Poonam Vaidya
The Art & Sculpture preview, ‘Summer Medley of Phantasmagoria’ will
take place on the April 29th, 2009 at 7 PM in Leela Galleria, Level C.
The event will include contemporary art and sculptures, by Anand
Bewadkar, Bharati Sagar, Doddamani, Muni Mohan, Neena Singh, Romicon
Revola, Sudhir Meher and Shan Re, which will be followed by an exhibit
from April 30 – May 6, 2009
Preceding the exciting and exclusive event, DNA interviewed artists,
art collectors and art galleries to learn where art stood in today’s
recession-hit world.
Art Collectors are the city seemed to have given up investing in art.
Arti Bharadwaj, an impulsive art purchaser, has not been very
impulsive of late. “Art is just a perception that you pay for, you
will never know its actual price. I don’t buy that much art, but in
the current scenario, people would want to save, not spend. I think
art is overpriced and certainly, it is not a necessity.” Art collector
Neeta Jaipuria admits that she has drastically reduced buying art, to
the point of discontinuing. “I used to buy mostly modern art, but now,
I hardly buy any. Recession is the main reason. ” Naveen Bogle (name
changed) says he has not bought art for around two years. “Prices have
hit the roof recently” he says, “I don’t think there are many buyers
right now. My philosophy is to observation it like a share market, you
invest when stakes are low, so you can make a profit”
Indra Bharadwaj, owner of Right Lines Art Gallery, agrees. “Yes,
recession has hit artists badly. There is a drop in sales, as art is
no longer a priority, but an ultra luxury. The situation has come as a
reality check to artists, whose focus now is no longer the deadline,
but the quality of work.” Rajesh Kannan, an artist involved in the
exhibition ‘Orient and Oriental’ says he took up art in order to
represent nature and the spirit of the universe in abstract and
contemporary themes. “Recession has affected me and other artists very
badly. There has been a drop in sales. Even for ‘matured artists’ the
market is virtually dry.” Artist Sujata Tibrewala, the owner of art
exhibition ’Pratimbima and also an artist herself, complains. “Buyers
have become very less. Artists have to choose whether they want to
bring down prices or simply not sell their work. Rather than the art
itself, we look at what it symbolizes.”
But Renu George, from Time and Space Art Gallery, disagrees, “The
situation is not as bad as it’s made out to be. The market is still
wide open for upcoming artists. If the work is priced below a lakh,
and is good, it still sells. But recession has mostly hit the big
names, whose unaffordable works have stopped selling. Still, sales are
satisfactory and buyers are still looking for good work to invest in.”
Rajashree Kandelwal, owner of Frame Defines remains neutral in her
outlook “Before, we used to get many orders, especially from corporate
offices. Most projects have been put on hold. People who earlier
invested in art, especially IT professionals, no longer spend money on
expensive paintings. However, paintings within the price range of
Rs.35000 to 40000 still find buyers.” Artist Gurudas Shenoy, also
continues to remain positive. “The situation is not as bad as people
think. Good work will always sell. If you have a good item, buyers
will automatically come to you. There is no point in reducing prices.”
He still believes that artists who really work hard will succeed in
today’s world. “I am a good artist, and my prices will only go up. I
don’t care about what people think, I paint because I’m passionate
about it and have fun while doing it.”
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