Art of the matter

Some time ago, at an art event, a viewer whispered audibly that she could not make out what was so artistic about the painting. This in fact happens quite often. Sometimes, when looking at art exhibited in gallery spaces, one wonders whether everything that is presented as a form of art is really art. Thanks to the popularity wave, art has become a commercially viable venture for many. As a result, along with professional artists, self taught and hobby painters, photographers and architects, there are numerous others, from varied professions, whose experimental endeavors get an opportunity to be showcased at art exhibitions. Out of these, while some are brilliant and it is obvious that they have found their true calling in life, there are others that appear confused or mediocre to the extent that it is impossible to make out what the artist intends to convey. And, then there are some that are downright silly, to put it mildly. However, as most exhibitions these days are accompanied by enough hype to impress the general viewer, it can become difficult to look at them objectively. One can only wonder what the fuss is all about.

In fact, very often the intention behind such projects is genuine even if the resultant product fails to reflect that. There are some that lack in technique or craft or creativity or all of these. Sometimes, and fortunately not so often, one feels that the works should never have been allowed to be publicly displayed in the first place.

Artists that are sponsored and promoted by art galleries have at least been through a selection procedure. The bigger and well established galleries are in fact extremely particular who they promote and associate with. It is therefore self sponsored art shows that are suspect, because anyone can easily rent a gallery space and put up an exhibition of their works. This does not mean that every self-taught artist or an occasional painter is lacking in his craft. There are many senior and renowned artists such as MF Husain, Arpana Caur and Sudhir Patwardhan who are self-taught.

Still, it is important for buyers to be able to confidently evaluate the quality of a work and then invest in it. At the same time, it is equally imperative that artists, especially new ones, obtain critical feedback on their works before displaying them in a public space.

(Published in Bangalore Mirror)

Art exhibitions in the city - Bangalore

Slumdog inspires artists
After the movie Slumdog Millionaire captured the imagination of many at the Oscars earlier this year, it is now inspiring visual artists, enough to dedicate an entire exhibition to it. According to Crimson art resource, “Slumdog Millionaire is a story that any one in the world can identify with. It is a story of rags to riches, optimism amid adversity, ghetto-to-glory. It is a story of love until death do us part. It is a story about people who rise above their circumstances, who are given nothing, who create a dream and become somebody. It is a story of survival, of hope, of destiny and of dreaming big.” Well, titled ‘Big Dreams’, this particular exhibition portrays works by 14 artists who attempt to present their aspirations and ambitions on the canvas.


GR Iranna, KT Shivaprasad, Murali Cheeroth and Babu Eshwar Prasad are some of the artists participating in this show. The works explore urban dichotomies, everyday realities, and consequences of mindless development. Hope and aspirations of people caught up in this web are also dealt with in some places. Slumdog or not, what makes the show interesting is that it is thematic and the most of the works have been created specifically for the event, which adds a thread of commonality that makes it more cohesive.


Incidentally, I must share this piece of new with you, Murali who lives in Bangalore but has shown mainly in Mumbai and Bangalore, is a part of the “Passage to India Part 2 – from the Frank Cohen Collection” which is ongoing in UK. His works are being featured alongside biggies such as Subodh Gupta, Jitish Kallat, Reena Saini Kallat, TV Santhosh and Thukral and Tagra.

(The exhibition continues till April 30, at Crimson - Hatworks Boulevard, Bangalore)

A ‘Skin’ Show

Shibu Arakkal continues his tryst with photography and his recent series focuses on the human skin. Training his lens on to various parts of the human body, Shibu has come with some poignant and some disturbing images. Using a format where motifs recur, Shibu replicates the images to produce a set of stark black and white photographs. As Giridhar Khasnis, who has curated this exhibition, says, “With Skin, the young photo-artist seems to have scaled yet another creative peak. In this series, Shibu explores the landscape of the body through a language of silence.” Having worked on this project for two years, Shibu has attempted to capture various textures, contours, colours, aberrations and beauty of the skin.

(The exhibition will be held between April 16 - 22, at WelcomArt Gallery, ITC Windsor Manor, Bangalore )
(Published in Bangalore Mirror)

Where is the trust vote?

(By Nalini S Malaviya)

During the boom period art was projected as the next biggest investment class and many private individuals and dealers were quick to encash on this popularity wave. During that phase buyers were promised returns anywhere between 100% and 1000%, backed by data that was carefully weaned to suit the purpose. “Investment Art” emerged as a convenient bait to lure buyers to the maximum. The phrase was meant to identify a class of art that was sure to maximize investment. The situation today has altered drastically. One wonders where these promoters are now. What has happened to these so called Investment Art or Artists? The ground reality has always been different from the hype prevailing in the media.

Today, the market is abuzz with investors trying to offload their art. Unsuccessfully. In desperation many are willing to settle for whatever little is offered. This has resulted in the investors being a disillusioned lot. Many people had also invested in art funds, some of which have failed to provide the returns that were promised at the launch of the funds. At least those who have invested in art directly can take solace in the fact that they can see their art on the wall.

A number of people have lost faith in art as an investment. However, one cannot blame unscrupulous promoters and dealers only; some amount of responsibility has to be borne by the investor as well. After all, when one invests a substantial sum of money, say in real estate, one checks the credentials of the builder or developer, looks for clear titles and so on. The same is true for art. How can one invest without doing any background research? It is always essential to have an independent and unbiased opinion in such cases.

In any fast growing field, there will always be many speculators and people who will manipulate the market to suit their own purpose. At one time, many artists too, were churning out works by the dozen when there was a huge demand.

Today, demand is low, prices have fallen, and everyone has the time to introspect. During the last phase, gullible investors who believed they could treat art as stock or shares, and could exit at any point they wished are the ones that have suffered the most. It is only now that many have realized how difficult it is to resell art, especially now when liquidity is hard to find. At the risk of repeating myself, I have to say that this is a particularly bad time to sell, but a good time to buy, if you can afford to.

The market will take a while to recover, and hopefully there will be better regulation soon. And meanwhile, remember the old adage, it maybe clichéd, but still holds true – buy art that you can live with.

(Published in Bangalore Mirror)

Art for arts’ sake - The Big Picture

(By Nalini S Malaviya)

The Big Picture is a concerted effort that brings together 57 artists for a fund raising event in Bangalore. Organized by the India Foundation for the Arts (IFA) the art exhibition presents a wide range of paintings, mixed media works and photographs by young and upcoming, and a few senior artists as well.
According to Arundhati Ghosh, the Deputy Director of IFA, “the idea of organizing an art show as a fund raiser germinated last year and then Abhishek Poddar offered to curate it.” This happens to be the Foundation’s first art exhibition. In fact, in a tremendous show of solidarity, the artists have come forward to donate, in full or in part, the sale proceeds of their works for IFA. Incidentally, IFA is an organization that provides grants for art and culture activities and has been supporting independent research and teaching institutions, cultural and development organizations, musicians, visual artists and filmmakers amongst a host of other professionals in related fields.


For this particular event, well known artists such as Gulammohammed Sheikh, N S Harsha, Jayashree Chakravarty and Mithu Sen, and photographers such as Raghu Rai, Shahid Datawala, and Navroze Contractor are just a few names that comprise the vast list. All the works have been priced under Rs 5 lakhs. The online catalogue offers a promising line-up of works with a significant section devoted to prints.
While, many of the artists may not be a familiar sight on the Bangalore art scene, they have been exhibiting elsewhere. “These are outstanding works by some of our most talented artists and very well priced too keeping in mind the economic situation,” writes Abhishek Poddar in his curatorial note.
The exhibition although happening in Bangalore is also being showcased online and as Arundhati describes it, “It is a national show with a local physical presence.” Here’s hoping that art connoisseurs come forward to support art for arts’ sake.

(The Big Picture will be held between April 5 - 8, 2009, at WelcomArt Gallery, ITC Windsor and from April 10 - 15, 2009, (Sunday closed) at Gallery Sumukha, 24/10, BTS Depot Road, Wilson Garden, Bangalore).
(Published in Bangalore Mirror)

Good time for quality works to emerge

(By Nalini S Malaviya)

With summer approaching there is a slow down of sorts in art activities. As has been the trend in the last couple of years there are fewer art exhibitions that are organized during this period. Apart from that the economic recession too has hit the art market in a big way. Some galleries have even closed shop completely, or partially. There have been instances where certain branches in some cities have closed down, or where some galleries are now opening only by prior appointment. Footfalls have reduced drastically in galleries, and gallery sources reveal that walk-ins are a rare sight these days.

What can a buyer or artist do during this phase?
This is a disconcerting time for people who are interested in art – there are fewer art shows to attend and thereby reduced interaction with other art connoisseurs. On the bright side, this happens to be a good time for those who buy art - either for its investment value or simply because they are passionate about it. Prices are low now and that is an added incentive for many buyers. And, there are works by many young artists on sale, practically everywhere. Due to the relaxed pace of affairs, most artists are also producing better quality works. This is also a good time to learn more about art. One can attend lectures or workshops wherever possible and visit museums. Reading about art always helps.

In the recent past, there has been considerable interest in young and upcoming artists who are talented. However, it is important for such artists to produce a substantial body of work and plan for a long term career. There are a sufficient number of people who are looking at commissioning artists with specific requirements and artists could keep an eye open for opportunities as well. As an artist one should also experiment more during this phase.

The good thing about this phase is that some exceptional works will get created in the process. As quality will take precedence over quantity, it will benefit the art market as a whole.

(Published in Financial Times)