Contemporary South and Southeast Asia art courtesy the Guggenheim

Focusing on contemporary art practices from South and Southeast Asia, ‘No Country’ courtesy the Guggenheim in collaboration with UBS charts creative activity and processes across three distinct geographic regions. The first show of a multi-year artistic initiative, it tries to engage with the region on its own specific terms, critically.

Featuring recent acquisitions in sculpture, painting, film, video, installation, and work on paper, the exhibition sets out to re-evaluate the region and its countries on basis of its cultural relationships, affinities, negotiations and influences, offering a glance into the diverse contemporary art practices. The idea is to present the latent possibility of grasping them beyond their geographical and political boundaries.

Artists from Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India feature in the show. The Guggenheim UBS MAP Curator (South and Southeast Asia), June Yap, spells out in an essay that challenging romanticized perceptions of the region, the artworks on view lay bare a complex set of conditions that resulted from the rise and fall of kingdoms and empires, and which bear the historical traces of colonization and the often-traumatic birth of nations.

These works explore universal themes of national identity and community, cultural knowledge, power, and faith such as ‘The boy who got tired of posing’ and Shilpa Gupta’s sculptural piece that documents the data about the fenced border existing between Pakistan and India. Amar Kanwar will also feature in the group exhibition will move to Singapore and Hong Kong’s Asia Society where the Guggenheim Museum team will work in collaboration with curators to adapt it to the local audiences.

An internationally renowned art museum and one of the most significant architectural icons of the 20th century, the Guggenheim Museum is at once a vital cultural center, an educational institution, and the heart of an international network of museums. Visitors can experience special exhibitions of modern and contemporary art, lectures by artists and critics, performances and film screenings, classes for teens and adults, and daily tours of the galleries led by experienced docents. Founded on a collection of early modern masterpieces, the Guggenheim Museum today is an ever-growing institution devoted to the art of the 20th century and beyond.

Juxtaposing the past and present for a new way of seeing

Wonderful watercolors and oil paintings by Sanjay Bhattacharya allude to dual nature of realities, simultaneously evoked by quaint architectural elements such as old, empty houses. They’re of immense interest to him, as they tell the tales of a bygone era – the people who lived, who shared, fought and loved there.

There’s a peculiar residue of color and texture in their slowly decaying walls, when one closely observes them. One can notice dark bedrooms carrying dressing table, chairs, old style table, or bedstead with ornately carved head-board set placed against sunrays seeping through in some of the artworks. Not sticking to empty houses, he has painted the emotions of those who occupied them like a mother carefully combing her daughters' hair.

Born in 1958 in Kolkata, he did a Diploma (Fine Arts), Government College of Art & Craft, Kolkata (1977-82). Curiously albeit not surprisingly, for the restless soul in him, school was probably the most boring place he ever visited. He never really relished it, at least during his childhood when he was more intent on reading books and imbibing knowledge through informal studies.

Many of his works revolve around the lives of families from lower rung of the society, barely surviving.  He has also done realistic portraiture, including that of India’s late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and India's only Air Marshal Arjan Singh. The artist is equally fascinated by the city of joy, Kolkata – its streets, people, sound and a touch of nostalgia like the faded British grandeur.

Summing up his processes and philosophy, Sanjay Bhattacharya has stated, “For me, subject, composition and backdrop, become the idea of an artist’s landscape, so what I see is a juxtaposition of many elements from the past and the present to create a new way of seeing. This theme is about that, albeit through the element of abstraction, I’ve left many layers open to interpretation for the viewer to decipher, and also to respond to.”

A sensitive artist's journey from fantasy to realism

Interestingly, he was not aware of a hidden artistic inclination or talent though he showed an enormous determination and capacity for hard work. No surprise, he would invariably score poorly but started picking up nuances of art as time passed by. After he finished his early schooling chores, he decided that he would not be pursuing bookish curriculum.

In an effort to fine tune his artistic skills, he joined the Government College of Arts & Crafts, Kolkata where he completed his graduation in 1982. He then was associated with an ad agency as an illustrator. The job brought him to the capital city of India, New Delhi. His very first assignment was to come up with one an ad on tyres.

The job profile did not suit his artistic self, however much he tried. It was only expected that he would leave the agency; he did so just months later to join Hindustan Thomson Associates where he got the opportunity to freelance, allowing him to afford a rented place and luxury of time to work on a series of watercolors and oils that were displayed at Dhoomimal Gallery in 1988. All the five watercolors were bought, encouraging him to pursue his passion.

His first inspiration, so to say, was the Phantom of the famous comics. He used to draw the character on the walls and on the doors, everywhere he could think of, but now his imagination traverses different wide ranging themes and motifs. Among one of the most renowned students of painter Bikash Bhatacharjee, he has moved beyond the fantasy world, coming closer to realism, looking to blend the outer and inner realities, juxtapose or even confront both at times. Fascinating figurative images of this renowned contemporary artist seem closer to those in the works of many Dutch realist painters or some of the French painters from 18th century.

Life and art of Sanjay Bhattacharya

Executed in a diverse and dynamic array of media and forms, Sanjay Bhattacharya’s enchanting and gripping oeuvre looks to explore inherently dual nature of realities.

His idea is to try and blend the complex outer and inner layers of it, juxtaposing or even confronting both at times. His works encompass quaint architectural elements quite often - streets of Kolkata and realistic portraiture.

Apart from several solos, among his selected group shows are 'Edge of Reason- and beyond, into pure creativity' courtesy Indian Art Circle at Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi (2013); 'Masterclass', Dhoomimal Art Gallery, Delhi (2011); 'Reprise', Aicon Gallery, New York (2011); 'Holy Now', presented by Religare Arts Initiative at Gallery 27, London (2010); annual exhibition of Chawla Art Gallery, Delhi (2010); 'Home and the World', Aicon Gallery, New York (2010); 'Harvest 2008' by Arushi Arts at The Stainless, Delhi; 'Sanjay Bhattacharya 1981-96' at Art Today, Delhi; and 'Rajiv Gandhi: Landscape of a man', NGMA and Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai, almost two decades ago, among other shows. 

His most recent solo show, entitled 'Emerging Krishna', was held at Religare Arts Initiative, Delhi. The series was a poignant exploration of captured moments and altered ways of seeing. Done in three different media such as exquisite photographs, canvases and sculptures, it was a delightful exploration of light, color, composition and mood. The works exuded sublime spirituality, with a resonant reverence and that of his 17th century Spanish obsession with the mirror image of reality.

Curator Uma Nair mentioned in an accompanying note: “In a complex and mixed society, we can look at this show in two very distinct ways. First, at the canvases and then the photographs or vice versa, but wherever you begin, there is the charisma of a darshan to an urban audience, the touch of the past, a setting against the bricks and rusted embers of time. Sanjay gives us Krishna as an icon of a symbolism, a silhouette framed in the pantheon of remembrance.”

Estimates, reserve price and other aspects of buying at AstaGuru’s online auction

In this two-part article series, we elaborate on several key aspects of buying at AstaGuru’s online auction like estimates, reserve price, and buyers premium.

• Estimates are essentially based on an average market value of the lot. These are provided only as a guide for buyers. Buyers should not rely on estimates as a prediction of actual price. Estimates do not include Buyers Premium. The reserve price is the minimum price at which the lot shall be sold. It's kept confidential. There will be a 15 percent buyers’ premium calculated on the hammer price at the close of the auction. For all lots taxes are payable on the buyers premium at the applicable rate, included in the invoice.
  
• Pre -Registration and Verification marks your participation in the bidding process. Prospective buyers should be registered and verified in order to bid. In case you’ve already registered before, you will still need to pre- register and accept the terms and conditions for the sale. (Use your previous login Id) Once you’ve pre- registered a representative will call you to verify your details.
  
• Unless the above process takes place, you shall not be given bidding access. All registrations should take place 24 hours before the auction. Once you are accepted, you will receive an email confirming your bidding access along with your Login Id and password. You may place an absentee bid, by faxing the written bid form available online and in the printed catalog. All bids must come in 24 hours before the auction.
  
• Opening Bid is the value at which the auction house starts the bidding of each lot. It’s 20 percent lower than value of the lower estimate. Once you have identified the lot you would like to bid on, click on "Bid Now" confirm your bid at the value listed. This is where you participate in the bidding process, by entering the next valid bid each time you are out-bid. The next valid bid will be a 10 percent increment in value of the last valid bid. All lots have bid history available to be viewed.

It's important to note that all bids have an increment of 10 percent of any current valid bid. 'My Bid Summary' acts as a bidder's personalized page, One may choose how frequently one wants to be notified of a change on one's bid status. The bid history denotes each lot's value recorded right since the beginning of the auction. In the next part, we shall consider estimates, reserve price and other aspects of buying at AstaGuru’s online auction.

Winning bid, buyers’ premium and formalities after the sale

In the first part we checked important aspects of buying at AstaGuru’s online auction such as estimates, reserve price, buyers’ premium etc. In this particular post, we shall understand nuances of the winning bid, buyers’ premium and formalities to be completed after the sale

Bids can be placed in US Dollars (USD) or Indian Rupees (INR). Buyers in India must pay for their purchase in INR and all other buyers must pay in USD. Winning bid is the last and highest bid at which the lot has closed. No new bids can be placed after the closure of a lot. The closing bid is considered the winning bid only if the bid exceeds the reserve price. All winning bids shall be posted on the website after the close of the auction. Once any bid has been places, it cannot be cancelled. The auction house reserves the rights to cancel any bids in order to protect the efficacy of the bidding process.

In addition to the hammer price, the buyer agrees to pay to us the buyers’ premium calculated at 15 percent of the winning bid value on each lot. Service tax on the buyers’ premium shall be applicable for paintings purchased within India. If you are the winning bidder, you are legally bound to purchase the piece. (Purchases will not be shipped out until full payment has been received and cleared.)

All details for the invoice are to be provided prior to the auction. After the sale, the Buyer as invoiced is required to pay the amounts in full (including the additional charges). No lots shall be sent without payment made in full. Price estimates do not include any packing, insurance, shipping or handling charges, all of which will be borne by the buyer. Shipping will be charged on courier rates. All sales in India shall attract VAT on the winning bid and service tax on the buyers’ premium. International sales. There shall be no VAT and Service tax in International sales

Buyers will be required to complete payment within a period of 7 business days from the receipt of the invoice via email. Buyers may choose to collect their purchase from AstaGuru in Mumbai within 7 days from the date of the sale. Those who have completed payment formalities and have not taken delivery of their art works from AstaGuru within 30 days of the completion of payment formalities will be charged demurrage at 2 percent per month on the value of the artworks.

Immaculate valuation process that AstaGuru follows

The Name of one of India’s premier houses, AstaGuru, is attributed to an Italian term ASTA that means Auction. The renowned online auction house was set up by Mr Vickram Sethi in 2008 with an aim of connecting people from across the world to the Indian art marketplace.

It includes professionals, experts and consultants to bring together rare and exciting works for its aware collectors. Some of the successful past auctions it has held include February 2013 - Modern & Contemporary Art; July 2012 -     Modern Indian Art; September 2011 - Modern & Contemporary Indian Art; March 2011 - Modern & Contemporary Indian Art; August 2010 - Modern Indian Art; May 2009 - Modern & Contemporary Indian Art; August 2008 - Modern & Contemporary Indian Art; and Feb 2008 -Contemporary Indian Art.

As the website mentions, numerous criteria like an artwork’s historical significance, its rarity and physical condition need to be assessed carefully before assigning the piece with its true value. Only upon a thorough and meticulous analysis of all these criteria, the auction house will provide the esteemed client with an accurate estimated value.

The valuation process involves detailed study of pricing history for the artist, price comparison with other works of the artist from similar periods, the same with works by other contemporary artists, research on historical significance of the work, previous auction price references, and current value estimation. If required, Liquidity rating & analysis; Rarity & availability analysis; and Investment rationale is underlined.

For the valuation purpose, a digital image; complete description (artist's name, date, medium, measurements); Provenance; and Exhibition and publication history are needed. The auction house fees are not related to the value of the collection. It is willing to give estimates sans obligation before beginning a valuation. Importantly, client confidentiality is maintained. AstaGuru works with insurers, banks and reputed law firms that greatly value client privacy and rely on the former to preserve the same.

Asta Guru
FGP Centre, Commercial Union House,
3rd Floor, 9, Wallace Street,
Fort, Mumbai - 400 001,

Tel: 91 - 22 - 2204 8138 / 39
Fax: 91 - 22 - 2204 8140
Email: contact@astaguru.com

Director : Tushar Sethi
Email: tushar@astaguru.com