The world is the canvas

Indian contemporary artists and galleries are making their presence felt on the global platform like never before, writes

Indian flavour at the Victoria & Albert Museum

V&A, London, is exploring the rich and varied culture of India through two significant exhibitions. Organised as part of "The India Festival", these events will mark the 25th anniversary of the opening of the museum's Nehru Gallery. The exhibitions, "Bejewelled Treasures: the Al Thani Collection" and "The Fabric of India", will explore the transformation in cultural ethos from the 16th century onwards, the interchange of ideas between the East and the West and its impact on jewellery and textiles in India. So, you will find medieval artefacts, like a spectacular tent belonging to Tipu Sultan, sharing space with modern creations by fashion designers such as Abraham and Thakore, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Aneeth Arora, Kallol Datta and Rahul Mishra in "The Fabric of India".

Similarly, the "Bejewelled Treasures" will include Mughal-inspired jewellery by Paris-based JAR and Bhagat of Mumbai alongside treasures from the past such as a jade-hilted dagger belonging to Shah Jahan and a gold tiger-head finial from the throne of Tipu Sultan.

The idea behind showcasing modern masters alongside the medieval ones is to highlight traditional Indian textiles and jewellery reinterpreted in completely modern idioms.

"The Fabric of India" can be viewed between October 3, 2015 and January 10, 2016; "Bejewelled Treasures: the Al Thani Collection" will be on display from November 21, 2015 to March 28, 2016

Riding on confidence

The international art market is once again becoming receptive to Indian contemporary art after the last boom years of 2006-08, which were followed by a drastic slump in global interest. "This is also happening because the Chinese contemporary art market is coming off the boil and collectors are looking for new opportunities in Asia," says Anders Petterson, founder and managing director of London-based art market analysis firm ArtTactic.

A core group of Indian galleries such as Chemould, Project88, Experimenter and Galleryske has been presenting Indian artists at international fairs for some time. "I think this consistency has been very important for the renewed interest in this market," explains Petterson. According to the Indian Art Market Report 2015 by his firm, the Confidence Indicator for the Indian contemporary art market showed a positive momentum from May 2014, increasing by 4 per cent from 64.5 to 67. This follows after a slump in the market in November 2013 when the confidence indicator was 39.

There are some like Hugo Weihe, CEO, Saffronart, who believe that this has also come about as a result of the willingness of curators from abroad to try and understand this segment. "Galleries like Serpentine from London have sent curators to do extensive research on Indian contemporary art," says Weihe. He also says that while in recent years galleries were simply testing international waters, they have now become more focused in their approach. "They are now backing artists that they truly believe in," he says.

Entering uncharted waters

Thota Vaikuntam, about whom S H Raza said, "After Jamini Roy, his work is a new significant contribution to contemporary Indian art", is back with an exhibition of new paintings titled "The Telengana Icons". For this, Delhi-based Art Alive Gallery and Grosvenor Hall, London, have come together in a unique collaboration to show Vaikuntam's work in Britain after 10 years.

Several Indian galleries are also making their way to newer markets like Australia and the United States. Kolkata-based Experimenter will participate at the upcoming fall exhibition programme of Dallas Contemporary in Texas with works by Karachi-born Bani Abidi and Germany-based Nadia Kaabi-Linke. "Earlier, contemporary art exhibition spaces like Dallas focused only on American art," says gallerist Prateek Raja.

In her first-ever solo museum exhibition in the US, pioneering video artist Abidi will present an immersive site-specific video installation of her 2014-work Funland and a new body of videos, titled An Unforeseen Situation, both of which deal with the idea of borders and separation. And, Kaabi-Linke will present six diverse projects that document current social climates. The most striking of these is Bicycle, where the artist chronicles change through the shadow of the bicycle over the course of the day.

Experimenter will also participate at the Frieze Art Fair, London, where it will present Praneet Soi's "Srinagar II" -a probe into Srinagar's cultural elements as well as Soi's reflection on Kashmir's portrayal in the public domain.

Recently, Art Alive took 20 of Paresh Maity's prominent works - sculptures and paintings - to an exhibition titled "Eyes of the Soul" at the Sydney Contemporary Art Fair for the first time. "I feel that the viewership has become more global. Even though I am in Sydney right now, I don't feel any different from when I am in Delhi," said Sunaina Anand, director, Art Alive, during a call from Sydney in early September. She said she "was on the verge of closing a few deals".

"Telangana Icons" can be viewed at Grosvenor Hall, London till October 10; "Srinagar II" will be showcased at Frieze Art Fair, London from October 14 to 17; the solo shows by Bani Abidi and Nadia Kaabi-Linke will be on at the Dallas Contemporary till December 21