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A booth camp for art

Do the numbers at the India Art Summit (84 galleries, 500 artists, about one lakh visitors) speak of Indian art’s robustness, asks YAMINI DEENADAYALAN

THE VERY large Indian Art Summit 2011 in the very large Pragati Maidan, Delhi is one of the few places in the world where you could find the following pitstops: an oversized pair of scissors, a miniature Giant Wheel or a life-sized cycle-rickshaw loaded with Subodh Gupta’s favourite vessels. A temporal pitstop in the many events organised around the summit (openings, book launches, parties, talks) was also an outsized conversation — Swiss curator Hans Obrist duly interviewed 25 intellectuals back-to-back in an eight-hour ambitious marathon organised by Khoj. At the marathon, critic and curator Geeta Kapur said with contained horror: “The (Summit) is the worst phenomenology going from booth to booth with the public gaping”. Wandering among ladies in raw silk and/or leather boots, it’s easy for the public to find things to gape at, confirming their worst caricatures of what contemporary art is, if they are so inclined. Aparna, a 24-year-old arts student who was conducting guide tours for some of the one lakh-odd visitors at the Summit, had a heterogeneous mix in her flock — first timers, collectors and art enthusiasts. Of course, she had people asking — as if for the first time — why some pieces were art and why anyone would pay lakhs for them.

However naively these questions are expressed and however much Geeta Kapur would deplore it, the label was on everyone manning or remote-controlling their respective booth at the Summit. Last month when Arpita Singh’s mural Wish Dream sold for $2.2 million, the optimists couldn’t help hoping this was the swallow that would make spring again in the Indian art world. Dinesh Vazirani, whose gallery and auction house Saffronart sold Wish Dream, laughs when asked for his opinion on whether ‘the art boom’ is back. When he calms down, Vazirani says the Indian art scene has become more mature, more selective after the disastrous recession.

BHAVNA KAKAR, the young owner of Delhi gallery, Latitude 28, is restless at her booth. She is talking to 10 people at the same time, making makeshift business cards since she has run out of the real ones. (In three days, Bhavna sold 60 percent of the work she took to the Summit.) While waving at Thukral (or was it Tagra) sucking a juice box with a faux-naughty boy expression, she says, “After the recession, people didn’t even want to come into the gallery to look at the art, let alone buy. The speculators haven’t come back,” she says a little wistfully, “only the collectors. The speculators spend so much money even though they resell so quickly.” That passing longing for the lolly of the past. She says firmly, “For art to boom, there have to be big sales in the primary market, not at auctions.” Most gallery owners agree that collectors are once again interested in the moderns but not so much in contemporary art. Collectors cite a ‘size issue’ again. Contemporary art, being larger in scale and not quite Indian living room style, still hasn’t found many buyers since its last high when Bharti Kher’s life-sized elephant The Skin Speaks A Language sold for 6.5 crore in London in 2010.

Shutterbuzz Photographer Gauri Gill documents the sordid side of Pragati Maidan PHOTO: TARUN SEHRAWAT

Kakar’s mood is much like that of the others at the Summit — no delirium, just a sense of work, so much work, waiting to be done. There has been a flurry of activity — a steady increase in the number of galleries, collectors and art events. Indian artists have been exhibiting more frequently in places like the Museum of Modern Art. The Venice Biennale and the international circuit is alluring as usual. The gallerists know you can’t evaluate the robustness of the art scene from the footfalls in a gallery or at a summit like this. (Though the footfalls were three times that of last year’s). But just like crowds jostling for space outside Kamani Auditorium before a cultural event don’t indicate a big culture scene, the Art Summit does not indicate a big art scene. So look at the sales and the number of international buyers — many galleries sold 40 to 80 percent of their works and some were sold out — the long-dead, still-stunning FN Souza was the best-selling artist at the Summit.

Perhaps then you can return to that old thing — pleasure. As in the last two editions, most experts are cagey about saying what they liked at the Art Summit. Abhay Sardesai, editor, Art India, says for instance that the “quality of art at the Art Summit was indifferent”, but what worked for him was the “fetching orchestra of voices”. Which doesn’t sound like much if you are a cynic but it’s true, the sheer energy of the Summit marks a welcome enthusiasm. The larger gaps — one that everyone points out — are more deep-rooted and institutional — the lack of a museum culture and significant state support. Our favourite Sunday family picnic destination still is the mall, not the museum. Of course, this brings us to our favourite pitstop in the incredible noise of the Art Summit. Many kilometres away from Pragati Maidan the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art opened in a still-empty south Delhi mall, behind a cluster of malls. Step in and remember that old thing again — pleasure. Every single joyous example of contemporary Indian art — the Bharti Kher elephant is here. Sparkling, playful, witty, poignant — the museum is a grownup’s playground and defies you to say “Is this really art?” with any convincing semblance of cynicism.

yamini@tehelka.com