Indian art goes places
Contemporary Indian art is one of the very best in the world and its form is vital today for the overall growth of art, reports Krishna Kumar

Maity has a unique place on the Indian art scene
Maity has a unique place on the Indian art scene

Satish Gujral feels stress leads to creativity
Satish Gujral feels stress leads to creativity

Modern Indian art is not only being picked up by exclusive clients but is going places with artists travelling worldwide and putting up exhibitions to showcase their works at exotic venues. From Indonesia to Singapore to Britain and Paris, artists are travelling around the world getting increased attention towards the art scene in India.

Satish Kumar Modi, Chairman, International Institute of Fine Arts, is bringing together under one platform a rare collection of works of some renowned Indian artists like S.H. Raza, M.F. Hussain, Satish Gujral and Sujata Bajaj. “On July 14, an exhibition would be conducted at Musuem of Modern Arts, Tokyo, where 25 artists would display their masterpieces. The collection would also be exhibited at the House of Lords, London, on October 2 and 3 besides holding displays in Great Britain and Singapore this year itself,” says Modi.

The collection was recently exhibited at the prestigious Unesco Global Peace forum at Bali, Indonesia, from the 21st to 23rd of last month. “During the Paris meet of Unesco in October, we made a suggestion—‘Why not an art show as a universal language’. The idea was approved and an Indian art show titled ‘Indiart for the Power of Peace’ was showcased before distinguished personalities from over 200 countries. It evoked raw emotions and left an everlasting impact on people’s minds.”

S.H. Raza’s ‘Shanti’, Venkatesh Pate’s ‘Balance’, Paresh Maity’s ‘Peace’, M.F. Hussain’s ‘Radhe Shyam’, Satish Gujral’s ‘Untitled’ and Sujata Bajaj’s ‘No Difference’ were among the highly acclaimed works in the event. “Indian contemporary art is one of the very best in the world and the Indian form is vital today for the overall growth of the art. I’m delighted that the collections receive their due attention,” says internationally acclaimed artist of Indian origin S.H. Raza.

“Indian art is really booming and the audience response is intense that we are planning more similar projects in near future,” says Sujata Bajaj, an NRI artist who is settled in Paris for the past 20 years. Satish Gujral, eminent artist, says, “It was after some lull period that I have exhibited my works. For sometime, I have contributed nothing to art and am happy I have done something.” Buoyed by the success of the exhibition, Modi and his team are gearing up for an art show in Mumbai, which is a replication of the Bali exhibition.

“The whole show is coming back to Bombay from March 1. All the 52 pieces of work exhibited in Bali would be put on display,” says Kalpana Shah, the curator of the shows. The organisers insist that the commercial aspect is not their motive but the aim is to elevate Indian art to a global platform.

“We won’t want to sell these works. But we want to hold the displays at prestigious venues like internationally acclaimed museums to grab the attention of most people. We just want people to come and enjoy the show and take with them the theme or message of the exhibition,” points out Shah.

“The very fact that the shows are exihibited in museums which restrict commercial activities rules out commercial motives in our efforts,” says Modi. “It’s not a question of business but the pivotal thing should be with regard to the collection and I’m delighted that the art works are very strong,” says Raza.

The International Institute of Fine Arts (IIFA), of which Modi is the chairman, has several international tie-ups including an MoU with the University of the Arts London and an MoU with the LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts, Singapore.

Since 2000, the institute has organised artwork displays at Tate Britain, London; Chelsea College of Art and Design, London, and Sculpture Square, Singapore. — PTI





HOME