The good, the bad and the ugly

There were very few moments in 2018 when you could go “Aww”, at least as far as art is concerned. Which may not be a bad thing considering what the art world needs right now is stability. Translated, that means consistency in the quality of art being put out there by artists and galleries, well-curated exhibitions, a stabilising of prices, and an economy that has been steady (if not assuring). It was a cautious year in which no one took risks, but the market did better than most had hoped, and even ended on a positive note with an AstaGuru auction of moderns that, for the first time, crossed the Rs 1-billion benchmark.

The last time a sale did as well was in 2013, when Christie’s opened its account in India with a Rs 965-million auction — but that consisted of 83 works. AstaGuru’s triumph was crossing Rs 1 billion with a sale of 40 works, which means the average lot realisation was Rs 25 million. The decade-old auction house achieved this immediately following its Rs 230-million no reserve sale where, again, the value realisation was better than expected. Is the cache of buyers finally expanding?

But hold the champagne for now. Christie’s, this year, dropped its India sale in Mumbai to exit the market, showing poor confidence. Sotheby’s promptly stepped in with an extremely diversified catalogue, hedging its bets and sussing out the market, which it didn’t quite set on fire, with a well-publicised painting by Amrita Sher-Gil making up a third of the value of the total sale. It did broker more respect for sculptors, but the market remained the domain of the Progressives, pretty much commanded by the same names that have been on the marquee in this decade. A recent New York show on the group will further consolidate that hold.

With such stray exceptions, few exhibitions or art events stood out of the ordinary, though more Indian artists exhibited globally at a greater variety of art fairs — and found buyers. Is affordability what international collectors want from Indian art? No easy answers there, but they are not averse to purveying Indian art provided a context is provided for them. The story is important — hope curators are listening.

 

MCH, the grand-daddy of art fairs worldwide, invested in the India Art Fair two years ago, but is already looking for an exit. This is part of its global strategy and not directed particularly at India, but it has upset the apple cart somewhat. That’s because the fair has become a bellwether for the Indian art community, and its success, or lack of, will be a conversation point for much of the year. To say the 2019 edition is going to be keenly watched is an understatement.

Both the Dhaka Art Summit and the Kochi-Muziris Biennale have settled in well as part of the subcontinental art calendar, the latter with its three-month window now a major choice on travel itineraries for those ranging from the well-informed to the art-naïve. Its selection of curator has become a significant part of its story, and this — the fourth — edition’s choice of a woman artist has been applauded. It’s ironically understandable that she makes room for the marginalised in her work.

Inevitably, the art world has had its share of #MeToo controversies, lapped up by an incestuous fraternity. So far, organisational responses have been dignified. But more will out — everyone, after all, is aware of instances of sexual and fiscal predation and imprudence that are part of the industry’s lexicon. In a year of few surprises, that should be the least surprise of all. 
 

Kishore Singh is a Delhi-based writer and art critic. These views are personal and do not reflect those of the organisation with which he is associated