Collectors' Conclave delights visitors at Serendipity fest

On subjects ranging from ethics and obligations that accompany valuation of art to the role collectors can play in shaping art education, the fifth day of the ongoing Serendipity arts festival saw some enriching panel discussions as part of 'The Collectors' Conclave' at the Adil Shah Palace here on Tuesday.

The conclave, supported by Christie's, (one of the major players in art business globally) hosted six sessions on a range of issues around art here.

The day started with "The Art of Patronage" session moderated by Ranjit Hoskote, one of the visual arts curator, with panellists, Tasneem Mehta, Pooja Sood, Nikhil Chopra and Rajiv Sethi examine the structures of patronage that are crucial for the cultivation of artists and art initiatives in the country.

The discussion explored the historical evolution of patronage models in India, encouraging critique and reflection on contemporary practices and determining the need for change moving forward.

The subsequent session "Private Collection/Public Legacy", moderated by Gayatri Sinha, had Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Raj Salgaocar, and Kiran Nadar debate how art could be made accessible and the role collectors could play in shaping art education and cultural preservation by facilitating such access.

"Beyond Price", the third session of the conclave, moderated by Mortimer Chatterjee, saw Sandeep Reddy, Prateek Raja, Arun Vadehra and Sonal Singh discuss the ethics and obligations that accompany valuation and market building in the Indian art world and debated morality and sustainability in the pricing of Indian art.

Moderated by Deepanjan Klein, "The Modern Subcontinent" session witnessed Nivritti Rodam, Shilpa Gupta, Sabih Ahmed, Arshiya Lokhandwala and Feroze Gujral explore the artistic possibilities of an art scene that transcends borders and connects the region and the role of collectors and patrons in this cross-border discourse.

A rather interesting and unusual session was "Catching The Con", moderated by Kishore Singh, that saw names like Stephen Lash, Akshay Chudasama and Conor Macklin examine the largely unexplored realm of forgeries in the country due to a lack of stringent guidelines and policies.

Talatum, a spectacular theatre production directed by renowned theatre-person Abhilash Pillai, also premiered at the festival on Tuesday.

Set in a circus tent, the play reinterpreted Shakespeare's "The Tempest" by adapting it to an Indian context and using circus and other subaltern forms of performance.

The spectacular show comprised the entire gamut of circus, magic, illusion techniques, gypsy art, puppetry, martial arts, new media, dance, music and theatre, and blended the modern and the traditional through a new oral and visual language. It was curated by Anuradha Kapur and Lillete Dubey.

The day ended with an insightful session with Sunil Kant Munjal, Czaee Shah, Sangita Jindal, and Anurag Khanna on "Building A Collection". Moderated by Amin Jaffer, the session examined collecting through the lens of investment, personal journey and public projects.

(Saket Suman is in Panaji at the invitation of Serendipity Arts Festival and can be contacted at saket.s@ians.in)

--IANS

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