The 11th edition of the India Art Fair, a leading platform to discover modern and contemporary art from South Asia, opened in New Delhi today bringing together more than a 1000 artists through 75 galleries and institutions from both India and abroad.
The art fair is a treat for both connoisseurs and collectors. While works by masters such as M F Husain, F N Souza, S H Raza, Ram Kumar and Amrita Sher-Gil are on display, equal importance has been given to young, upcoming artists.
We spoke to Yamini Mehta, Senior Director, International Department Head, Indian and Southeast Asian Art at Sotheby's and asked her to select pieces of art that she feels young collectors or first-time art buyers should look at.
Sameer Kulavoor: A painting depicting everyone looking at their cell phones as a reflection on society. "He is a pretty young artist but this painting was inspired by a very significant painting of Krishen Khanna of people waking up to the news of Gandhi's death by reading the papers. He has used that as a starting point. Today when you wake up the first thing you see is the phone," says Mehta. As a young artist it is an interesting way of commenting on contemporary society. Price: Rs 7.50 lakh
Ghulam Mohammad: A young Pakistani artist, he uses cut-outs of texts in Urdu and makes these collage-like landscapes. "This is an artist that I feel is someone you should be watching," says Mehta. He catapulted to international prominence in 2016 when he won the coveted Jameel Prize, awarded by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, the first Pakistani artist to do so. Baaham (Together) Iranian ink and paper collage on wasli. Price: Rs 3.27 lakh
Anwar Jalal Shemza: "Probably the biggest known Pakistani modernist, Shemza is almost the equivalent of a Bhupen Kakkar or a Husain for Pakistan," says Mehta. A leading member of an artists’ collective known as the Lahore Art Circle, Shemza’s work fused Western principles of modernism with those of traditional Islamic art forms. His works show great attention to geometry and perspective, with strong verticals and horizontals highlighted by his choice of palette. Etching on paper; 15.5x12 inches. Price: Rs 8 lakh
Shalina S Vichitra: "Based on houses in Kashmir, it has a real visual appeal and stands out," says Mehta. There is a strong ceramic tradition here in India. This could fit into any modern or contemporary aesthetic. Vichitra tends to base her works of art on the notions of maps and forces her viewers to navigate their own way around her work. Says Vichitra: "My travels to habitats in the Himalayan mountains have fostered a visual vocabulary of geographies and architecture; looking at shelters both as a physical and emotional construct." In search of home; glaze on stoneware. Price: Rs 12 lakh
Khadim Ali: An Afghan refugee in Pakistan, Khadim Ali has been showing his work across the globe including at the Guggenheim and the Venice Biennale. Ali studied traditional miniature painting at Lahore and that comes across in his work. "He is using the imagery to also discuss contemporary society such as the effects of Taliban on life and society in current day Afghanistan," says Mehta who first came across his work in Germany around 10 years ago. "He is in artist worth looking out for as it's reflected in institutional collections as well." Price: Rs 21.50 lakh
Idris Khan: Contemporary British artist Idris Khan's works are included in the collections of prominent institutions like the Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art in Israel. "He uses text almost as a medium," says Mehta. He photographs or scans from secondary source material such as pages of the Quran or any other book and then builds up the layers of scans digitally. Influenced by Everything, 2019. Purple oil based ink stamped on mounted paper. Price: Rs 42 lakh
Lubna Chowdhary: A British artist, based out of London but of Indian descent. She works with ceramics. "I had a chance to visit her kiln in London. She recently showed her work at the Kochi Bienneale where she had an installation," says Mehta. Ceramic glazed. Price: 7.25 lakh
Rana Begum: Rana Begum is a British artist of Bangadeshi origin. Her works draw their inspiration from repetitive geometric patterns found within Islamic art and urban architecture. "When you look closely at the work you realise it is made up of bicycle reflectors. She has used an interesting medium in a very inventive way. The work is very minimalist but it does have some connection to the cosmos," says Mehta. Price: Rs 27 lakh
Prabhakar Barwe: Prabhakar Barwe who was awarded the prestigious Lalit Kala Academi Award in 1976 is a pioneer of Modern Indian painting. "He is definitely an artist who is doing better and better in the auctions and is hugely sought after. We are seeing mega collectors like the KNMA are acquiring his work. It's good to know that Modern Art is not only about a handful of names. There are others of that genre who are being collected seriously," says Mehta. The price points are also beginning to rise. "This is one of my favourite modernist pieces in this particular fair. You are drawn in by the strong bold colours. It has its own mysterious and enigmatic language. It's abstract but at the same time has a figural, mystical element to it," she adds. Price: On request DAG