The greatest art show of India – the India Art Summit – will begin on 21 January 2011 at New Delhi's Pragati Maidan. For veteran artist Arpita Singh, whose work Dream Wish was recently auctioned for Rs 9.6 crore ($2.24 million) in Mumbai, the summit has blossomed in just three years from a small event to something spectacular. Initially, Arpita was not impressed by the summit, but today, she says, the summit is almost like a “religious fair that a devotee cannot miss”.
Grand showcase
The three-day summit will showcase works of 500 artists, and 84 galleries will participate in the mega show, of which 34 galleries are from 20 countries including France, Germany, Britain, the US, Spain, Australia, Switzerland and Singapore. Almost all top Indian artists and several upcoming artists will display their works. This time there will be 11 solo shows, while at the the previous summit there was only one; a sculpture park; curated walks for art collectors; and public talks and seminars by internationally-acclaimed speakers such as Homi Bhabha (Director of the Humanities Center, Harvard University), Sheena Wagstaff (Chief Curator of Tate Modern), Hou Honru (Director of Exhibitions and Public Programmes, San Francisco Art Institute) and India-born British sculptor Anish Kapoor. The summit promises to be a treat for art lovers.
“From the start, our objective was to create a window into the Indian art market, “says Neha Kirpal, Director of India Art Summit. “We wanted to facilitate the growth of Indian art and its market within India, and to create a consolidated platform of Indian art for the world outside. In the last two years, the summit has seen tremendous growth, in terms of scale and scope.”
“The summit gives everyone from India and the world an opportunity to congregate in a well-organised event and participate in different capacities,” says Roshini Vadehra, Director of the Vadehra Art Gallery. Besides, the summit exposes the common person to the treasure of Indian art.
Vadehra did not put up any art works in the first summit but realised its potential in the second edition. “We know that the diversity (in terms of international galleries) and the quality of galleries participating will be better in the third summit.” says Roshini.
Almost every top art gallery in the world will be there at the summit: Lisson Gallery and Grosvenor Gallery (London, UK), Sundaram Tagore Gallery (Hong Kong, China), Galerie Kashya Hildebrand (Zurich, Switzerland), Galerie Krinzinger (Vienna, Austria), Aicon Gallery (New York, USA), Die Galerie (Frankfurt, Germany), and the Greenaway Gallery (Adelaide, Australia). Indian art gallery owners agree they have never seen such a huge collection of art and galleries come together under one roof.
Growing market share
The last decade saw the world generously acknowledge the worth of Indian art. Works of some veteran artists and even some new ones set new auction records: Tyeb Mehta's Celebration sold for Rs 1.53 crore ($317,500)in 2002, FN Souza's Birth earned Rs 11 crores ($2.5 million) in 2007, Subodh Gupta's brass and stainless steel creation fetched Rs 35 lakh ($ 80,000) in 2007, and SH Raza's Saurashtra earned a record Rs 16.5 crore ($3.5 million) in 2010.
Jaya Mani, Bangalore-based curator and owner of Gallery Dravidam, is impressed by the sheer variety of art lovers that visit arts shows today. “I notice quite a few students, activists and professionals coming to appreciate the art, catch trends, and understand the nuances. All of them are not connoisseurs but are attracted to the dynamism of the art scene today.” Besides, she says, more and more artists are experimenting with new media – digital art, computer graphics, and animation – and interactive technologies.
Clearly, art is entering public spaces. KS Radhakrishnan, one of the country's most notable sculptors, notices the seeking spirit of the common people towards Indian art. In 2009, I put up my large-scale sculpture. I noticed the huge footfall – at least 12,000 people came every day to see the shows. People came from Kerala, Assam, and many remote areas. People are keen to see what contemporary artists of India are creating today,” says Radhakrishnan.
