India Art Summit 2009: good news for contemporary art

Nabila Habib

If facts alone satisfy the practical onlooker, then the figures surrounding the second India Art Summit would make him proud. And for the visionary artist, the summit gives enough promise of support and appreciation to give wind to his fancies. Indian art has come of age, and the just concluded Art Summit has proved that the blooming and fully formed genre has been launched with tremendous success. The overwhelming interest shown by buyers and viewers that visited the Art Summit was truly heartening. The stereotyped unkempt lot of bohemian artists and enthusiasts has given way to kids with cameras; mothers holding the hands of their toddlers and pointing at the ‘butterfly’ or ‘beautiful woman’; glamorous youngsters in the trendiest of outfits lost in the artwork before them; and a gathering of foreigners that would do any exhibition proud! Heavy Support The second India Art Summit won the support of some major names in the field of art and culture. The top among these are Sotheby's, Asia Art Archive, Asia Society, Lalit Kala Academy, The Devi Foundation, and The British Council. The exhibition spanned a whole range of media that included modern and contemporary paintings, sculpture, photography; mix media, prints, drawings and video art by established and budding artists. With such a rich stimulus for almost all the senses, the attraction was understandably huge for the onlooker. Money matters The summit started on Aug 19th and concluded in the evening of August 22nd. Within four days, it generated Rs 26 crores. Neha Kirpal, Associate Director India Art Summit 2009, told Nabila Habib of Spicezee.com, “The total value of artworks on display at the fair was approximately Rs 40-50 crore!” A total number of 250 art works were sold which comes up to a whopping Rs 26 crores. Of these, Anish Kapoor’s work is rumoured to have fetched more than a crore! This has brought a visible exuberance to the Indian art market, shooing away the recession blues far into Europe. Kirpal added, “Last year this figure was Rs 20 crore and more than 50 percent of the total products were sold during the event. This year we have reasons to believe that recession is over in the field of art in Asia. We are selling both affordable and top notch works. Prices have been revised due to recession, but works are selling like anything. There is no more recession in Arts!” Christian Hosp, proprietor of an art gallery in Berlin, is reported to have said, “While in Europe the art market is not stable, Delhi saw an unbelievable response. Moreover, the Europeans want top-quality work at lower price range and take a lot of time before investing in any art work. Recession is a thing of the past as things are picking up. I have faith in the Indian economy.” Organiser’s view-point Talking about the trend of art sales in India, Kirpal elaborated, “The summit is outstanding. Over 40,000 people visited so far. It could be also be because the last day was a Saturday. We had a lot of artists from abroad. Visitors have come from 32 assorted countries. A lot of interest and presence is being felt from the Chinese and Japanese community.” When asked where she saw the Indian art in the next five years, an enthusiastic Neha replied, “Why, I would say within the next two years Indian Art market is going to be among the topmost in the world. We are receiving top notch buyers here in numbers which is not seen in other places. The market is slow in America and Europe, but here we are performing better. It is a world class art fair with participations from across borders.” “The sheer number of big names involved is very encouraging. We have this time 54 galleries representing thirty four countries. Last year there were eleven countries. We have great attractions for the Asian market; we have Seminars, Discussion Panels that include 53 international speakers on Art. Our sales boast of names like Picasso, Amish and Ram Kumar,” she added. Artists and buyers Visitors from 32 countries turned up at the art show including op buyers from New York, London and Hong Kong. Chinese and Korean art collectors also bought art works. Galleries from the US, Middle East and Japan registered brisk sale. It was reported that one gallery from Thailand sold off all its art stuff. Christian Hosp exhibited works of Indian artists in his country. He said, “It made sense to give a platform to artists from here. We showcased works of Suhasini Kejriwal, Vishal Dar and Parul Thacker.” The art summit acted as a catalyst for educating the public about renowned artists like Jamini Roy and FN Souza. Renowned artist Anjolie Ela Menon said the show acted as a meeting point for the artistic community to engage in serious discussions on how to give a fillip to the art scene. Eminent visitors who came to the fair included footballer Baichung Bhutia, adman Suhel Seth, adman, golfer Jyoti Randhawan, fashion designers Nandan Nilekani and Tarun Tahiliani, HCL CEO Shiv Nadar and designer Raghvendra Rathore.