The Most Popular Art Fair in India held ART EXPO INDIA 2009 Mumbai Mention also must be made of a retrospective at Art Expo India, which was arranged as a tribute to S. H. Raza and his dedication to art. The legendary artist has remarked: “I have lived fully"
Search’; Everything is Art; and ‘Indian Art in an International Perspective’ were debated, evoking spontaneous responses and a round of rapid fire questions from the engrossed audience.
Mention also must be made of a mini-retrospective at AEI, which was arranged as a small tribute to S. H. Raza and his dedication to art. The legendary artist has remarked: “I have lived fully, and (always) worked with passion and intensity both as a painter and thinker. It needed 30 years for me to master the art of painting before I arrived at a personal style.” The show encapsulated the spirit of his art practice.
Nehru Centre in Mumbai might not be frequented by art connoisseurs but last weekend over 20,000 enthusiasts were visited the venue to view artwork from 30 galleries around the world at Art Expo India. “It’s a forum that allows viewers to look at a collection that is representative,” says Vickram Sethi, chairman of the three-day fair. He adds, “Entering galleries could be intimidating and a forum like this helps initiate new people into the world art.” young participation by Ashok Art Gallery has got a spectacular response on both visitors and sale, it was almost crowded all three days. their collections includes masters like C.S.Rao, seniors like Baladev Moharatha, cutting edge like Pratul Dash and new talent Pradosh Swain, Sajal Patra and Kanta Kishore were hot favorite amongst all.The event spread over three day brought immense sense of satisfaction and achievement to its organizer Vickram Sethi, who has been involved in art for close to two decades and has witnessed the dramatic evolution of Indian art scene. The Arts Trust was set up by him in 1990 with a long-term vision of promoting Indian contemporary art, which was just gaining in prominence at that time. The Institute of Contemporary Indian Art (ICIA) was a logical extension of his vision of becoming the best source for quality work by both the distinguished and emerging Indian artists.
Having had his own art gallery, he had valuable first-hand experience of the difference between the art markets in India and outside. He realized that the three challenges to the Indian art market were an unorganized art market, limited collectors and buyers and international exposure, interlinking and affecting each other. He felt the need for a consolidated resource within India for its art scene hence he launched the Art Expo last year.
Harping on the bright future of Indian art and artists as reflected at AEI, Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan of The National, a leading UAE based publication, wrote: “Walking through the expo, it’s hard to imagine that there’s a global economic crisis. If anything, the canvases were larger and more obviously bright than in previous years, the sculptures and installation pieces held pride of place, and the new generation was holding down the fort.”
Echoing the sentiments, Mr. Sethi expressed confidence about the bright prospects and potential of contemporary Indian art. He added, “The Indian market is in a very nascent stage
