ARTTRACTING NEW CHANGE ON THE CANVAS THAT’S DELHI
On World Art Day, today, Delhibased painters, sculptures and curators share their views on how the art scene in the Capital has changed over the years
COLLECTORS IN THE ART WORLD ARE NOW CALLED CLIENTS
“Today more and more people are aware of art. In the ’80s when we ventured out, there were hardly any galleries in Delhi. Today, even the terminologies have changed – collectors who became buyers are now referred to as clients by the galleries. But, the good part of the art scene is that there is multi-layered space for everyone including the young artists. And, some galleries are functioning like private museums, which bring assurance in art.”
Seema Kohli, artist
DELHI’S ART SCENE HAS BECOME BUSINESSORIENTED
“I have been part of the art scene since I was born as my parents were artists. Today, the art scene of Delhi has become very practical and business-oriented. Earlier, it was a very close group of people who were very actively doing art. It was so exciting for them that they survived, and are known as the masters today. But, that intimacy isn’t alive today. The scale of art audience and those who discuss on it has increased, but the discussions aren’t intimate.”
Pooja Iranna, artist
PEOPLE CONFUSE A CURATOR WITH A SALES MANAGER
“Today the bonhomie between artists has reduced as competition has increased. Earlier, artists used to get together and attend shows of other art forms such as classical dance and music, and this reflected in their art. Today, people want a curated art show without understanding its ramifications. They confuse a curator with a design or a salesperson. It’s irritating when they ask ‘How many paintings can you help us sell?’ I’m not a sales manager!” Alka Raghuvanshi, artist
and art curator
ART IN SCHOOLS ISN’T LIMITED TO ONE PERIOD TODAY
“I came to Delhi in 1994 and used to attend sangeet samarohs (music events) in Mandi House with others. That was the time when we artists used to work with joy. But I’m happy that today art in Delhi isn’t limited. Earlier there used to be just one art period for children in school, but now the awareness is more. Nowadays, people are talking about art, but they usually talk about the commercial part of art.”
B Manjunath Kamath,
artist
DIFFICULT FOR YOUNG ARTISTS TO SURVIVE IN DELHI
When recession happened, the art world faced its heat, and demonetisation made it suffer even more. Established artists have managed to survive because people buy their works seeing their signature, but I got to know that many young painters who had come to Delhi from different parts of the country had to go back... The price of a painting after 12% GST is much more and buyers have a habit of bargaining; it’s not possible for young artists to survive in this scenario. Plus, there’s a lot of paperwork involved, which artists aren’t used to. If this continues, artists will go back to work as teachers in art schools during the day and take up painting as part-time only.”
Sanjay Bhattacharyya,
artist