Delhi has had the privilege of hosting one of the major art events,India Art Fair,for 6 years now. Shubhasree Purkayastha expresses how India Art Fair is a perfect platform not only to explore and experience a different creative space but also how it is the right platform to make art reach where it is appreciated.
During my time as a student, the most anticipated event for us every January was the India Art Fair. Held in the vast complex of Pragati Maidan and now, in NSIC grounds, Okhla, the fair brought together all kinds of visual arts under one roof – from Modern to Contemporary works, being exhibited by both national and international galleries. It is the only of its kinds in India, where marketing and appreciation of art happens on that big a scale of 20,000 square meters.
Being from the background that I am, I was never inclined towards the workings of the art market, and would visit the fair every year to learn, analyse or to just enjoy the works. Eventually, I entered the “gallery-world” and that made me look at the fair in a completely different manner. From being the spectator, I was now an exhibitor and over the last two years of working with the fair, I saw a completely different side of its workings – be it setting up of a booth to managing client-relations.
The 6th one this year, the India Art Fair was held from the 30th of January to the 3rd of February 2014. At one level it could not stand up to the previous years’ success rate. There was a significant decrease in the number of participating galleries and there was a drastic reduction in the sale numbers as well.
Without going into the marketing details, I wish to indulge in a walk-through with some of the works that caught my attention. The contemporary art scene in India does not connect to me in many ways and levels. Yet, at the fair, I could still find works that appealed to me and what follows is a brief account of these works.
Among the contemporary Indian artists, I have always been a fan of the artist couple Atul and Anju Dodiya. This year, while Atul Dodiya’s new series of shutters attracted a lot of attention, I was intrigued by a small watercolour on canvas by Anju titled “Death and the Maiden (After Hans Baldung)”.
Anju is known for her self-portraits addressing issues such as self-conflict, fear and anxiety. In this very recent work, the imagery is derived from a work with the same title by German painter-printmaker Hans Baldung. In her work, however, the maiden is the artist herself gripped by the fears of creative-death.
Another contemporary artist who is undoubtedly among my favourites is the Anglo-Indian Desmond Lazaro. Living in Pondicherry, far away from the tangles of the market, Desmond’s painstakingly produced works never fail to touch my heart. His most recent work at the fair very simply titled “Blue and Gold”, inscribes a couplet in gold from the Bhagavata Purana about Krishna’s ‘Rasa-Lila’. Produced on handmade paper with organic colours, his work is always testimony to the fact that many contemporary artists still employ draughtsmanship, patience and manual skill.
What I admire about this artist is precisely the above point, the fact that he has not given himself up to the current trends of installations or “new media”. He manages to produce works with current significance, while at the same time not losing touch with tradition.
While talking about new media and installation, mention must be made of Reena Saini Kallat’s solo installation that greeted people entering the main hall – a larger than life stamp that read “A change in weather is sufficient to recreate the world and ourselves.” The artist, being mostly known for her various works done using stamps as a medium, has used the same to convey a social message about global warming and its imminent dangers.
L.N.Tallur has a background in Museology. Hence all his works have a raw, “freshly dug out from earth” feel and look. While last year’s fair witnessed a large sculptural work covered in cow-dung, this year he decided to use wet clay. In the work titled “Path Finder II”, a sitting figure of a middle aged man confronted a car tyre that sprayed mud on him. The work addressed issues of mid-life crisis, running the rat-race and humoured the idea of spiritual seeking.
Another contemporary artist, well known for coming up with quirky and witty works is Valay Shinde. From constructing a cow-hide with badges displaying portraits of farmers from rural India, he has progressed now to a tiffin displaying Mumbai dubba-walahs and an Iron with portraits of your locality’s “press-wala”. What I found most intriguing was his work where two halves of an onion were placed side by side along with a knife. On looking closely, one could trace the map of the world on one of these halves. It does not need explanation to understand what the work suggested – a statement on the present situation of world politics, and how dividing the world would only end in tears (just like when one cuts an onion).
This year’s fair also showed a variety of photo series. From galleries like “Tasveer” and “Photoink” dealing exclusively with photographic works to solo projects of Riyas Komu titled “House of Collectors”, photographs were in abundance. My personal favourite was Pablo Bartholomew’s black-and-white series, “Outside In: A Tale of 3 cities” and Jean Francois Rauzier’s hyper-photos inside light-boxes.
Compared to previous years, a shift could be seen from installations to canvases in this year’s edition of India Art Fair. There was a higher concentration of modern and post-modern works, both national and international. The few artists and works that made my day were the brilliant Razas (almost every other gallery was showing a Raza!), a small mother-and-child sculpture in bronze by Ramkinker Baij at Delhi Art Gallery and original works of pop artist Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.
It is, of course, impossible to mention every single work that I connected to at this event. Suffice it to say that the show was a success in some ways, disappointing in some others. It cannot be denied that India is a booming economy and thus has great potential in the field of art-marketing. An event like this acts as a definite boost economically as well as creatively to art professionals and the layman alike.
Another major area of concern in the Indian art scene is that the gap between art and the mass has widened over the past few years. For multiple reasons, the ‘art-world’ is perceived as an elitist strata, out of reach for the general populace. A layman is intimidated by a gallery space or an art-event. This, as a consequence, widens the gap even more and is an absolute digression from the basic purpose behind art-making.
An event like this attempts to curb that distance and detachment between the maker and who the work is made for. It brings people together, and opens up a world of aesthetic enquiry and appreciation.
Hopefully, it succeeds.
