India Art Summit 2009

Portrait of Young India

Lively! Vivacious? Animated. Pulsating! Energetic. Alive?
No, why am I trying? I don’t think my visit to India Art Summit 2009 can be described in words.

OK, let’s see – effervescent? Does this word describe the feeling I am trying to express?

Yes. That bubbly, bouncy, sparkling and being young, feeling. Young - because a large number of young artists exhibited their works. Young - because the Modern Masters’ works radiated young and vibrant energy. And Young – because this summit was put together by people in their 20s.

Bird’s eye view of stalls at the India Art Summit 2009.
Bottom (foreground) 143 x 78 inch Untitled by Subodh Gupta

It was evident that an entire new generation of artists and art lovers is driving Indian art and pushing its boundaries. India’s economic boom has led to mushrooming of art galleries in the metros and art prices are skyrocketing, making contemporary art as sought after as luxury cars and branded watches among the newly rich.

The four-day India Art Summit held at Delhi showcased collections from 54 galleries from around the world, displaying Rs. 40 to 50 Crores worth of art under one roof. Close to 40,000 visitors experienced the pulsating energy of India’s Modern and Contemporary Art Market and 200 works of art were sold aggregating Rs 26 Crores.

Vast canvases of oil paintings from some of India's most renowned painters shared space with a variety of art forms from younger, more contemporary artists including sculptures, video and digital art installations.

At the entrance was the showpiece - three giant sculptures by one of the country's leading contemporary artists, Subodh Gupta, depicting three monkeys made of bronze, steel and old utensils.

It was an unforgettable experience of actually ‘touching’ the works of SH Raza, FN Souza, Jamini Roy, GR Santosh and MF Husain (On 100” Plasma TV) at the Delhi Art Gallery Stall. Thanks to Bodhi Art, I got the opportunity observe works of contemporary artists like Subodh Gupta, Atul Dodia, Jitish Kalat and Zarina Hashmi.

The art summit also saw some impressive buying and selling. A piece by the British-Indian artist, Anish Kapoor, has sold for half a million pounds, highest price for a work of art at the summit. Sales continued throughout the four-day summit. A well-reputed Mumbai gallery, Sakshi, went on to sell two of three editions of Sunil Gawde’s 2009 sculpture Heart Beat - Beat Heart, a series of red hearts with nails in them, for $32,000 each.

Despite the art market reflecting the global downturn, gallery analysts are predicting a more positive state for Indian art market which is pegged as the fourth most buoyant in the world projecting an annual growth of 30-35%.

As India has become a competitive force in the global marketplace, Indian art has in turn become a global phenomenon. The explosive growth in interest in the arts and the developing art market infrastructure has allowed artists to gain much more exposure and long-awaited attention on a global level.

All in all, India Art Summit was a sight to behold.