Art without a pause
RANA SIDDIQUI
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This year saw a boom in art, both commercial and noble.
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GREAT CONTRIBUTORS Jatin Das
Art never got so much attention in Delhi as it did this year. For the first time not only it commanded admiration among both classes and masses it also took the lesser-privileged section of the society along its way. For the first time, actors, ministers, lawyers, designers and non-profit organisations joined hands with art, in one or the other way.
For the first time, a few galleries and individuals dared to open an exclusive Indian art gallery abroad too. And for the first time, many people preferred to have an artwork at home than an extra help! The year saw several new art galleries being opened in New Delhi in even inplaces like Laxmi Nagar and Mayur Vihar. And art auctions, both on ground and online got smooth acceptance. For the first time, artists themselves created works of art for an exclusive calendar and so on. And what is more, artists, otherwise considered reclusive and possessive about their works, came out in open and accepted a share of brush on their canvases too. Corporate houses began sponsoring art events/venues.
For instance, an NGO Khushi, dared to bring actors, sportspersons, ministers and famed artists together to `create art'. The artwork created by veteran Jogen Chowdhury and former actor Tina Munim together fetched the highest price of Rs.95 lakhs at an auction. "The work was bought by ITC," says Aman Nath, CEO, Khushi. The money from the sales of the works was channelled towards this NGO working for underprivileged children.
Som Mondal
Interestingly, a corporate lawyer from Delhi, Som Mondal with a view to fulfilling his "corporate responsibilities" started his own art gallery in his office at Noida. That way, it was Noida's rare brush with art too. This is the first attempt to give the gallery to the artist "free of cost, and without any share in the sales", as Som Mondal says.
Calendar too
And for the first time, 12 celebrated artists as Sakti Burman, Jogen Chowdhury, Thota Vaikuntham, Shuvaprasanna, Anjolie Ela Menon, Paresh Maity, etc., joined hands to give their original and exclusive works for a table calendar brought out by Art Alive Gallery this year.
Though "most newspapers have stopped their art review columns", there was undiminished enthusiasm on the art front. So much so that activist Prince Singhal's "Art of Tees", that is, art works of "top artists" were printed on T-shirts. And as he claims it was, "a huge success in Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chandigarh and Delhi. Those buying them (for Rs.5000) were aged between 30 and 45. The buyers were those who either were not able to afford expensive art works, or wanted to keep it as a memorabilia or just flaunt it, occasionally," as Singhal says.
If Neville Tulli brought art and films together, Sharan Apparao also plunged into art auctions online. A few online art auctions as saffornart.com saw new horizons. Encouraged by the response to art, one of the oldest art galleries in Delhi, Vadehra Art Gallery, opened its own art gallery in London's Mayfair in association with Grosvenor in October. Not only has it started working towards the promotion of international art within India but also promoting Indian art abroad. Similarly Chor Bizarre restaurant in London saw an exclusive Indian art gallery on one of its floors, "to an amazing response", as Sushma Bahl, who curated two shows for it, says.
Anjolie Ela Menon.
And what's more, even a place like Bhubaneswar saw first national documentary film festival exclusively on art and artists, courtesy Jatin Das, its founder. "The festival will now be an annual affair," he informs.
Art galleries like Gallery 302 and Arpana Art Gallery also came out with shows of special people. FOD - Foundation for the Disabled - also mounted a show of various disabled artists at the Academy of Fine Arts and Literature "to a great success" as Jauhar, Founder FOD says. So, if one says that only those people patronised art who saw commercial gain in it, it is not totally true.
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