositions Ravi Kashi juxtaposes sometimes disparate images that complement to generate a new meaning or openly conflict to present a dichotomy. However, the latter works out well whereas, when the images are semi-coordinated the result is somewhat more straightforward and almost predictable. On the other hand, the conflicting images tend to engage the viewer to analyze and interpret the composition. There are a few paper cast works also in a diary like format where visuals and text are used to convey he narrative.
The series will be exhibited from 27 May – 2 June 2007, Air Gallery, London.
Ravikumar Kashi’s new works titled ‘Any Moment Now’ highlight the role of media advertisements in building up expectations, which subsequently breeds desire. The media focuses on creating and increasing dissatisfaction by continuously bombarding the viewer with something better and greater. The advertisements encourage people to spend more money in order to feel better. It is this aspect, which finds place in Ravi’s paintings. In his last show the artist had explored urban complexities and conflicts arising out of media hype. While, these present works are an extension in a sense, they also explore the idea of proximity of images (Sannidhi – the art of proximity), which in turn generate a meaning. For instance, any change in proportion or presence of text results in a change in the entire meaning of the composition. According to Ravi, “I am interested in how these images loose some of their original identity, get altered and gain new meanings when combined with other images and text.” He therefore uses Photoshop as a tool to experiment.
The artist continues his tryst with mediatic imagery, but this series brings out the sense of anticipation, expectation and unfulfilled desires, in today’s fast paced world. The protagonist as if suspended in time, awaits the next moment where an extraordinary future is round the corner. He hopes and waits to experience intense pleasure or maybe even a divine intervention. It also reflects the psychology of the human mind that is ever optimistic and always hopeful for a brighter tomorrow. And, this is what the media exploits and utilizes to the hilt, when selling a product. Ravi believes the media by itself has become an entire secondary reality by all these promotions, and has acquired an independent existence, which cannot be ignored.
The artist has borrowed symbols commonly seen on the computer screen, such as the cursor, sand timer, and hyperlinks to emphasize how deeply these icons are rooted in our consciousness at the moment, and to create the illusion that the painting itself is part of the electronic medium.
The title work, a triptych focuses on the theme of the series, where the central panel depicts a man running, while the two side panels are filled with splashes of color. The imagery hopes to convey the feeling of escaping from reality or running towards one’s goal. It plays upon the aspirational value, which causes such contradictions. The five stars on the top part of the canvas could signify a rating for a movie. ‘Wait a minute’ shows a closed door and a man sitting on an inflated balloon. The sense of waiting, underlying tension and anticipation comes through. ‘Wish’, a distorted and magnified image reflected on the petrol tank of a gleaming new red bike reiterates the desire for all material things - more expensive and more powerful whether it is automobiles or bikes. ‘Pinnacle’ a panel divided into two has a stepladder going up, where the top part of the canvas has a burst of colors, which symbolizes intense pleasure and once again draws attention to power games and the pursuit for happiness.
In his compositions Ravi Kashi juxtaposes sometimes disparate images that complement to generate a new meaning or openly conflict to present a dichotomy. However, the latter works out well whereas, when the images are semi-coordinated the result is somewhat more straightforward and almost predictable. On the other hand, the conflicting images tend to engage the viewer to analyze and interpret the composition. There are a few paper cast works also in a diary like format where visuals and text are used to convey he narrative.
The series will be exhibited from 27 May – 2 June 2007, Air Gallery, London.
20 May 2007
Pricing of Artwork
(By Nalini S Malaviya)
Prices of paintings and other forms of art range from a few thousand to lakhs of Rupees and even millions of dollars (at international auctions). As an investor it is important to know what are the factors that determine the price of an artwork. Art galleries play a significant role in fixing the price of an artwork especially for new artists. For the mid-level artists, the gallery and the artist work in tandem to fix the price.
Some of the guidelines that should be considered when determining the price are - years of experience of the artist, number of shows he's had, current market rates, demand, size, quality and medium of work. For instance, similar sized works but in different mediums (pencil drawing, watercolor or oil painting) by the same artist will vary accordingly.
According to an art gallery the primary factor is the quality of the work, or at least the future promise in the quality of the work. They elaborate, “other criteria for fixing a price for a young artist depends on how "fresh" he/she is on the scene. If the artist has been working for a couple of years without any major solo exposure, but if there is already a certain maturity in his work, we can look at a slightly higher pricing than his contemporaries. If he/she is absolutely new and we need to watch in what direction the artist is going, then we tend to keep prices very affordable in order to encourage art lovers/collectors to invest/spend on the work.”
Similarly for mid rung artists pricing depends on the quality of the work and how much it is evolving - is the artist getting better and a little experimental (trying new themes, approaches, while sustaining identity) or is he/she just forging ahead on an already successful style/ theme? Prices are raised accordingly.
In fact, the gallery has absolutely no say when it comes to senior and well-established artists. Interestingly, prices do not or rather should not vary drastically from one market to another. A painting by an Indian artist should cost approximately the same in London or US. Increased connectivity has ensured greater transparency in dealing. This is also a way to check out the credibility of the art dealer.
Published in Financial Times
Prices of paintings and other forms of art range from a few thousand to lakhs of Rupees and even millions of dollars (at international auctions). As an investor it is important to know what are the factors that determine the price of an artwork. Art galleries play a significant role in fixing the price of an artwork especially for new artists. For the mid-level artists, the gallery and the artist work in tandem to fix the price.
Some of the guidelines that should be considered when determining the price are - years of experience of the artist, number of shows he's had, current market rates, demand, size, quality and medium of work. For instance, similar sized works but in different mediums (pencil drawing, watercolor or oil painting) by the same artist will vary accordingly.
According to an art gallery the primary factor is the quality of the work, or at least the future promise in the quality of the work. They elaborate, “other criteria for fixing a price for a young artist depends on how "fresh" he/she is on the scene. If the artist has been working for a couple of years without any major solo exposure, but if there is already a certain maturity in his work, we can look at a slightly higher pricing than his contemporaries. If he/she is absolutely new and we need to watch in what direction the artist is going, then we tend to keep prices very affordable in order to encourage art lovers/collectors to invest/spend on the work.”
Similarly for mid rung artists pricing depends on the quality of the work and how much it is evolving - is the artist getting better and a little experimental (trying new themes, approaches, while sustaining identity) or is he/she just forging ahead on an already successful style/ theme? Prices are raised accordingly.
In fact, the gallery has absolutely no say when it comes to senior and well-established artists. Interestingly, prices do not or rather should not vary drastically from one market to another. A painting by an Indian artist should cost approximately the same in London or US. Increased connectivity has ensured greater transparency in dealing. This is also a way to check out the credibility of the art dealer.
Published in Financial Times
17 May 2007
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