Are these prices real?

Many young artists are hiking their rates to ride the global price tide you see at auctions. But this won’t pay in the long run, says Nalini S Malaviya

A recent report made out a convincing case that Indian art is undervalued at the moment and prices will go up in the future. Is that true? If you ask the uninitiated, the answer will be ‘Indian art is already over-priced and there is no logic or sense in the million dollar deals that take place regularly, particularly at auctions’. Auction prices apart, most people find it hard to digest the prices of art even in the primary market.
Analysts look at prices from a global perspective based on which prices may be low compared to Chinese or Western art, but the fact remains that Indian art’s climb in the recent past has been spectacular. And, there’s no denying that now it has become unaffordable for many.
One of the problems that have come into focus in the recent times is the many artists trying to ride this wave by increasing their prices with every show. While this is valid for some of them, based on their performance at international shows, buyers find it irritating that students and new artists also price their works exorbitantly even in their first or second show. What they need to remember is that if they raise their prices too soon and too much, they will not be taken seriously by an art collector.

On a slightly different note, I expected more reactions to my earlier column (Till death do us art) about the German artist who was planning to use ‘death’ as a stage performance, as part of his art exhibition. Readers did react to it, but mostly on my blog and that too when I had first reported the event with a link to the original story. But strangely enough, my write-up about Badrinarayan’s drawings seemed to have irked a few readers. Now art, of course, happens to be a very subjective matter, where you may like something, which I may not and vice versa. I have also mentioned in the past, how the definition of art is expanding, and it is not always about aesthetics and beauty. But in this particular instance, what one needs to appreciate is the emphasis and efforts at popularising folk art traditions. You probably know that most folk arts such as Madhubani, Pithora, Warli, and Chittara are on the decline. Badrinarayan’s art may not be immensely cerebral but his usage of clean lines in a folk art style while presenting Indian folklore is quite commendable. Incidentally, his art is also popular at the international level.


(Published in Bangalore Mirror)

Art Tactic - Art Market Report June 2008

Rawfacts - June 2008 Issue
The contemporary art market seems to defy gravity, and the May auctions performed generally in line with expectations. One thing is clear, the art market has polarised around the top-end, which largely appeals to recession proof buyers. But what is happening to the art further down the value chain? Anders Petterson takes a closer look at the situation.


Below is a short summary of the June issue:
Indian art market hit by econonomic woes: The overall ArtTactic Indian Art Market Confidence Indicator fell 13% from the last reading in October 2007. However, despite the fall in the overall ArtTactic Indian Art Market Confidence, the confidence in both the Modern, and Contemporary Indian art markets increased significantly, up 17% and 6% respectively.

Source: http://www.arttactic.com/

Visual tales by a master storyteller

This week I would like to talk about my meeting with artist Badri Narayan and his forthcoming exhibition. After living in Mumbai for several years, the artist shifted to Bangalore a couple of years ago and although he has been suffering from ill health he continues to paint. His zest for life and his spirit remains indomitable and in fact the several paintings that graced his walls, have been painted by him in the last couple of years.

Born in 1929 in Secunderabad, Badri Narayan is a self-taught artist and has been painting for about six decades. He has worked with several mediums such as paintings, ceramics, tiles, woodcuts and engravings. He was honoured with the Padma Shri in the year 1987.

A master storyteller, Badri Narayan weaves tales that are inspired by Indian myth and folklore - the Jatakas, Puranas and other stories. But, the interpretation of these is completely unique and centres round everyday life.
From an early age he was interested in literature, folk tales and visual arts and probably that explains a strong influence of these elements in his repertoire. Compassion, wisdom, kindness are just some of the emotional foci that form an integral part of his narrative. The characters in his visuals may belong to another age and period but the events and episodes portrayed are contemporary in narration and relevance. Relationships and other human traits fascinate the artist and are brought out through detailed depictions. As Badri Narayan’s art draws heavily from the folk arts, the images are stylised and may even appear child-like at the first instance. But there is a rich simplicity that evokes an instant emotional connect. In his colourful watercolour paintings too there is a strong use of the pen and ink with motifs that are repeated for an ornamental purpose. He acknowledges the fact and is happy to promote and present Indian cultural and traditional elements through his art. For instance, there is extensive cross-hatching (tiny criss-crossed lines) done in some of his works. Symbols and metaphors are also often used to emphasize the significance. Despite their illustrative quality the paintings and drawings are fluid and eloquent in their narration. In his new series, a number of drawings are inspired by Hamsa - the mythical swan. The drawings are sparse yet compelling as they spin a new tale.

Badri Narayan’s series of pen and ink drawings titled Hamsa, Jataka and Other Drawings will be showcased at Renaissance Gallerie from June 12 to 18.

(Published in Bangalore Mirror)

Smaller artworks more in demand

It appears that size matters when it comes to sale of artworks. Artists who have a penchant for large-sized canvasses are often asked by galleries to scale down their creations. Online galleries in particular find smaller format works move faster than the larger ones. Living in apartments, especially in metros, translates into multifunctional living spaces, which makes it impossible for buyers to display art that is large-sized. Most of the buyers still buy art for its decorative value and for the sole purpose of putting it up on the wall and beautifying the space. Although, recently, buyers have begun to combine art's aesthetic value with its investment potential, the problem of space remains. There are those investors who buy art and stash it in their cupboards and storerooms but one must remember that paintings can get damaged easily. Scratches, tears, mould, insects are just some of the problems that one can face if the environmental and storage conditions are not conducive. Therefore, it is advisable to hang paintings on the wall and availability of space then becomes a crucial element. Smaller-sized works are generally more affordable and that is also another important factor that aids its popularity.

There are many artists who like to paint on canvasses bigger than 4x5 feet but to find space for them in an apartment maybe a challenge. For instance, Bangalore-based artist Murali Cheeroth who works with very large canvasses feels that he has been getting a very good response for them from his buyers during shows. But, he admits, that an online gallery has approached him and has advised him to come out with a range of smaller works. This, incidentally, can be a challenge for artists who get used to larger-than-life portrayals. On the other hand, corporate offices prefer to go for larger works that can take up a wall. In fact, murals are also popular with corporate set ups. The impact of a large painting, mural or sculpture, is magnified due to its sheer size and it is this very fact that draws the discerning buyer who also has ample wall space.

(Published in Financial Times)

The week that was - Bangalore

Surprisingly, just when I thought nothing happens in summer, there was a lot of creative activity in the city. Remember the sculpture workshop I had talked about a couple of weeks ago? Well it ended recently with all the artists having created at least 1 sculptural piece. The good thing about a workshop such as this is that it offers a fantastic opportunity to watch artists at work. To see the changing shape of the clay over the days was an exciting process. The inimitable Laxma Goud finished with three pieces – complete with ornate designs and elaborate detailing. Talk about energy! Alex Mathew created a fascinating clay model of Francisco Goya’s etching ‘The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters’. I look forward to seeing that in bronze. Jyotsna Bhatt from Baroda worked and conditioned the clay diligently over and over again just as she does with her ceramic pieces, to finally make a delightful cat. Some of you will remember the Ahmedabad based sculptor Karl Antao who had an exhibition of his sculptures in the city last year. Working along similar lines, he made busts of a man and woman joined together at the base. I have to say his works are quite intense and cerebral. I enjoyed Manjunath Kamath’s self-portrait with a quizzical and satirical touch. Reghu and his take on rural men and women are quite well known in Bangalore, he made a similar model here too. All the clay models will be cast in bronze later on and will hopefully be put up for public viewing.

The Kala Utsav was organised by the Department of Kannada and Culture at the newly renovated Venkatappa Art Gallery. Artist SG Vasudev’s catalogue - the Kannada version of his last show ‘Past Forward’ was released during the festival. There seemed to be quite a few artists (50, I’m told) participating in the 5-day event, but unfortunately most of the works that were put up were quite mediocre. However, there were some interesting paintings from Ken School of Art and a few sculptures from CAVA, Mysore.

Finally, last Friday, Ravikumar Kashi held a daylong informal preview of his paper installations that are going to be a part of an international art fair to be held later in the year in Santa Fe. The books have been made out of paper pulp and I had seen some of them before at his studio, but the other works titled ‘What if’ have been made recently. These are similar to an earlier series ‘Armour’ that he had done a couple of years ago.

(Published in Bangalore Mirror)