A week of art and design has kickstarted in London with two fairs inviting connoisseurs, collectors, and buyers to see a range of works under one roof. PAD London Design, a fair that is dedicated solely to 20th-century design, art, photography, and jewellery has been taking place annually since 2007. Welcoming people from across the globe, the fair is a melting pot for like-minded people to explore a cornucopia of artefacts.
Frieze London on the other hand, which I had the opportunity to visit on the opening day, has art galleries from around the world displaying their best pieces. The fair, which takes place every year at Regents Park in October has an average of over 60,000 visitors. They range from artists, collectors, curators, and gallerists to art enthusiasts of all degrees.
I was impressed to see the India representation at Frieze this year, with galleries such as DAG, Chemould Prescott, Experimenter, Jhaveri Contemporary, and Nature Morte displaying versatile and thought-provoking works of art.
Across the two sections of Frieze, Masters, and Contemporary, these galleries displayed artists they collect or represent. Bengal masters such as Paritosh Sen and Prosanto Roy’s paintings found space at DAG’s booth. A passerby without even entering could see an exemplary artwork by modernist A.A. Raiba. I have always been an admirer of Raiba and his ability to create his own unique style, drawing inspiration from India’s rich and diverse art, culture, and history. The versatility of Indian art being displayed is what I was in awe of. For example, Chemould Prescott’s installation at the Frieze Masters Studio was a solo exhibit of Nilima Sheikh.
This may perhaps be the first time I have had the pleasure of seeing so many of the artists’ works in one space.
Gallery Experimenter, too, had a solo exhibit. ‘Fragments from a nightmare’, by artist Bani Abidi. An array of canvases, address global issues with satire. She urges the visitor to reflect on human resilience in a world where there is abundant turmoil.
India representation is not merely restricted to Indian galleries. Aicon Gallery, a New York-based gallery, for example, has stunning works of art by Modern Masters such as S.H.Raza and M.F. Husain on display. A large work by Husain, perhaps inspired by Japanese screen printing, steals the show at the exhibit. Vigorous black and white brush strokes bring life to a painting of horses. A popular subject matter by the artist, but the style is simply unique. Similarly, another work of Husain’s horses, a complete contrast to this work, is also displayed there. A smaller scale work with a pop of colours and a few lines of a delicate lavender shade—a rather unique colour palette for the artist.
Similarly, Grosvenor Gallery’s exhibit mainly explores South Asian modern artists who worked in Paris during the 20th century such as S.H. Raza. An interesting work by F.N. Souza, where the artist has immersed the background in a captivating bright blue shade, stole my attention.
Visitors even have the pleasure of seeing a classic mother and child work by Jamini Roy here.
There clearly is plenty of reason to celebrate the representation and exposure of Indian art. Parallel to Frieze, an exhibition at the Barbican explores the time post Emergency in India. A period of political unrest where artists found creative expression. ‘The Imaginary Institution of India: Art 1975-1998’, has works of artists such as Sudhir Patwardhan, Jyoti Bhatt and Nilima Sheikh.
However, I do wonder how much of an impact exhibitions and fairs such as Frieze have on the sale of Indian art. Is a global art collector purchasing Indian art? And more importantly are Indian galleries really profiting during these exhibitions?