Let’s talk

Registration for the talk is Rs 8,162,and we are guessing that everyone is signing up. Ranjit Hoskote believes,“After being dazzled by the market,collectors are now looking at value built by knowledge. The Indian Art Summit is keen to position itself as a curated fair like Art Basel in France,” says Hoskote one of the Summit’s pioneers,who has always generated debate and discussion around Indian art even before the market as we know it existed.

Auction houses like Christie’s and Sotheby’s plan a series of talks with their international specialists in Modern and Contemporary art. Not willing to be left out,galleries like Vickram Sethi’s ICIA are holding talks and expos of their own accord-nationally and internationally.

Artist Jitish Kallat believes that the primary reason for the continued interest is an “internal momentum within the art scene in the country. Driven by the rigour of the art that is being made and the expanded circumference of the art worldwide,there are thousands of people involved in the art scene and there is no way that people will give up on it”.

“Everybody wants to know more about art,” says Maithili Parekh,Sotheby’s deputy director who recently organised a talk by Sotheby’s Modern and Impressionist specialist,August Uribe,and plans more in the future. “Art is about imagination and ideas; it is meant to spark discussion. No doubt the market plays essential role since sales ensure art lives beyond the historical time,however people are realising they need to engage and understand it better. To be informed never hurts,” says Parekh.

In Delhi,Peter Nagy,gallery owner of Nature Mort and an important key speaker at the Summit,is appreciative of a growing interest in discussions but does not believe that there is enough of it yet. “Those who are really concerned about art are taking a breath of relief since they hope that people will finally talk about the art and ideas around it. Prior to this,everybody wanted only to talk of the market. I’d say that is still the case,” avers Nagy.

Speaking critically of the confusion among collectors,Nagy says,“There is too much emphasis on the auctions; people think this is the only transparent process and so tend to build their opinions on that. However one has to pay attention to where the artist is showing nationally-internationally,at galleries and museums. Buyers are still quite immature and naïve,talking more will only help us all.”

Art critic Gayatri Sinha,also speaking at the Summit,believes it is time to assert and align with our Asian contemporaries.

The India Art Expo,a smaller cousin of the Summit,is a Mumbai-based art venture to be held in September. It has also taken the wise decision to schedule talks at its ‘high-end shopping event’.

Kay Saatchi,Judith Greer,Princess Tatjana zu Schaumburg-Lippe and other museum curators,will be exploring the art scene to tie up with Indian galleries while interacting and conversing with other experts. Hoskote and his contemporaries continue in good faith,the practices of generating literature and talks around art.

The latest venture is a book launch on August 10 at Crossword bookstore which celebrates Sunil Gawde’s participation in this year’s Venice Biennale. Foundation B&G— for whom Hoskote is curatorial advisor and series editor — have published a book on Gawde’s transition from painterly practice to sculpture and installation.

The book carries two essays — one by Jitish Kallat,and the other by Hoskote — and takes the reader into the artist’s studio and workshop through its photographic section. sOwning art is rich,but knowing about it is far enriching.