‘BUY ART THAT IMPROVES YOUR LIFE’

Should art be for art’s sake or life’s sake — this is a question that is continually asked. Art dealer Marcus Deschler, owner of Galerie Deschler (Berlin, Germany), takes on the questions that many have been meaning to ask of the art world. We caught up with him at the recently-concluded India Art Fair 2019.

Edited excerpts from the conversation: But of course. India has the second largest population in the world, it’s an important country. And I am always interested in art as a way to bring people together, to synchronise minds. Most of all: extremes, such as in India, are a motivational breeding ground for the most interesting art. I had heard of the Indian art scene. Some years ago, I saw the work of India-born British artist Anish Kapoor. What I am seeing, especially, here is a symbiosis of traditional and global art. Also, your artists are warm, welcoming and well-informed on everything that’s going on in the art world. Fairs connect the many different parties of the realm of art to the public. People find it easier to browse art at fairs than a gallery or shop where assistants stalk and hustle them...But the stream of speculation in the art business of the past several years has made it hard to differentiate between people who buy as speculation and those who do so because they are into a given artist and his art. The papers are full of record-breaking art auctions but this gives a wrong image. There are so many artists who work hard, try to save the world but you’ll never find them at such recordbreaking auctions. That’s why I think it’s interesting and important to look beyond this so-called high-end art and see what younger and unknown artists are doing.

Look, nothing solves problems right away. But a political work of art bears a symbolic message. If one person starts something, a second and a third may follow and soon, a series is born. A strategically-placed installation – such as the one on India-Pakistan relations at the heart of this India Art Fair – will, of course, have an effect on those passing by. It’s not saleable art for a living room, but it bears an important message. Absolutely, yes! Under the murderous Nazis, artists were dictated to, they were far from free. As a backlash to that, art went totally abstract when the war ended and began to absorb the many new and interesting techniques that developed like film, theatre, performance art, other interactive stuff with political overtones. ...There is a section on upcoming art meant for young collectors, who can start with little money, not go for big names. If you are buying, you should do so only if you love a piece, it improves your life, it gives you a kick and your heart and soul, not only your bank account, are in it. That’s far more important than as an investment. Amrita Shergill, your immense national treasure. Overall, India’s size and ancient culture overawe me... 330 million Gods, imagine that! There is so much fantasy, so many stories, I love it...Indian artists have a much bigger baggage of history than we do. I think this is what makes Indian art interesting and really different from German or Western art.

PHOTO: RAAJESSH KASHYAP/HT