Last month, the Indian market registered a minor rebound after the 2008 slump, triggered in part by the global recession.
Slightly optimistic signs emerged when Sotheby's first international auction sale of Indian and West Asian art was held in Singapore. This renewed confidence in the Indian art market was evident at the opening of Kala Sutra's "The Arts House" last week.
India's Sanchit Art, with its international wing and a collection curated by founder and independent curator Arun Ghose, brought over 76 works for display at the show. The big drawing with the art and the presence of Indian masters in the room lent a presence to local art. Sotheby's Experts, the owner of local art house Orchard, Troika and Pangea, and many other galleries were present. While Indian contemporary art is thriving in Singapore and nothing seems to prove otherwise, India's art world is also entering a new phase.
The intent, Sanchit Art's director Subhash told tabla!, was to bring the "best out of India to not only show art but get people to interact with the artists". On April 21 night, even after the show officially closed, buyers were seen making last-minute deals at The Arts House. Of the 76 artworks on display, almost 40 sold within minutes by Vaikuntham snapped up well before closing night. The exhibition, arguably the biggest showcase of Indian contemporary art here in recent years, was nearly two years in the making and it offered a representation of modern India.
There are traditional and contemporary voices and a lot of new energy in the West. The organisers aimed to give a complete picture of the Indian art scene, but stamped it 2008 in the last two years, it has been a case of buyer caution as the market cooled slightly. Still, art curator Ghose said "a panel discussion which brought the best Indian art apart from the show got a lot of attention".
In the past two weeks, the social visitors of Indian art have been the talk of Singapore. The idea was to get people to know the art from post-modern and conceptual art, offering a good mix.
