16 Feb 2007
13 Feb 2007
Art Investment
(By Nalini S Malaviya)
With an increase in awareness about investing in art, there are more buyers and the same time there has been a quantum jump in suppliers. Amateur art consultants, promoters and new galleries have mushroomed all over, and as there are an increasing number of players in the market it helps to go over a few points.
Fakes: Fake artworks of well-known artists are aplenty in the market and it becomes very difficult to identify them. Only experts can differentiate them and this usually involves a lot of money.
Quality: Art promoters knowingly and unknowingly push forward substandard works that have almost no investment potential. Especially, new buyers whose numbers have increased substantially in the last couple of years need to be extra cautious. It is absolutely essential that buyers - first time or otherwise must have some basic knowledge about art before investing. Art, an important asset is inherently different from real estate and mutual funds. It can be put up on the walls for its aesthetic content. However, if you pick up poor quality works, based on external advice, you not only lose out on its investment value but also on quality.
Remember, one cannot completely rely on art consultants and gallery owners. Even when you consult them, you must check out their credentials. In the recent past there have been exhibitions with students, and self taught artists (often hobby painters) where no one can guarantee their investment potential. Without any precedence, it is impossible to predict the future growth of an artist. Also, when galleries offer a buy back scheme, remember to check the fine print, because often the scheme covers their top artists and not every artist that they promote.
(Published in Financial Times, Bangalore)
With an increase in awareness about investing in art, there are more buyers and the same time there has been a quantum jump in suppliers. Amateur art consultants, promoters and new galleries have mushroomed all over, and as there are an increasing number of players in the market it helps to go over a few points.
Fakes: Fake artworks of well-known artists are aplenty in the market and it becomes very difficult to identify them. Only experts can differentiate them and this usually involves a lot of money.
Quality: Art promoters knowingly and unknowingly push forward substandard works that have almost no investment potential. Especially, new buyers whose numbers have increased substantially in the last couple of years need to be extra cautious. It is absolutely essential that buyers - first time or otherwise must have some basic knowledge about art before investing. Art, an important asset is inherently different from real estate and mutual funds. It can be put up on the walls for its aesthetic content. However, if you pick up poor quality works, based on external advice, you not only lose out on its investment value but also on quality.
Remember, one cannot completely rely on art consultants and gallery owners. Even when you consult them, you must check out their credentials. In the recent past there have been exhibitions with students, and self taught artists (often hobby painters) where no one can guarantee their investment potential. Without any precedence, it is impossible to predict the future growth of an artist. Also, when galleries offer a buy back scheme, remember to check the fine print, because often the scheme covers their top artists and not every artist that they promote.
(Published in Financial Times, Bangalore)
5 Feb 2007
Art Review - Tangerine group show
(By Nalini S Malaviya)
Tangerine art space has launched itself with a group show featuring works by fourteen artists. According to Leena Chethan from Tangerine, they zeroed on these fourteen artists after months of research, deliberation and screening with the help of art critics and advisors. All artists except two are still studying at various art schools across the country. Tangerine claims to have found “…14 of India’s most phenomenally talented young artists” whose “…works are affordable and still poised for a quantum leap in value in the foreseeable future.” Despite these tall claims, unfortunately, some of the works are bad, with blotched up paint and poor compositions. On the plus side, a majority of the works are skillfully rendered, display good technical skill, and also deal with interesting concepts. Swapna Biswas’s series of three paintings interestingly juxtaposes animal figures with self-portraits to accentuate the existence of human and animal instincts within a person. An inverted tiger next to a crouching figure of a woman illustrate the interrelationship of conflicting emotions in man. Using bold primary colors her paintings are well executed and have a striking effect.
Anil Kumar offers unusual imagery in his ‘Magical hat of colonial king’ and ‘Public call’. All his works have been done with pastels on paper. Reji Arackal has a humorous take on ‘operations’ – with wrestler like figures slicing at different fruit. An acrylic painting of an exaggerated figure of a woman holding an ice cream stick looks ferocious, and at the same time has a child like glee on her face. The artist likes to combine local motifs and objects in his paintings. Pierced eyebrows and earrings are meant to be pure decorations, probably to emphasize the feminine side to a wrestler like woman. Another still life with a huge jackfruit – bright green and exquisitely detailed is placed next to a couple of apples has an unusual effect. KS Sujith paints a surreal picture where animals and humans cohabit in a bright, vividly colorful and painstakingly detailed world full of foliage. Gigantic reptilian figures overlook the tiny monkey like human figures.
Benitha Perciyal’s mixed media works are fairly abstract and appear to have philosophical leanings. ”I didn’t drunk from that well’ (yes, that is how it has been spelt), defies description; it probably has something to do with water conservation, but sadly makes little sense. Lochan Upadhyay’s works are in black and white (charcoal drawings), with a sofa that has excessive detailing, while ‘Inside outside’ has drapes suggestive of physical boundaries. A graphite on paper work by Lokesh Khodke combines still life with meticulous detailing for an interesting effect.
Then, there are a couple of street scenes with flat images and people engaged in different activities while a young boy looks on from his vantage point. Most of the other works are average or worse. Interestingly, Tangerine will be actively promoting most of their artists and is also in the process of working out a buy back scheme from their clients at existing market rates. Prices range from Rs 10,000 to Rs 1.35 lakhs.
(Published in Times of India, Bangalore)
Tangerine art space has launched itself with a group show featuring works by fourteen artists. According to Leena Chethan from Tangerine, they zeroed on these fourteen artists after months of research, deliberation and screening with the help of art critics and advisors. All artists except two are still studying at various art schools across the country. Tangerine claims to have found “…14 of India’s most phenomenally talented young artists” whose “…works are affordable and still poised for a quantum leap in value in the foreseeable future.” Despite these tall claims, unfortunately, some of the works are bad, with blotched up paint and poor compositions. On the plus side, a majority of the works are skillfully rendered, display good technical skill, and also deal with interesting concepts. Swapna Biswas’s series of three paintings interestingly juxtaposes animal figures with self-portraits to accentuate the existence of human and animal instincts within a person. An inverted tiger next to a crouching figure of a woman illustrate the interrelationship of conflicting emotions in man. Using bold primary colors her paintings are well executed and have a striking effect.
Anil Kumar offers unusual imagery in his ‘Magical hat of colonial king’ and ‘Public call’. All his works have been done with pastels on paper. Reji Arackal has a humorous take on ‘operations’ – with wrestler like figures slicing at different fruit. An acrylic painting of an exaggerated figure of a woman holding an ice cream stick looks ferocious, and at the same time has a child like glee on her face. The artist likes to combine local motifs and objects in his paintings. Pierced eyebrows and earrings are meant to be pure decorations, probably to emphasize the feminine side to a wrestler like woman. Another still life with a huge jackfruit – bright green and exquisitely detailed is placed next to a couple of apples has an unusual effect. KS Sujith paints a surreal picture where animals and humans cohabit in a bright, vividly colorful and painstakingly detailed world full of foliage. Gigantic reptilian figures overlook the tiny monkey like human figures.Benitha Perciyal’s mixed media works are fairly abstract and appear to have philosophical leanings. ”I didn’t drunk from that well’ (yes, that is how it has been spelt), defies description; it probably has something to do with water conservation, but sadly makes little sense. Lochan Upadhyay’s works are in black and white (charcoal drawings), with a sofa that has excessive detailing, while ‘Inside outside’ has drapes suggestive of physical boundaries. A graphite on paper work by Lokesh Khodke combines still life with meticulous detailing for an interesting effect.
Then, there are a couple of street scenes with flat images and people engaged in different activities while a young boy looks on from his vantage point. Most of the other works are average or worse. Interestingly, Tangerine will be actively promoting most of their artists and is also in the process of working out a buy back scheme from their clients at existing market rates. Prices range from Rs 10,000 to Rs 1.35 lakhs.
The exhibition can be viewed till Feb 7, at the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Bangalore
(Published in Times of India, Bangalore)
3 Feb 2007
The big draw - a group show
(By Nalini S Malaviya)
An exhibition of mostly black and white works by a group of more than thirty artists is going on in the city. Artists such as KG Subramanyan, KM Adimoolam, Yusuf Arakkal, TM Azis, Suhas Roy, Jatin Das, Gogi Saroj Pal, Suhas Roy and SG Vasudev are some of them participating in the show. According to gallery owner, Naozar Daruwalla the collection attempts to show how differently each artist presents his individual style through line drawings, black and white photographs, paper pulp and so on.
KG Subramanyan works are evocative, while Suhas Roy’s portrait of a woman is soft and delicate. Gopal Adivrekar’s abstract is striking, while Adimoolam’s woman with child is stern and statuesque. Yusuf Arakkal has created a set of portraits of a man in sepia tones, and Gogi Saroj Pal’s drawing is a picture of femininity - a woman with flowers in her hair. Jasu Rawal presents an abstracted landscape in his signature style, and Rameshwar Singh intersperses the images with calligraphic text and symbols. V Solanki’s drawing is a subtle rendering of a couple in traditional attire, Dattatraya Apte’s work in paper pulp is heavily textured and understated, Vijay Bagodi’s set of images is narrative and Pramod Ganapatye’s figure of a woman has an earthy appeal.
From portraits to abstracts, the black and white collection deserves special mention for presenting an excellent and diverse set of works from upcoming as well as senior artists of note. There are more than 60 works priced between Rs 6,000 to Rs 4.5 lakhs.
The exhibition is on till February 3 at The Hatworks Boulevard, 32, Cunningham Road, Bangalore 560 052.
(Published in Financial Times, Bangalore)
An exhibition of mostly black and white works by a group of more than thirty artists is going on in the city. Artists such as KG Subramanyan, KM Adimoolam, Yusuf Arakkal, TM Azis, Suhas Roy, Jatin Das, Gogi Saroj Pal, Suhas Roy and SG Vasudev are some of them participating in the show. According to gallery owner, Naozar Daruwalla the collection attempts to show how differently each artist presents his individual style through line drawings, black and white photographs, paper pulp and so on.
KG Subramanyan works are evocative, while Suhas Roy’s portrait of a woman is soft and delicate. Gopal Adivrekar’s abstract is striking, while Adimoolam’s woman with child is stern and statuesque. Yusuf Arakkal has created a set of portraits of a man in sepia tones, and Gogi Saroj Pal’s drawing is a picture of femininity - a woman with flowers in her hair. Jasu Rawal presents an abstracted landscape in his signature style, and Rameshwar Singh intersperses the images with calligraphic text and symbols. V Solanki’s drawing is a subtle rendering of a couple in traditional attire, Dattatraya Apte’s work in paper pulp is heavily textured and understated, Vijay Bagodi’s set of images is narrative and Pramod Ganapatye’s figure of a woman has an earthy appeal.
From portraits to abstracts, the black and white collection deserves special mention for presenting an excellent and diverse set of works from upcoming as well as senior artists of note. There are more than 60 works priced between Rs 6,000 to Rs 4.5 lakhs.
The exhibition is on till February 3 at The Hatworks Boulevard, 32, Cunningham Road, Bangalore 560 052.
(Published in Financial Times, Bangalore)
18 Jan 2007
Rendezvous with artist Haku Shah
There have been no new posts for some time as I have been down with flu... However, I did attend a talk by artist Haku Shah at Alliance Francaise, which was interesting even though bad acoustics made hearing quite impossible. It was delightful meeting Haku Bhai, a humble and down to earth personality, and seeing his digital prints and black and white photographs. The prints were based on a Gujarati fairytale of Manapari, while the photographs on folk and tribal art. The following day I went for the preview of his paintings that was held at another art gallery. His paintings have a simplicity that is rare and endearing.
(some of the text has been published in Financial Times, Bangalore)
Considered to be an authority on tribal and folk art, Haku bhai's paintings portray his closeness to tribal art and culture. A human figure playing the flute, a cow or a tree in the background, a bird perched on a person’s hand, are on the surface simple subjects that seem to be inspired by rural scenarios. The images are flat and have a narrative quality despite uncomplicated images and a minimalist look. However, there is a building of layers and a deeper thought process involved that make his works special. Aesthetic and tranquil, his protagonists appear to be far removed from the urban chaos and turmoil – they stand unaffected amidst peaceful surroundings at one with nature. Born in 1934 in Valod (Gujarat), Haku Bhai completed BFA and MFA in Fine Arts from M S University, Baroda and was awarded the Rockefeller Grant (1968) and Nehru Fellowship Award (1971). In 1968, he curated the ‘Unknown India’ an exhibition organized by Dr. Stella Kramrisch at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
(some of the text has been published in Financial Times, Bangalore)
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