Indian art market -the road ahead

After the finer recalibrations that subsequently followed (after the global recession and a rapid fall it witnessed), the contemporary Indian art is poised for glory again. However, all parties concerned are bound to be more cautious this time around. According to an insightful report by ArtTactic, the first signs of ‘green shoots’ were seen last March. The London based art market research firm is cautiously bullish on Indian art.

Besides the fact that contemporary Indian art market has come full circle, it was the defining decade (2001-10) when the very contours and perspectives of art practice took a complete about-turn. As writer Anindita Ghose of The Mint notes in a recent essay, mapping the changes:

“The 2002 Documenta, a major exhibit of contemporary art (It takes place every five years in Germany), heated up the scene by inviting Raqs Media Collective to showcase their work. This indeed was the beginning of the collective’s engagement with the contemporary art world that has resulted in some highly compelling installation work in recent years. The 2009 Venice Biennale, too, invited performance artist Nikhil Chopra to represent India, establishing a new way in which emerging artists from India would engage in the global dialogue—with more confidence.”

But what lies ahead of us? The new decade has started off on a perfect note. Anish Kapoor, the internationally celebrated British sculptor of Indian origin, finally forayed into India, to set the tone. The event made big news, underlining the most fitting endnote to the defining decade. It’s quite the metaphor then that the sculptor’s ‘Sky Mirror’ stationed in the NGMA lawns, looks skywards.

Of course, as the writer rightly notes that we still have miles to go especially in terms of building a viable and lasting infrastructure for both art education and art appreciation. However, it does seem like the term ‘art’ itself has acquired a newer energy and meaning in the nation’s consciousness. This is a positive development that bodes well for the years and decade to come as far as contemporary Indian art is concerned.