Indian Art Summit - A Review

							Indian Art Summit - A Review
India art summit was a good start despite many shortcomings. Many good
artists works could not found place in the gallery stalls. Almost every
gallery showed in their stall same kinds of works. Where were old
masters? Very few galleries had it. I found Delhi Art Gallery
representing real Indian art in the summit stalls, rests were just
following the trend. Some more galleries like Tao and Sanskriti showed
some good works of modern artists. Very few artists abstract art works
found place in the stalls; if there were some abstract art in galleries
it was decorative and designer.
With this summit abstract art was declared almost dead as abstract art in
India had become a craft practice. Summit did not left a good aesthetic
impression on the minds of visitors as most of artworks were monotonous
and designer. Many galleries did not found their place in the summit.
Where was Bodhi Art gallery? Where was Saffron Art? I did not see Novell
Tuli Art Company 'Osian'? These great names of Indian Art world left us
in a suspicion! What went wrong with the summit? In summit we have not
seen Indian Art; it was not Indian Art show or summit as for as Indian
art is concerned. Art Summit was dominated by Chinese Avant-Garde kind of
art which was not good for progress and identity. Galleries must not
follow the trend set by other countries artists but should try to create
one new trend that others could follow. Organizers did not organize the
show properly as many buyers were complaining of not getting credit card
machines as they wanted to pay amount with credit cards.
I saw many visitors returning without watching art summit exhibition
because ticket price was Rs.200, I was bound to purchase one in the same
price. Even artists, writers and critics too had to buy the ticket. Every
day galleries sale art and earns millions they should not have earned
this time at least; at least for the sake of people and art lovers. It is
their wrong believes that art lovers are only buyers, they can be
appreciators too. If this great event was organized this great mistake
should have been taken in to account. Even in a art talk session
galleries and organizers put heavy pricing on tickets, it was Rs.2500 for
general people and Rs 1000 for artists and students. What was discussed
there? Any secret thing?
Galleries should understand that it is people because of whom culture
grows. More and more people's participation and involvement could have
been made this event successful. Husain's absence at Indian art summit
was also a great surprise for us; what happened to him? And why galleries
did not exhibit his art works? Something has gone wrong with the summit.
Majority of Indian media groups have not covered this art event; why?
Something has gone wrong? The last day at least media should have covered
it but they did not; they covered those who were not the Part of the
summit like Saffron Art, Novell Tuli's Osian etc. Indian express despite
covering Art Summit covered about Novell Tuli and Dinesh Vazirani of
Saffron art criticizing the galleries double policy on painting prices.
Mrs Vazirani of Saffron art said, "ideally, there should not be any
difference between the prices of works available at gallery and at an art
fair". It seemed that summit was a divided show since the great art
market players did not participate. We hope next time they will be united
and will exhibit good works to the people.
Author is an art critic and writer of three books 'contemporizing
Buddha', ' Hindu Tantra Yoga' and 'Concerning The Spiritual In Art-an
Indian modern art perspective'. He has been awarded with 'Lalit kala
Academy Scholarship Award' for art criticism in 2005. Currently working
on a book 'Buddhist tantra yoga'. He lives and works in Delhi India.