Tehelka : Palettes Borrowed from the Sun

Curated by Ranjit Hoskoté, an ongoing exhibition of contemporary Goan art is one of the finest in living memory, says Sonia Faleiro

As shadows shiver across the waterfront, Panjim’s Escola Medica Cirurgica de Goa lights up, vast rooms to voluminous corridors, and bathing in the glow are Goa’s new cultural marvels — its young artists. There’s Shilpa Mayenkar Naik, watching bees burst from banana leaves in charcoal Tranquillity, and Siddharth Gosavi, a slim figure standing beside Instincts, a voluptuous cheetah head snuck into a human torso, boot-shod feet sticking out towards the canvas edge. This is “Aparantã: The Confluence of Contemporary Art in Goa” (April 11 to 24), 265 works gathered by curator and poet Ranjit Hoskoté from the 2006 Farmagudi “Palette on the Hills” art camp — the genesis of the project — and from private collections and museums, to create Goa’s finest collaborative art exhibition in memory.

‘Madonna and Child’
by Angelo Fonseca

Sanskrit for ‘that which lies just this side of the Beyond’, Aparantã is a feat in expansiveness, offering a taste of a pioneering contemporary Goan, and in fact national, art heritage with the father of Indian Christian art, Angelo Fonseca (Madonna and Child, 1960), the founder of the Progressive Artists’ Group of the 1940s, FN Souza (Still Life, 1960), and Laxman Pai, who helmed the Goa College of Art in the 1970s. These older works anchor the exhibition, and their stories tell of the conflict of being Indian after 400 years of Portuguese rule; of the influences of a nomadic life in Paris and New York on an already Westernised, if conservative, sensibility; of Goa’s vibrant intertwining of Hindu and Christian socio-cultural mores. As fascinating is the other important axis of Aparantã: abstract memories in lush acrylics by the Tanzania-born Alex J. Tavares and by Antonio e Costa, born in Kenya, whose presence unveils a vital characteristic of Goan society — the Goan Christian’s search for escape and opportunity in Portugal and its colonies in East Africa, Timor and Brazil, as far back as the 16th century. (That ambition still remains, with only a change in place from Africa to the Middle East.) Hoskoté understands this well for he spent seven years in the town of Margao and the next 25 in Mumbai, terrified to confront the changes time had wrought on his birthplace. A nod to life’s inevitable migrations resulted in the inclusion of Delhi-born Dayanita Singh (who now lives in the village of Saligao where, in 2002, she presented her ongoing, iconic “Saligao Women’s Series”), and Keralite Baiju Parthan, who studied at the Goa College of Art and presents a series of mixed-media works.

’Govern-or-General’
by Viraj Naik

Aparantã’s great success, however, is its unveiling of Goa’s astounding crew of young artists. Mayenkar Naik, Pradeep B. Naik, Chaitali Morajkar, Viraj Naik, and Santosh Morajkar are all under 35, while Gosavi, the youngest at the exhibition, is 26 years old. Nothing about their work suggests Goanness, if there is such a unilateral thing, and the very defiance of expected images makes their work fresh, cosmopolitan and very exciting. Says Hoskoté, “These artists have a richness of process and a variousness of material which ensures that they are not plagued by the interchangeability which defines many of their contemporaries in Delhi and Mumbai. Their work combines a unique dialogue with the ancient past, the colonial period and, in the case of some, a preoccupation with a science-fictional future.” B. Naik, who is inspired by Goa’s Indo-Portuguese architecture, tears his paintbrush into sober acrylic images in which animals and humans co-exist; Chaitali Morajkar crafts hard-eyed female nudes; Santosh Morajkar has eye-popping mythical creatures, while Viraj Naik’s mixed media is Alice-in-Wonderlandian, in equal parts charming, terrifying and gratifyingly absurd. “Goa has exceptional young talent,” avers Parthan. “These young artists have a distinct cultural talent given the political background of Goa, and their work is intense and introspective.”

‘Natuur’
by Shilpa Mayenkar Naik

But for how long will these children of Goa remain at home, their state of ironies, where people come to retire from work but not to work; a place to which strands of contemporary Indian art are traced but whose influence on the national art scene appears non-existent? Much has to be done: an active gallery system is necessary, as is curatorial involvement, so young artists can feel mentored while remaining independent of the throng of their metro counterparts, whose submergence in Page 3 culture is financially advantageous but inevitably encroaches on the isolation serious artists cherish. Unless these talents are nurtured, Goa will continue witnessing its migrations, and this will impact not just its contemporary culture but also those who desperately wish to shape it. Shrugs Gosavi, whom Parthan sees as a rising star along with Viraj Naik: “The transition from Goa to Mumbai or Delhi will be a natural one. The Goan art scene is changing, but slowly.”

Being Kumari’ from the series
by Vidya Kamat

Just how slowly is summed up by Mayenkar Naik, who says that before meeting Hoskoté she didn’t know what a curator was. B. Naik, who won the Goa State Art Award in 2006, points out that it took Aparantã for gallery owners outside Goa to recognise his work. Viraj Naik, however, isn’t waiting around. The most prominent of the young artists — with multiple state awards, shows in Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata, and a solo show scheduled for Mumbai this June — he has, along with a few friends, started an artists’ collective in the industrial town of Vasco. “There are no government facilities for artists, or studio spaces available in Goa,” he explains. “One can’t always travel to another state. It’s so important for me to educate myself in universal art trends and to be aware of my artistic environment, so it made sense to create a space where artists work and interact, and can meet their counterparts from across India who stop by when they’re holidaying in Goa.”

Naik’s is the sort of initiative Sanjit Rodrigues, md, Goa Tourism Development Corporation — who conceived of what will now be seen as a landmark art camp — can relate to. “Art is an important cultural aspect of Goa,” he says. “But it took Aparantã to show Goans what a top-notch art show is; to explain the need for a quality catalogue, lighting and curatorship. People asked me when I’ll be taking Aparantã out of Goa. But artists like Viraj Naik, Pradeep Naik and Siddharth Gosavi now have gallery owners coming to them at home, in the state.”

And that’s something Hoskoté can certainly take credit for.

Apr 28 , 2006

The Financial Express : Between commerce and creativity

Is there a “real” price for art today? That’s the question raised at the recently-held Confluence auction in Chennai

ASHRAFI S BHAGAT

Posted online: Sunday, April 22, 2007 at 0000 hours IST

Perhaps it would be an exaggeration for some when they hear the statement “art demands possession”. But look at the prices people are willing to pay at auctions to possess a piece of art and you have to agree there might bes a great deal of truth in it. Over centuries, it has been observed that the role and function of art has morphed to suit cultural conditions and recent years have witnessed a tremendous boom in the market for Indian art. Thanks to auction houses such as Christie's and Sotheby’s who have set our benchmarks, as well as the indigenous Osian’s and other online sites, Indian art is setting the cash registers ringing.

Recently, Chennai witnessed an art auction titled Confluence, which was hosted by the Taj Coromandel and Bishwajit and Sarala Banerjee of Artworld. What set apart this charity auction from many others that Chennai has witnessed in the recent past is that it had a persuasive focus on the stalwarts who pioneered the Madras Art Movement in the ’60s.

The auction also raised questions concerning ethics and the price index set for senior artists. Not that Chennai is new to this artistic charity practice as many such auctions have taken place since the ’80s. Here’s a run through: In 1989 Alagu Muthu, Chandra Shankar and Mani Clubwalla raised Rs 4.5 lakh through an auction coordinated by Sharan Apparao for the National Association of Blind; in 1991, Meenakshi Meyappan and Mani Clubwalla, through Murrays, conducted an auction with Chennai-based artists Achuthan, Adimoolam, Gopinath, Nandagopal, Vasudev, Premlatha Seshadhri, et al for for the Spastic Society of India. Apparao held yet another private auction in 1989 on the works of Anjolie Ela Menon. In 2004, for Spastic Society of Tamilnadu Artworld conducted an auction through Bonham’s of London for the Spastic Society of Tamilnadu . In 2006, Art Adda, an artist’s camp organised by Artworld and Taj Connemara of Chennai netted Rs 45 lakh for the Rotary Club; and this year, Confluence grossed Rs 1.2 crore.

The issue at the heart of this auction was the charity. Many senior artists such as A P Santhanaraj, Alphonso Arul Doss, Anthony Doss, K V Haridasan, K M Adimoolam, S G Vasudev, RB Bhaskaran, Anila Jacob, C Dakshinamurthy, P Gopinath, C Douglas, S Nandagopal, P S Nandhan, M Senathipathy, S Paramasivam, Premlatha Seshadhri, S G Vidya Shankar Sthapathy and Palaniappan were able to register the bids from Rs 6.25 lakh for Adimoolam to Rs1.25 lakh for Palaniappan.

The artists undeniably were on a new high and the novice investors were rejoicing since they had in their possession these senior artists’ works. But the gallery consultants were cursing under their breathe with the knowledge that they will be flooded with enquires to sell these artists works at the prices registered here. The question that begs an answer is: Do these auctions set benchmarks? The signals sent out to investors and this particular category of buyers seems totally misleading. Some of the Rotarians were heard remarking: “Anyway I had to give something to charity, so it does not matter who the artist is.”

Of course artists like Gopinath, Alphonos Doss, Haridasan and Nandhan expressed their satisfaction about the prices. But this occurance has only helped in creating a false euphoria among the artist fraternity as well investors. According to Ashwin Rajgopal of Ashvita Gallery: “The collection was haphazardly put together and every bid started at the artist’s current rate, which naturally, only went higher. This is unlike what happened at the Saffron Art auction which started at a much lower price and then went up substantially.” The host gallery was also bidding—an unethical practice—and this was pushing up the prices further for the works of certain artists.

So how transparent and regularised are art auctions today, whether they are for charity or otherwise? How do the investors become aware of “real” prices? The Madras artists are on cloud nine these days and are hoping their works fetch even higher prices. But these ambiguities were again brought to the fore at a panel discussion held a few days later by the artist S G Vasudev titled “Art/Artist at the marketplace”. The discussion, which included cultural critic Sadanand Menon, collector Sanjay Tulsiyan and artist Haridasa, brought to the fore the gallery-auction house nexus, the manipulation of auction houses and the artists selling their souls to enhance their market rates for a better lifestyle.

The glaring question is: Do we continue to perceive art as a cultural artifice, conditioned by the climate in which it was produced or a pure commodity to which a label, driven by the art market, is attached? Where, in this chaotic financial configuration, is the aesthetics and appreciation of the artistic activity? As Sanjay Tulsiyan, who has been an art collector for 25 years, says: “Art has to be bought from the heart and that art work will always live with you. It should not be an artwork that the artist promises to deliver to your house without you having looked at it.” So is there an understanding of the activity of artistic creation or is it perceived as an impersonal piece of stock and investment tucked away in the vault of a bank or in the home of the investor?

—(The writer is a professor of art history at the Department of Fine Arts, Stella Maris College, Chennai)

The Economic Times : Artists drive a hard bargain now

ASHOKE NAG

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ MONDAY, APRIL 23, 2007 12:49:50 AM]

KOLKATA: Pricing of artworks has become a crucial factor in today’s evolving Indian art market. Of late, one has been noticing a resistance, especially to paintings, at the highest levels.

Even at the middle level, prices seem to be blowing out of proportion. Although, buyers still appear to be lapping up works at price points which are below the high-end prices.

“Anyone buying art wonders about the functionaries who decide the price of the piece. The artists of the earlier times like the Tagores or Nandalal Bose used to gift their paintings because they were shy of mentioning a price for their works. Artist Kshitin Majumdar was taken aback when a painting of his was sold for Rs 5,000 by Chintamoni Kar to the Indian Museum. He was expecting a fraction of the price and needed the money for medical treatment. Those times have changed radically of course,” an art market source told ET.

In the initial years of the art market, buyers would bargain a lot and galleries acted as the via media to broker a deal. This saw the artists getting the maximum possible price. As things progressed, the artist in consultation with the galleries set the price for his or her works. This system still continues and has progressively become more pronounced.

“On several occasions, artists today call the shots in fixing prices of their artworks,” the source said.
The auctions created a different value system where the auctioneer sets the base level price and the buyer final level. In this system, distortions sometimes tend to creep in.

“Now, the artist gets the chance to consider the highest price bid for his works as his base price. Often, the buyer, at large, is unaware of the base price of the artist and accepts the base price of the auctioneer as the true level. The auction catalogues have virtually become the reference point for prices,” the source said.

According to the source, once the artist is both quoted and sold at a high price, the artist sometimes is led to demand the same price in group and charity shows. As the criteria for setting a price is not entirely clear, the artist or gallery can always go for an inflated price and get away with it.

“The buyer basically is at a loss to fathom whether he or she is paying a fair price. Only reputed galleries can help the buyers in shows. Nowadays, the history of the artist and his price trends determine his tags. This opens up the scope for price rise which could climb to unsustainable levels. Earlier, galleries tempered prices in the interest of the buyer and prevented a price spiral. Also, auction sales did not exist for artists to claim tall prices. Now, an artist has the possibility of selling at multiple times the auction estimates which creates a benchmark,” the source said.

Pricing in the art scene, the source said, is passing through a transition phase and in this situation all stakeholders should realise that hiking prices will impact the buyer base and push a part of them out of the market.

The Times of India : Hues of India

Amrita Batra
[16 Apr, 2007 l 0336 hrs ISTlTIMES NEWS NETWORK]

It is commonly believed that in India, the appreciation of art is restricted to a select few who can afford to appreciate it.

No doubt, the ability to adorn one's walls with a piece of art is an expensive proposition and most often figures nowhere in the common Indian's list of things-to-do.

And yet, in the present day, one finds art shows and exhibits, promoting both, the young and renowned, increasingly grabbing the limelight, leaving one to wonder: is Indian art finally taking centrestage?

"The burgeoning Indian economy is causing such an increase in the value of Indian art that art prices in the country have risen drastically," explains Sangita Jindal, art aficionado and publisher, Art India magazine.

Her belief is seconded by renowned fine artist, Brinda Chudasama who believes, "The art market in India has been growing consistently over the past five years, and has particularly galloped ahead in the last two years."

Sangita Jindal

Reiterating the growing market value of art, Jindal points out, "Today, the return from investment of the right art fetches higher returns than even gold."She cites the example of an artist whose paintings two years ago, were valued at Rs 40,000 and today, fetch Rs 20 to 30 lakh per piece, clearly demonstrating the magic that a piece of art can create.

Then, one might speculate that if the art market is able to sustain its growth, it may lead to the realisation that art is indeed an investment that comes with a promise of great returns. While art already enjoys the reputation of being an esteemed investment world-over, in India, few understand the concept of buying art as an investment for the future even today.

Given this promising depiction, should aspiring and talented art students pursue a career in art, traditionally considered a risky and expensive proposition? Experts are divided in their opinion, citing equally relevant pros and cons of making the decision, suggesting that a flourishing art market may not translate into a lucrative career just yet.

The Economic Times : It pays to hold on to your art assets

ASHOKE NAG

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2007 01:15:21 AM]

KOLKATA: With the Indian art market passing through a phase of maturity where corrections to an extent are taking place in different segments, buyers need to strategise their buying activities in some ways.

“To begin with, the earlier approach of frenzied purchases needs to be tempered a bit. In the shape the art market will gradually assume, a collector or investor should take care to pick up high-quality works of artists who are working and exhibiting regularly. At the same time, a buyer should always look for advice from experts on artworks to buy,” an art market source told ET.

Primarily, there are three or four facets that one should look for before making a purchase. The first is the intellectual content in a work of art. This would mean the degree of originality in the creation and the artist’s prowess in bringing off the artwork.

“Repetitive themes should not be considered as works of art of high standard. An original work will never be repeated. The second feature is the technique that has gone into the work. Third, one should check out the visual appeal that an artwork reflects,” the source said.

According to the source, a new buyer should visit art shows as many times as possible to hone his or her sense of recognising quality art. The buyer should make sure that the proper provenance (ownership history) is available for the work which is underscored by an authentication certificate from the artist if he or she is alive. Because of several fakes which are floating in the market.

“Buyers should take care not to source works from dealers or galleries with low credibility and be cautious of middlemen who are circulating in the market. They even drop by at galleries and befriend unsuspecting buyers and lure them into buying artworks at cheaper rates, which finally turn out to be fakes,” the source said.

Importantly, in the changing market dynamics, buyers should park funds in artworks for the long term. Only this can ensure higher returns. The collector/buyer could also contemplate building up a collection which exclusively revolves around select artists and themes.

“For instance, a buyer could just home in on investing in landscape, abstract or figurative artists. In the same breath, one could acquire exclusive schools of art like Bengal, progressives or contemporary. The value of a collection rises when a collection is selective and rare,” the source said.

For middle-level collectors, emerging artists are the best bet. But, for this category of acquisitions, the buyer must either possess a good eye or take proper advice from a leading gallery owner. A quality emerging artist can offer high returns in future.

“The crux of matter is to get one’s investment right. A work of an emerging artist which was picked up for Rs 3,000 in 1990 is worth Rs 50 lakh now. Increasingly, the work will become as important or bigger than the signature,” the source said.

Reuters : Interview: Anjolie Ela Menon

INTERVIEW - Anjolie Ela Menon laments art becoming an asset Fri Apr 20, 2007 1:11 PM IST By Palash Kumar NEW DELHI (Reuters Life!) - Indian contemporary art is finally receiving the global recognition it deserves, but it should be enjoyed and not hoarded as an investment, says celebrated figurative painter Anjolie Ela Menon. Menon, who started painting at the age of 12, was championed at an early age by renowned painter M.F. Husain. One of her first works was a nude self-portrait as a teenager. Her five-decade journey from early Byzantine influences to the melancholy of the human form, has been replete with awards. Menon's works sell for anything between $150,000 and $200,000. Deeply moved by the 2002 religious riots in Gujarat, she put its horrors on canvas. Menon, recently conferred with France's Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters award, spoke to Reuters: Q: Is it a very good time for the Indian art market? A: It has been a very good time. There is a certain globalisation and recognition that Indian contemporary art exists. There are over 200,000 painters in this country, working and painting and sculpting, and yet there were lots of people who had no idea that even there was any contemporary art in India. On the other hand, art is now being seen as an investment. Some of the buying that's going on is being just driven by the investors and funds. Big funds are driving the market. Q: Is that something you regret? A: I feel sad that a lot of our paintings are just being bought, wrapped and stacked. They are not being hung. That's very hurtful to an artist's ego. There's something which you put your soul into and it is now just being used as a commodity. Q: What were your early inspirations? A: I have been always very inspired by my immediate environment. I don't think it requires very great events to be inspired. You never know where and when inspiration will come. It's a daily surprise to all artists and a daily anxiety as well because one wonders will inspiration come today? Q: What is an Anjolie Ela Menon work? A: There is a kind of muted colouration associated with my work and the very ordinary things of daily use and daily sights -- something that catches your eye, something which you see in a moving train, in a window. Q: Have you mostly painted the female form? A: No. It was just that those models at a certain age were certainly more available than men but there are as many men in my works. For instance, the bearded man is a figure that lies somewhere between Jesus Christ and my husband who is bearded. Q: You never faced any restrictions? A: No, never. There was a painting called 'Raising the Kundalini'. There's this meditating man and I have depicted the Kundalini, or life force, rising up in his spine with series of little cameos of various Hindu gods and goddesses. Apparently, that painting was shown at an exhibition in Mumbai and Bal Thackeray stormed in and was going to get his goons to come and destroy but I think the gallery responded in time. That was the only time. Q: Gujarat did inspire you? A: I did paint a few paintings. There was one painting called 'Naroda Patia', which was of a woman lying dead and her child trying to wake her. There is a painting of a man with a notice around his neck trying to trace a missing child. I think that has meaning even today.

© Reuters 2007.

The Times of India: Osian raises Rs 55 crore via private placement

[15 Jan, 2007 l 2323 hrs ISTlTIMES NEWS NETWORK]


MUMBAI: Osian's Connoisseurs of Art, India's pioneering arts and cultural institution has raised Rs 55 crore through private placement of equity to five new investors. They include a major Indian manufacturing company, three investors representing financial institutions and a major Oman-based investor group. Among investors representing FIs was Vallabh Bhansali, founder, Enam Securities. An art aficionado himself, he was spotted last month at Indiatimes Art Auction in Mumbai with his wife.

Shareholders in Osian's now include Shiv & Kiran Nadar, Kumarmangalam Birla, Gautam Thapar, Kito de Boer, Jerry Rao, Sanjeev Khandelwal, Sangita Kathiwada, Kamal Morarka, Priya Paul, and Ashok Alexander, among others.

When Osian's was founded in 2000 by Neville Tuli, who holds a majority stake, its share price was valued at Rs 10. The current stake though was picked up at Rs 1,400 per share, representing a premium of Rs 1,390. At this price, the company is now valued at close to Rs 590 crore. For stakeholders in Osian's, it represents a phenomenal 118% appreciation in their holding each year. Few companies witness such steep increase in their valuations over such a short time.

Osian's owns the finest archive, library and collection of medieval, modern and contemporary art and film culture in India. Conservative estimates place the value of this collection in excess of Rs 900 crore.