India has been a witness to the phenomenon of selling art online for close to a decade now, especially since Saffronart was formed at the beginning of the new millennium. It is well established as India’s premier online auction house. Many others like Asta Guru have followed suit in the last few years, to prove the credentials of Web-based resources in the domain of art.
In an interview with ARTINFO, the co-founder of Saffronart, Dinesh Vazirani, had stated that the company was launched with the premise of blending technology and the art so as to let people have ready reference points - images, prices, information etc in order to make the entire process of buying works online easier.
Complimenting this outreach to new audience base online is the trend of rising internet usage thanks to wider access. A report by the Boston Consulting Group last year had mentioned of a sharp increase in internet usage in countries like Indonesia, Russia, Brazil and India, raising the total number of users to more than 1 billion by 2015.
As more people are keen to view and buy art online, auction houses are looking to leverage the power and reach of the medium. In fact, roughly 30% of Christie’s International clients now bid online. The VIP Art Fair hosted earlier this year was the first of its kind. On the other hand, India Art Collective, an exclusive online fair, was recently held to serve as an open platform accessible to a wide audience.
It was projected as a cost-efficient option to the traditional art fairs. The Chemould Prescott Road, Nature Morte, The Guild, Experimenter Gallery SKE, Sakshi Gallery, Apparao Galleries, Akar Prakar, Vadehra Art, Palette, Latitude 28, Tao, and Kashi were among the major galleries that featured in the inaugural edition, underling the importance of Internet to push art sales.
Given the country’s size and diversity, it’s not at all surprising that vendors are resorting to online channels to access markets beyond Mumbai and Delhi. The ability to target buyers is also greatly facilitated by a fast-expanding affluent class with a higher purchasing capacity, apart from the buyers of Indian origin (primarily, the Indian Diaspora).
In an interview with ARTINFO, the co-founder of Saffronart, Dinesh Vazirani, had stated that the company was launched with the premise of blending technology and the art so as to let people have ready reference points - images, prices, information etc in order to make the entire process of buying works online easier.
Complimenting this outreach to new audience base online is the trend of rising internet usage thanks to wider access. A report by the Boston Consulting Group last year had mentioned of a sharp increase in internet usage in countries like Indonesia, Russia, Brazil and India, raising the total number of users to more than 1 billion by 2015.
As more people are keen to view and buy art online, auction houses are looking to leverage the power and reach of the medium. In fact, roughly 30% of Christie’s International clients now bid online. The VIP Art Fair hosted earlier this year was the first of its kind. On the other hand, India Art Collective, an exclusive online fair, was recently held to serve as an open platform accessible to a wide audience.
It was projected as a cost-efficient option to the traditional art fairs. The Chemould Prescott Road, Nature Morte, The Guild, Experimenter Gallery SKE, Sakshi Gallery, Apparao Galleries, Akar Prakar, Vadehra Art, Palette, Latitude 28, Tao, and Kashi were among the major galleries that featured in the inaugural edition, underling the importance of Internet to push art sales.
Given the country’s size and diversity, it’s not at all surprising that vendors are resorting to online channels to access markets beyond Mumbai and Delhi. The ability to target buyers is also greatly facilitated by a fast-expanding affluent class with a higher purchasing capacity, apart from the buyers of Indian origin (primarily, the Indian Diaspora).
No comments:
Post a Comment