Indian arts adds diversity to the Asian Art Scene

The Economic Times

8 April 2009

Ashoke Nag

KOLKATA: The entry of Indian and broader Asian art into the Southeast Asian region can only add to the vibrancy and diversity of the art scene.

Singapore Art Museum (SAM) director Kwok Kian Chow told ET that there has been a gradual increase in the number of galleries selling Indian art in Singapore. Together with staging successful Chinese art shows, SAM has also fielded a large exhibition of Indian art in 2007 featuring 40 "stunning" works.

"There are more and more galleries stocking and offering Indian art in Singapore. The Singapore Tyler Print Institute (STPI) has also invited contemporary Indian artists to work with them. SAM has also worked with various Indian institutions and collections to present shows on Indian art or exhibitions which incorporate Indian art under larger thematics," Mr Chow said in an email from Singapore.

According to him, Singapore Art Museum presented an Indian art exhibit, titled From the Everyday to the Imagined: An Exhibition of Indian Art, in 2007 which showcased 40 exquisite pieces. "This exhibition presented an ever-changing India, seen through the eyes of major stalwarts in the development of modern Indian art. The show featured creations by A Ramachandran, K G Subramanyan, Gulam Mohammed Sheikh, M F Husain, S H Raza and Arpana Caur. Here, visual perspectives of everyday social realities were juxtaposed against the rich tapestry of Indian mythology, tradition and fantasy. SAM had co-organised this exhibition with Seoul National University Museum of Art for it to travel to Korea," Mr Chow said.

"We understand from our Korean partner for the show that the Indian exhibition was a huge success. The show generated great attention from major media publications as well as the public," he added.

In Chow's view, a combination of factors are driving Indian art into the pan Southeast Asian region. "Firstly, there is the growing economic and geo-political significance of Asia in the 21st century. This includes, in particular, India and China. Secondly, there are also many affluent Indians or people of Indian descent (whether in India or outside India) who are now interested in their own heritage and this extends to collecting Indian art. But, I would say that the most important reason is the inspiration great civilisations for contemporary expressions. We are all in search of multiculturalism that extends into the distant past," he said.

The base of Indian art galleries in Singapore is expanding. There are a number of outstanding Indian art galleries in Singapore, Chow said. These include Gajah Gallery, Bodhi Art, Indigo Blue Art, The Gallery of Gnani Arts and Art Mosaic Gallery.

SAM, which harbours a repository of 7,000 works, sports in its collection 70 Indian paintings including those by Jogen Chowdhury, Sunil Das, Arpana Caur and Jamini Roy.

Despite the tremendous growth in Asian art prices in recent years, Indian artworks could still be much lower from the international perspective. "It is quite relative. Both Chinese and Indian art prices have increased fantastically at auctions over the last few years. However, it is true they have yet to reach the levels of some Western artists. This is to be expected as a large proportion of the art market is still centred in the US and Europe."