A few years ago, the recession was a fairly recent episode. It had not registered as an enduring correction from opportunist hype, but, seemed more like a temporary low-phase, aff ected merely by the global recession that hit in 2008. 2015 had then been predicted as a year that shall mark the revival of the art market, not just in India but globally. Th e markets recovered, the sensex broke records, the economies stabilised, but can the same be said for the art market… Some say the art market is improving, most say it might take a very long time to “Boom” again… But, truly, where does it stand today? Is it actually improving? Or, is it stagnant? What are the possibilities of escalation in terms of sustainability and growth?
Auction Houses & Art Fairs, what roles they play in promoting and in building up a better market for art and better trust in people for it. And, how successfully. Th ere has been a strong hold of (art) Auction Houses Sotheby’s & Christie’s globally for a long time, many others came up worldwide but not quite as impressively or at such a scale; India witnessed anupsurge of a few serious auction houses itself, like Ocians & Saff ronart among others and recently Artdeal Auction House with its successful inaugural auction this January.
Art Fairs and Biennales are increasing rapidly too, in number, with a few additions each year. Although one may witness a comparative lack of zest in the scale of participation, in some cases. The better known art fairs are not essentially also the best attended ones. Skate’s Art Market Research came up with statistics about international art fairs’ attendance revealing that about 1,032,729 people attended the world’s top 20 art fairs last year (2014). Th e best attended fair was ARCO Madrid, as per their statistics with 92,000 visitors, followed by Art Miami, with over 82,000 visitors, and Art BA, Buenos Aires followed closely. Bigger names like Art Basel attracted around 74,567 visitors & Art Basel Miami Beach 65,000. On the whole, the art fair attendance was reported down by 7.2% compared to 2013. Some humbler venues pleasantly surprise us oft en times by the sheer intensity, vibrancy and depth of the art they put forth. The Kochi Muziris Biennale can be an example.
We attempt to explore in this issue some of these aspects and more of art and its many altercations. Neville Tuli elaborates on the “Th e Authenticity of the ‘Fake’ Art Market”, an in depth analysis of the politics that surround auctions and claims of artworks being Fakes. Alturaash Art Gallery and an Art Fund are the recent ventures of a group by the same name based in Dubai, the aim is to uplift and standardise Indian art for a better and balanced stand globally, Director, Asif Kamal elaborates.
We follow the nuances of Bireswar Sen, a miniature landscape artist par excellence, who has remained unparalleled in the Indian art scenario to this day. Uma Prakash takes a look at the 2nd edition of the Kochi Muziris Biennale and the unrestrained energy it bespoke. We also take a look at the fi rst edition of the Singapore Art Fair, 2014.
H. A. Anil Kumar discusses the Problems and Possibilities of Museumisation and Art Pedagogy. P. Gnana’s art take us into peaceful romantic world of love and bliss, the imagery simply tranquilises. Priyanka Tagore talks about Stri Avalekha, a colossal show held at the Swaraj Archives, and how it came about. Arputharani Sengupta takes a look at the changing style of Nabanita Guha’s work and her consistent celebration of and concern with femininity. Artika Raj attempts to understand the dynamics of the questions raised by Megha on gender politics through her solo show I: Object. Hope you enjoy the read. Do send us your feedback at artanddeal@gmail.com.
Siddhartha Tagore
