Young talent with potential

We hear and read about successful artists only, but the truth is that for every Husain or Subodh Gupta there are many more artists who are struggling to find a foothold in the world of art. Many have been around for years while others have just begun their artistic trysts, but, on the flip side, there are those with average or mediocre talent who produce poor quality work and still expect to make it to the big league.
Anyway, in this week’s column, I’ve decided to draw attention to two young artists Tikendra Kumar Sahu and Sataban Sarkar who are participating for the very first time in a duo-exhibition. Their works may not be outstanding as of now but seem to have the potential to evolve and mature.

Sataban is studying for a master’s degree in print making at Nandan Kala Bhavan in Shantiniketan, while Tikendra has a bachelor’s degree in painting from Chhattisgarh and a master’s degree in Graphics from Bangalore University.
When I went to the gallery, I met Tikendra who was actively involved in the display of his paintings. He struck me as an intelligent and a very focused young artist who was quite clear about what he was painting and what he wanted to paint in the future. In this series Tikendra has combined relief work with painting on white paper. Using watercolours on embossed sheets, Tikendra internalises dogmas and ingrained values in an effort to question and rationalise them. He uses symbols to convey his thoughts, which sometimes are too literal and tend to focus on being decorative.

However, in his other works, emotional depths to erotic senses are presented subtly and gracefully. An introspective quality characterises these other paintings and there is sophistication in the handling of the theme, as well. In fact, if he can move away from his preoccupation with the decorative style he can do phenomenally better, which luckily he is aware of.

On the other hand, Sataban’s prints on rice paper and cloth are a combination of satire and wit as they comment upon political and social evils. The prints are produced skilfully and those on a single piece of cloth appear far better than a few paper ones. Undoubtedly, there is a raw quality evident in his works, but overall are quite interesting.

(The exhibition is on till May 2 at Right Lines Art Gallery).

(Published in Bangalore Mirror)

Harsha does it again!

Not so long ago, in fact last year in November, NS Harsha created a record when his painting ‘Mass Marriage’ sold for a whopping HK$ 6.4 million at the Christie’s auction of Asian contemporary art held in Hong Kong.

Last week Harsha was awarded UK’s prestigious 40,000 pound Artes Mundi Prize at the National Museum, Cardiff. The award was in recognition of his art that combines story telling with the miniature form of Indian art that he has adapted in a unique style. Harsha’s paintings bring out social and political incongruity with ease and wit. The minute figures form part of an intricate narrative that appears unremarkable on the surface but reveals layers of absurdities and satirical humour on closer scrutiny.
Harsha beat 8 other nominees to win the prize that is considered to be one of the largest international art awards.
Harsha studied painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts, MS University Baroda in 1995. He lives and works in Mysore, Karnataka.

To read an earlier interview with NS Harsha click here (you may have to scroll down quite a bit).

Indian Art at a Crucial Juncture

Indian art is now poised at a crucial stage and in the near future the results from the upcoming auctions will help in indicating the growth rate of the art market. Dinesh Vazirani, Director of Saffron Art auction house, who was recently in Bangalore for a talk on the Indian modern and contemporary art and how it has grown dramatically in the last few years, also pointed out that the next 12 months or so will determine the course of Indian art in the international arena.

The soon to be held Sotheby’s auction of Indian art comprises of 123 lots by a variety of Indian artists – both modern and contemporary. On May 2, London is expected to be abuzz with the colours of Indian art. The Sotheby’s auction is expected to bring in around 24,00,000 GBP. The auction will feature works by artists such as Jamini Roy, S H Raza, Ramkumar, Shakti Burman, Badri Narayan, Laxma Goud, Krishen Khanna amongst others.

FN Souza’s ‘The Red Road’ has the highest estimated price between 250,000 – 350,000 GBP, followed by Akbar Padamsee’s two works that are estimated between 150,000 – 250,000 GBP each. Incidentally, 11 works by Souza ranging from a lower estimate of 3,000 GBP (for the lowest priced work) onwards will be placed for bidding. Whereas, ‘The Thief of Baghdad’, a diptych painted by MF Husain is estimated to fetch between 100,000 – 150,000 GBP. There are 7 works by Husain too where the lowest priced work begins at a lower estimate of 30,000 GBP.

There are two works by Rabindranath Tagore as well, titled ‘Bird’ (pen and coloured inks on paper) and ‘The Death Scene’ (gouache and coloured inks on paper) which will also be coming up for bidding. Then there are works by Subodh Gupta, Atul Dodiya, Jitish Kallat, T V Santosh, Sudhir Patwardhan, Chintan Upadhay and Shilpa Gupta amongst a bevy of others.

All eyes are now on this auction and the results will be of special significance for collectors and investors of Indian art.

Divergent Discourses

Last week saw Dinesh Vazirani, Director, Saffronart - an online auction house - giving a talk in Bangalore. He delivered a lecture on modern and contemporary Indian art before a select gathering of art collectors, gallery owners and art aficionados. What made the evening particularly interesting was that such interactions between the various members of the art community are rare in Bangalore.
The event, organised by Tangerine Art Space, was part of the opening of their art exhibition ‘Divergent Discourses’ that featured established artists such S G Vasudev, Yusuf Arakkal, Manu Parekh, Jogen Chowdhary, Krishen Khanna, Laxma Goud, Rameshwar Broota, Rini Dhumal, Surya Prakash and T Vaikuntam, amongst others. The single-day exhibition at the venue now continues online on their website.

Dinesh Vazirani focused on the timelines of Indian art, how it has evolved over the years, and in particular, how the art market has grown exponentially over the years. He also touched on the various factors that impact pricing and the state of the market.
The contemporary art market has grown spectacularly in the last couple of years and Vazirani elaborated upon it with facts and figures. You will remember, last year, at the Christie’s auction of Asian contemporary art held in Hong Kong, Harsha’s painting ‘Mass Marriage’ went for a hammer price of HK$ 6.4 million, which was a record for any Indian contemporary artist. N S Harsha, who lives in Mysore, made one of his rare appearances and was present at the talk. He was given a much-deserved standing ovation. Harsha happens to be not only incredibly talented and extremely grounded, but also one of the most articulate (minus the sales pitch) artists I have met.
One must give credit to Leena Chethan the Founder Director of Tangerine Art Space for organising such an event. Incidentally, Leena drew a lot of flak for the first art show that she had organised a couple of years ago.

But, coming back to the present, an interactive forum such as this is vital in bringing together all players connected with the art field. It also leads to a healthy discussion, and creates a positive atmosphere for the city’s art lovers. Hopefully, such interactions will eventually also help in bringing more transparency (much needed) to the market.

(Published in Bangalore Mirror)

Affordable art with investment value

How the definition of affordable art has changed over the years! Having grown at a furious pace in the last few years, the Indian art market is currently estimated to be valued at around Rs 1,500 crores. And, market sources predict that Indian art is likely to continue its impressive performance, but what is unclear or has an element of ambiguity is the growth rate. Whether the market grows at the same spectacular rate it has seen in the past remains to be seen. Despite this most experts feel that Indian art is one of the safest investment options, provided one invests after a thorough research and looks at it as a long term asset.

Affordability is surely a relative term. Earlier where one looked at investing Rs 10,000 to 50,000 on a painting; prices have now climbed substantially higher and now involve more than five digits. A few years ago one could buy an average sized work of art with associated investment value for less than a lakh, whereas now one would have to spend at least Rs 2 lakhs and above to pick up an artist with some investment potential. In fact, those contemporary artists who are considered to be ‘safe’ in terms of their investment potential are available only above Rs 5 lakhs. Unfortunately, these high figures can be a major deterrent to those looking at buying an affordable range of art that goes beyond decorative purposes.

Galleries and dealers are therefore introducing new artists with attractive pricing to plug the resultant gap in the market. This also helps in broadening the buyer base. At the same time this bodes well for young artists and promising talent. Students, fresh graduates and artists with 2 to 3 years experience are in a better position than ever before to sell their artworks. The demand for affordable art ensures that gallery representatives scout actively for reasonably priced artists and these are then marketed aggressively to create a clientele.

(Published in Financial Times)

An exhibition to die for - literally

I came across the following article in 'The Art Newspaper' and wanted to share it with you. Click on the link below to read the full story and let me know what you think. Do you think it is sensationalizing art or is it a natural extension of creativity? I look forward to your opinions.

- NM

An exhibition to die for—literally
LONDON. The German artist Gregor Schneider is planning the ultimate performance piece: showing a person dying as part of an exhibition. “I want to display a person dying naturally in the piece or...

(Courtesy: The Art Newspaper)

Abstraction

Have you stood before an abstract work of art and wondered what it was? Well, you’re not alone. Most of us have trouble understanding a non-representational or a non-figurative painting - in other words a painting that has no recognizable form or objects. Going back in time, abstract expressionism developed as a result of a movement that began in the late 1940s and picked up momentum during the 1950s. You might be familiar with artist Jackson Pollock’s experiment with a dripping can of paint and a canvas placed on the floor. Pollock swung his arms around over the canvas and this process called action painting resulted in an abstract work. The idea was that these intuitive movements gave expression to an artist’s creativity at the sub-conscious level.

To understand an abstract art that is completely non-specific, sometimes, it needs to be placed in context - the artist’s life, background and environment help to relate to the artwork. A good abstract art should visually draw the viewer and have an impact on him. I bought a couple of paintings from Hariraam, an artist from Chennai (his abstracts that explore the concept of time and space are amazing), and what he said makes perfect sense, “to understand abstraction you need to put in a certain amount of effort. What you need is sensibility, and not necessarily intelligence. Remember, a work of art is not a piece of wizardry. An artist creates by virtue of his own inner process and then offers it to the viewer.” Some of the well-known Indian artists celebrated for their abstracts are VS Gaitonde, J Swaminathan, V Vishwanadhan and Prabhakar Kolte.

Now, Sheetal Gattani, an artist from Mumbai is exhibiting her recent abstracts in Bangalore and her minimal palette is a delight to watch. Watercolors and acrylics on paper and canvas respectively have been layered extensively to create these non-representational paintings. Devoid of any form and identifiable elements her abstracts are minimal in all aspects. She explains, “I seek to paint without any past conditioning. I’d like the viewer to experience the same… To me it’s important to paint without a mind, just responding to the medium, light and space, the unity of it all. I enjoy the labour, the deepening and unfolding of layers.” Perhaps that best explains her paintings that otherwise defy categorization or justification.

(The exhibition will be on till April 25 at Gallery Sumukha, Bangalore 27.)

(Published in Bangalore Mirror)

Art Contest: Call for Entries

OFAC is India’s first Online Fine Art Competition, a unique contest offering artists a platform to value their creative talent and an opportunity to shape their future. This is the first time that Indian Artists will get the opportunity to participate in an ONLINE ART COMPETITION. The nature of the competition does away with geographical limitations, thus enabling artists across the country to compete.

The contest will remain open for a period of 45 days, from 15th April ’08 until 31st May ’08.

In order to ensure quality content & participation, the OFAC will accept entries from only BFA, MFA Graduates, Diploma Holders & Final year Diploma Students. Each participant will submit 2 entries through our website http://www.smartnu.com/

To view details please click on link below
http://www.smartnu.com/ofac/main.html

From the applications received, the jury will select 12 finalists.
The winner and runner up will be selected from amongst those 12 finalists.
The results of the competition will be announced on 20th June 2008.

Do go through the terms and conditions carefully
http://www.smartnu.com/ofac/OFAC-TermsConditions-English.pdf


Best of Luck!
NM

Buying at an Auction - a few tips

Auctions of Indian modern and contemporary art are gaining in popularity with new auction houses coming up and with an overall increase in demand for Indian art.
The biggest advantage with buying at an auction is that an artwork that is rare or rates high on a collector’s wish list is likely to come up only at such events. And, therefore when a collector or an investor picks up such an artwork, prices are only going to appreciate in the future. This is not to say that auctions are only for the seasoned collector or investor. New buyers looking to add value to their investment portfolio may also consider picking up a few good pieces at an auction. When buying at an auction the credentials and the reputation of the auction house is a very important factor that needs to be considered.

Here are a few pointers for prospective buyers looking to bid at an auction:
Prospective buyers need to register themselves, either at an official website for an online auction or with the auction house at a physical auction prior to the event. Usually there is a detailed form that needs to be filled up.
The catalogue listing all details pertinent to the artworks (lots) and other sale details are available through the auction house.
One must carefully go through the catalogue and check the information regarding the artists, size, medium, provenance and the estimated prices.
Once you have short-listed the artworks you are interested in, you should validate them at the viewing, which is organized before the actual auction date. Generally the viewing is organised at one or more venues (it could even be different cities) and offers an opportunity for the prospective buyer to get a feel for the artwork (check its condition, etc).
Go though the fine print regarding service charges, taxes, commissions and other charges, if any.
Find out about the bidding procedure – it can be usually done in person, through a representative or over the phone, and on the Internet, in case of an online auction.

It is always advisable that you consider your budget and define your upper limit before you actually start bidding.

(Published in Financial Times)

Sculpture by the Sea

Last week, I talked about Reghu and his sculptures. And, coincidentally, a press release that came to me recently from Australia was also about an art fest held there in the month of March. At the fourth annual Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe exhibition in Perth, the Cottesloe Beach was transformed into a sculptural delight. The event featured 54 entries from Western Australian artists and invited artists from across the world (12 other countries) for instance Iceland, Japan and India. This happens to be Australia’s largest outdoor public exhibition of contemporary sculptures, and in fact there’s another one coming up - ‘Sculpture by the Sea’ in Bondi, Sydney, in October.
Now, the Indian artist who participated in this show was Abir Patwardhan, a sculptor who studied at the M S University, Baroda, and lives in Pune. He, in fact, exhibited his sculptures in Bangalore last year with a show ‘Prayer for the Porcupine’, a delightful series of whimsical works done in beaten copper. In Australia too, Abir’s work, ‘New Beginning’, was very popular and was bought by a local buyer. Good for Indian art.

Abir Patwardhan's 'New Beginning'

An open air exhibition of sculptures sounds like an extremely exciting prospect both for the artist and the viewer. One sincerely hopes that the concept of a project like this can be replicated or adapted here.
Strangely enough, I read that this year during the Harmony show in Mumbai, no awards were given to the emerging sculptor category. Apparently, the reason given was that there were no good quality competitors in that segment. What a pity. Where have all the good sculptors gone?
Sculptures are now gaining more acceptance as an investment instrument and artists such as Subodh Gupta and Ravinder Reddy are doing exceptionally well at international auctions. Most sculptures by well-established artists translate into good money, comparable to that of paintings. However, at the micro-level, the problem with sculptures is that you have to find a suitable place to display them. Size can be a major deterrent and unless you live in a sprawling bungalow, it is an impossible task to find an appropriate location for a decent-sized sculpture. Also, sculpting requires special facilities to be able to work with different materials and media. It takes more time and effort to create a sculpture. It is no surprise then that there are a lot more painters than sculptors in the country.

(Published in Bangalore Mirror)

Is decorative art an investment?

With so much being written and discussed on art, it is no surprise that most people would like to own a few works of art. But, unfortunately with rising prises the gap between art lovers and artworks has significantly increased. Therefore, even if one covets a Subodh Gupta or a TV Santosh, very few may actually be able to afford them. It is no surprise then that people look for suitable alternatives or substitutes. And, this is where decorative art finds its niche. Paintings and assemblages are growing in popularity. Often these are made by hobby painters and other small time artists and although they may be aesthetically pleasing and coordinating well with the décor, these are unlikely to be a sound investment from a financial angle.

In fact, thanks to the interest in everything related to art, the decorative art industry is growing and thriving. They are quick to produce artworks that have a mass appeal - brightly coloured landscapes, so called abstracts and reproductions of famous paintings form some of the popular choices. Ornate, elaborate and ‘fancy’ frames help in enhancing the visual factor. One has to admit these fit well into the interior décor scheme and add an element of ‘art’ on the walls. Costing anywhere from Rs 5000 to up to even a lakh or more these have become an integral part of home and office décor and no one can deny their ‘trendy’ look.
The biggest advantage with such artwork is that it can be customized specifically to the client’s needs. Furnishings, wall colours, and other accents can be coordinated with the artwork to give a unique feel. The disadvantage, if it can be called that is that these can hardly ever be a financial investment and will therefore lack in resale value. But then as most buyers who opt for such works will be looking at it from a different perspective, it is a win-win situation for all.

(Published in Financial Times)

Ceramic art (Sculptures by G Reghu)

I first came across Reghu’s sculptures about four years ago. Tiny ceramic figures that were based on groupings of men, women and children in animated postures caught my eye. Simple, earthy and quite minimal the figures seemed to be suspended mid-air while depicting various emotions. What stood out the most was their innocent child-like charm. Reghu hasn’t changed much over the years but his sculptures are now larger, they sport a ‘glaze’ finish, and there is a lot more variation in the grouping of figures. The artist comes from a traditional agricultural family, and his sculptures are also inspired by rural lifestyles and traditions. One can even say that his art is an ode to the Indian villager and celebrates their indomitable spirit as they go about their daily existence. Mother and child, or the entire family, cows, and heads of men and women form some of his sculptures. The simplicity and the banality of everyday life that he depicts characterize his figures. At the preview these sculptures were arranged in a garden where they formed a charming set of artworks. In fact, some of these figures reclining on chairs are quite amusing to look at. Devoid of embellishments, the small figures and also the larger sets strike a chord with their rustic appeal.

Reghu’s style of working involves sketching out his sculptures in detail through drawings. He then follows essentially the coil technique to create the figures, which he then fires in a wood kiln, and uses special techniques to obtain a glossy or a glazed look. He incidentally is a graduate in sculpture from the College of Fine Arts, Trivandram and although he began with stone as a medium, he later moved on to working with indigenous materials. He was closely associated with J. Swaminathan at Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal and that has also strongly influenced his works.
His sculptures have no doubt evolved over the years and he has experimented with bronze as well. However, one hopes to see more variation in his choice of theme and the medium in future.

(An exhibition of his sculptures was on till March 26 at Time and Space Art Gallery, Bangalore)

( - Published in Bangalore Mirror)