The following are a few of her editorials:
The doors to the ingenious and creative continuum opens...
(Creative Mind, Vol IX, Quarter I-II, 2012)Welcome to the world where art meets commerce in a manner so grandiose and a scale so ostentatious
that one doubts whether it really is meant for promoting art. Art Fairs have traversed from the European
grounds to our ‘desi’ hubs, to cater to the art lover, collector and the investor. Some see it as a reversal
of our weekly haat and cultural fairs held in the smallest of the villages since centuries. The scale may
have been small but the idea was the same. The artisans brought their wares to a specific location,
buyers gathered at that specific location, some appreciated and walked on, and others came with a
precise need and bought.
Art Fairs have gained the distinction of selecting the best exhibits, displaying it for the connoisseur
who is always clamoring for more. If there are innumerable artists, then the magnitude of the crowd
is no less. The United Art Fair that debuts this September, claims to be different from its counter-part
India Art Fair that will be held early next year. The former gives an opportunity to the artist to exhibit
free of cost, projecting itself as an ‘artist-centric’ art fair. It should not be seen as a snub to the galleries
as the latter can scout for that brilliant emerging talent in the lanes of the fair. The India Art Fair,
commencing early next year, includes renowned international art galleries, which bring along unique
artworks of masters and contemporary artists. Most of us may never have the opportunity to partake
the viewing pleasure of such works otherwise. Another art fair, India Art Festival, to be held in Mumbai
in the latter half of November 2012, has the elements of the two major art events mentioned above. It
promotes individual artists, and at the same time, gives due leverage to the galleries.
It is a healthy ground for the artist as he can compare his works and pricing with other artists and their
works in the same category. It will either give him the satisfaction or the incentive to work harder
still. Moreover, he gets an opportunity to gauge the public response. The collector also gains in the
sense that he gets to choose from innumerable artworks from across states and sometimes, countries.
Furthermore, he obtains them at comparative prices. These fairs give an impetus to the cultural and
artistic shift, providing new grounds for artists to experiment and viewers to sample novel creations.
They also breed new grounds for the dynamic fusion of traditional and experimental art, masters and
the emerging.
On the flip side though, they have become overtly commercialized. We may try and conceal the
commercial aspect under the garb of promotion of art/artist, but the fact remains that the former is
imperative. However you brand yourself, commercialism is the common denominator. One may say that
all they want to do is to bring art to our doorstep, for us to celebrate the glory of true art. But under
all the clichéd phrases, we know these art fairs are aimed at those who have the buying power and the
motivation to collect. Art Fairs that should be all about aesthetics sadly violate the aesthetic canons in
assembling the event. Also, sometimes these art fairs, in their benevolent bid to give more and more
artists the exhibition space, end up throwing together jarring works. Situations like these detract the
genuine art lover.
We eagerly await the fairs to be shortly held in Delhi, hoping that they live up to the high standards of
the connoisseur.
Heralding a blooming season of art
(Creative Mind, Vol IX, Quarter II-III, 2012)Welcome to the festive spirit in the air, the air that also smells (like a heavenly cup
of coffee) of some well curated shows and some novel works. A couple of months
of slumber later, the art world woke up to a resounding start. A painting exhibition
here, and a sculpture show there; some, sadly, not very encouraging but the Delhi
winter heralds a busy season ahead! We hear of impending paintings, sculptures, and
photography exhibitions to be held in the mushrooming galleries. But, we are not
complaining. Art connoisseurs get a taste of astounding art, more to choose from. The
artists too find the kind of exposure and media attention, they look for.
As in our last issue, so in the current; art and literature find equal significance. In fact,
Creative Mind Publication publishes a compilation of Sanjay Bhattacharya’s poetry. The
book was launched by actor Anil Kapoor, which also saw the opening of an exhibition
of Bhattacharya’s drawings. Not only was it a confluence of art and poetry, it included
an interesting interaction by another branch of art i.e. acting. Where poetry and art is
concerned, Leonardo da Vinci observed that “Painting is poetry that is seen rather than
felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen”. The event saw justice done to
both!
In this issue we bring to you interviews with well known artists, reviews of some
amazing shows, poetry and critiques. For us, art is reverend; for us art is collaboration
between God and the artist, and the less the artist does the better, said a wise man.
Though we miss the unstructured movement of Souza’s pen, Raza’s simple geometry
and Husain’s horses, difficult to reign in, we also come across some experimental and
fearless works. These are the artists who pay no heed to the commercial demands or
academic tenets. Not to say that there are no lackluster or intrepid works. This quarter,
we bring you a fare peppered with both!
The artist uses the talent he has, wishing he had more talent. The talent uses the
artist, wishing it had more of the artist. Fortunately, all is not lost yet. Sometimes,
one unexpectedly sees stupendous works by self taught artists, skillfully executed and
painted with the exuberance of a child. And that speaks of true art! And that also prods
us in our mission to discover such art and bring it to you.