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So what if the bubble burst? New names and big shows will still draw in the art-lover

So what if the bubble burst? New names and big shows will still draw in the art-lover
The money-bags have quietly sneaked out of the 8220;art as investment8221; arena and 2008 will be remembered as the Year of the Big Drop. Good riddance, we say. Enough of rates and markets; it8217;s time to talk, celebrate and enjoy art8212;no price tags attached. And the year ahead brings many shows and startling new talent to look forward to.

Artists to watch out for
There are plenty who we think have it in them to produce riveting work but we8217;ll stick our neck out for three. To begin with, Ashish Ghosh. An artist from Kolkata, Ghosh 36 began painting professionally in 1994. In 2008, he got The Art India Promising Artist Award; the magazine said his work was 8220;something extraordinary8221; because he takes it beyond the gallery. The environmentally-conscious artist stages dramatic on-site installations that work with natural surroundings, yet make hard-hitting statements. Take for example, No more disaster. A fallen autumn tree in a park in New York could be read as a metaphor for the Twin Towers as little cardboard replicas of the buildings are scattered among the branches. Of the over 13 solo shows, 18 group exhibitions and 15 camps and workshops he has held, none has been inside a gallery. Ghosh is hardly a greenhorn but the Art India award will allow Indian audiences to become acquainted with his work and appraise his outdoor installations. All his projects are funded by grants and are currently 8216;not for sale.8217;

No less exciting is Ambu Rathwa. This 26-year-old painter was one of the winners of the Bodhi Art Awards in 2007 and has also been feted with the Inlaks Fine Art Scholarship. From Kawat village in Gujarat, Rathwa is camera-shy and monosyllabic and allows his work to do the talking. 8220;The microphone is my metaphor,8221; says the artist who uses the image repeatedly as a device 8220;to make one8217;s own inner voice audible8221;. With group shows in Delhi, Baroda, where he studied at the Fine Arts Faculty, and an ongoing show in Mumbai8217;s The Strand Art Room, Rathwa is poised for his own solo show.nbsp;

Another Baroda alumnus who stands out is Sanjay Barot. A contemplative artist, his canvases are markedly different from Rathwa8217;s while he does display a similar taste for colours. Having shown in Vadodara, Mumbai, Kolkata, Lucknow and Delhi this 26-year-old is well-traveled and well-shown. His art has promise as many collectors will vouch for his strong sense of colour and poetry. Born in Kapadwanj, another small town in Gujarat, his works combine the rustic with the urban in a manner that is unpredictable. He surprises one with beautiful metaphors of the working class man and his dream-world.

Show stoppers
Among the shows to watch out is Mumbai-based artist Anju Dodiya8217;s solo in February in Delhi8217;s Vadehra Art Gallery. This follows her solo in Venice Biennale. 8220;I will be showing paintings which I am still working on8212;a series called Mourners,8221; says Dodiya. Mourners deals with the darker side of life. It talks of loss and longing, where the mourners could be grieving for the victims of Mumbai8217;s terror attacks or at the graves of the innocent killed in Kashmir. Dodiya embraces the emotion and opens up her painting to universal interpretations.

In March, Chemould Art Gallery hosts a remarkable show by LN Tallur that will showcase the unusual work of this Bangalore-based artist. What is remarkable about Tallur is that he has lived most of his life in Kasargud, a small town in Kerala, but his art, after a bit of exposure to the art scene in New York, has developed an avante garde style that combines 8220;traditions, absurdity and the personal.8221; Another big show to look out for is Photoink8217;s retrospective on Richard Bartholomew that opens in New Delhi on January 17. The multi-talented photographer, poet, painter and art critic from Myanmar died in 1985. In this show, photographer son Pablo celebrates his father who gave him his 8220;first lessons in life and photography.8221;

Be there
ARCO Madrid February 11-16, 2009, an international contemporary art fair, is going to be a hot spot since India is the 8220;guest country8221; and the focus is on India8217;s modern and contemporary art scene; those with tickets to the big art fair are to be envied. Bose Krishnamachari is being a little secretive about his curatorial venture, but he promises that the exhibition will, 8220;induce people to think about Indian art seriously and not in the exotic manner that we are usually seen.8221;