Hong Kong: Galleries from India showcased a mixed bag of veteran and new artists at the 4th edition of Art Basel, Hong Kong with leading contemporaries like Ravinder Reddy, Atul and Anju Dodiya being represented alongside newer
names of Faig Ahmed, Ayesha Sultana and Rathin Barman.
The four Indian galleries participating at the 3-day-long fair that concluded on March 26 included Mumbai-based Chemould Prescott Road, Delhi-based Vadehra Art Gallery and Nature Morte and Kolkata-based Experimenter.
A man looks at an art installation “Face To Face” created by Taiwan artist Peng Hung-chih during the VIP preview of the art fair “Art Basel” in Hong Kong. Gold-plated metal cubes, tapestries embroidered by unknown North Korean artisans and bales of cardboard waste are among the highlights of the Art Basel Hong Kong fair. (Photo: AP)
The extravagant fair which kicked off amid rainy weather and was attended among others by Oscar winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio, featured 239 galleries drawn from 35 countries. Vadehra Art Gallery (VAG) which had on display artworks symbolic of India's rich history, particularly from the British era was visibly flooded by art connoiseurs and sold Atul Dodiya's rendition of "The Garden Party, February 1925" which was organised by ruler of Rajkot in honour of Mahatma Gandhi, within hours of the show's private opening on March 22.
Riyas Komu's portrait of Mahatma Gandhi looking dapper in his black barrister uniform holding a plate with the date - 9/11/1906 - signifying the non-violence movement launched by British Indians in South Africa, was another immensely popular work at the gallery.
A man walks beside an artwork “Transfuser” created by British sculptor Antony Gormley at Art Basel in Hong Kong. (Photo: AP)
"We have been coming with the same artists but with newworks. I think the focus in this fair is more contemporary, so we bring all our star contemporary artists like Atul Dodiya, Anju Dodiya, Shilpa Gupta, Riyas Komu, Jagannath Panda," Roshni Vadehra, Director, VAG said.
Other exhibits at VAG included a series of charcoal paintings titled "Penal Colony" by Kerala film maker K M Madhusudhanan, two of Odiya artist Jagannath Panda's latest works - "The Gaze" and "Virtues of a Hero," Ravinder Reddy's iconic head sculpture of a woman along with two brand new sculptures of "Man" and "Nandi" by Arun Kumar H G among others.
The collection put out by Nature Morte at the Art Basel sattelite fair this year comprised of "younger artists" unlike previous editions, when the gallery showcased global artists like Subodh Gupta and Bharti Kher.
