Art Buzz (Bangalore) Group Show

A historic sale by Damien Hirst

(Nalini S Malaviya)

Who wants to spend on cadavers?

Damien Hirst has astounded everyone with the phenomenal results at the Sotheby’s auction held last week. £111.4 million! That’s right, he made that much in the sale that was spread over two days. For those of you who are familiar with the works of the flamboyant artist, you must have seen pictures of animal cadavers preserved in formaldehyde solution or those of dead butterflies pinned and painted upon. Well, this particular sale showcased 223 works done in the last two years and the auction was dedicated to a single artist i.e. Hirst. "The Golden Calf," a white bullock preserved in formaldehyde, with hoofs and horns made of 18-carat gold and a gold disc crowning the head went for £10.35 million.

In fact, in what was a first, Hirst took his works to Sotheby’s directly sans galleries and dealers, which means he collects their commissions too. Taxidermist, publicity monger - these are some of the epithets that have been heaped upon Hirst, as his choice of medium and marketing strategies have always been controversial. Art market analysts were skeptical if the sale would be successful at all, but then Sotheby’s and Hirst went all out to woo prospective buyers. A genius whether in marketing or creativity, well, that is debatable.
And, now that a recent research claims that looking at beautiful paintings can actually alleviate pain, one wonders why one wants to place cadavers in their immediate environment and look at them!

Silent verses
In stark contrast to Damien Hirst’s avant-garde art we have an exhibition of paintings titled ‘Silence’ by the city based artist MS Murthy. Murthy’s works are minimal abstracts with tiny specks of light. Formless and almost austere the paintings are monochromatic panels of earthy colours that evoke a sense of calm and tranquility. His works appear to be spiritual in their minimalism, and one feels stillness and a sense of quiet when looking at them. Vast spaces that flow seamlessly create an aura of solitude and serenity.
His earlier series on the Buddha was also non–figurative, with expanses of colours streaked with irradiant light on the canvas.
Murthy has won the International Biennale Award (2003) from Iran Academy of Arts in which he represented India.

(The exhibition can be viewed till October 5 at Times and Space Art Gallery, Bangalore)

Published in Bangalore mirror

Global financial crisis but art appears to be doing well

(Nalini S Malaviya)

Amidst global financial crisis where Lehman brothers filed for bankruptcy and AIG hopes to tide over with a bridge loan, there has been world wide concern whether art will continue to attract investors. In this regard, all eyes were turned towards the Sotheby’s auction featuring an exclusive and a humungous body of works by artist Damien Hirst.

Damien Hirst, often hailed as one of the most successful living artists, is known for his conceptual art which some consider as bizarre. However in this sale, Hirst broke Picasso’s record and fetched a cool £70.5 million in the first round of the Sotheby’s auction. "Beautiful Inside My Head Forever," comprising of 223 works produced by Hirst in the last two years saw phenomenal results at the highly publicized auction. The day sale held the next day also fetched another £40.9 million making it a total of £111.4 million.
"The Golden Calf," a white bullock preserved in formaldehyde, with hoofs and horns made of 18-carat gold and a gold disc crowning the head went for £10.35 million.
The unusual success of Damien Hirst’s works reiterates that there appears to be a strong interest in art. Although, Hirst’s art that comprises of dead animals preserved in formaldehyde and dead butterflies pinned and painted upon has been highly controversial the success of the sale defies logic. There have been skeptics who have pointed out that the success of the auction can partly be attributed to media hype and clever marketing strategy, the results are there for all to see.

This particular auction has been significant, also for the fact that Hirst bypassed dealers and took his works directly to Sotheby’s. This means that commissions that normally go to a gallery or dealer would now go straight to the artist.
There has been growing concern over the future of art as an investment option with financial markets reeling, and while the Hirst sale may have been a landmark one, there is no guarantee that future auctions will be equally successful.
However, it does appear that in these uncertain financial times, collectors with deep pockets are likely to find good art at competitive prices.

(Published in Financial Times)

Art Buzz (Bangalore)

Eastern and Southern Dimensions

(By Nalini S Malaviya)

A travelling show, ‘On High Ground of Indian Art: Eastern and Southern dimensions’ presents works by 13 artists representative of Indian art from the 1940s to the turn of the 21st century. The show tries to capture the influences that shaped the art of these prominent artists and attempts to present it in a contextual format. Paritosh Sen, Suhas Roy, SG Vasudev, Rekha Rao, Laxman Aelay are some of the artists whose works are part of this exhibition.

The Victim, an acrylic on canvas work by Paritosh Sen, focuses on the aftermath of the tsunami. The poignant image of the young girl sitting in the forefront with sketches of dead children and fish behind her paints a picture riddled with grief and trauma. The Landscape by Surya Prakash is a melange of colours that presents nature in all its majestic beauty. The Hyderabad based artist is known for his beautiful landscapes. The Chennai based artist K Muralidharan combines folk art elements in his mixed media work on canvas to weave a visual narrative. Despite borrowing motifs from folk art, the images are surreal where hybrid creatures are a combination of human and animal forms to create a fantasy world.

Palaniappan’s abstract is in his inimitable minimal style - the linear trajectories on the artist’s canvas project scientific precision on to the creative world of art. Subroto Gangopadhyay’s works are a riot of colours that capture the festive spirit. The dancing figures appear lyrical as they move energetically to the musical rhythm. Suhas Roy’s painting belongs to his popular Radha series that effectively presents his unique style.

Most of the other works are also representative of the artist’s signature style. For the viewer who is unfamiliar with the progression of Indian art at various time points, the exhibition offers an opportunity to look at some quality works by well known artists.


(The exhibition ended at Venkatappa Art Gallery, Bangalore and will head to Kolkatta)

Published in Bangalore Mirror