India's First International Art Fair
An astounding 10,000 art enthusiasts walked in to witness India’s First International Art Fair, India Art Summit™ 2008, firmly establishing it as a one stop destination for art in India. With an overwhelming mix of art collectors, artists, critics, curators, students and art enthusiasts from across India and overseas, the Summit achieved exactly what it set out to – making art, and the knowledge of art, accessible to a widespread audience. Commercially speaking, the fair clocked in a record sale of approximately 50%, with the 34 participating galleries selling over 280 artworks worth Rs.10 crores approximately. Given that the total value of the 550 artworks on display was approximately Rs. 20 crores, India Art Summit has emerged as one of the most successful first editions of any art fair across the world.
Contagious in it’s atmosphere, the enthusiasm of visitors could be gauged by the number of hours they spent at the fair, with some of them visiting it on all three days. Heartfelt discussions on art ensued between seasoned members of the art fraternity and fresh art enthusiasts, in all corners of the fair. Many veterans from the art fraternity made an appearance after a long time, to meet old acquaintances and friends and see the latest on offer. Works of upcoming artists were encouraged, appreciated and bought by many.
A sense of camaraderie could be felt between all participating galleries as they visited each others stalls and discussed the art industry in general. Almost every gallery exceeded their expectations in terms of the exposure and networking opportunities they had with seasoned collectors, first time buyers and art enthusiasts from across the world. Most galleries sold a sizeable portion of their displayed artworks and additionally received numerous bookings and commissions. Sculptures and installations sold almost as well as paintings, signalling a new trend.
The panel of speakers and choice of topics at the Art Forum also drew many accolades and was deemed as amongst one of the best such initiatives of its kind, internationally. Overall the discussions were adjudged to be frank, transparent and meaningful. All speakers and participants have evinced interest to come again next year and the Art Forum is slated to be much more inclusive from a global perspective in 2009.
Mr. Sunil Gautam, Managing Director, Hanmer MS&L commenting on the fair said, “It is great to see that India Art Summit has emerged as the most inclusive collaborative art platform in India in it’s very first year. We believe that this initiative is a step in the right direction to put India on the global art fair circuit.”
Mr. Philip Hoffman, Chief Executive, The Fine Art Fund said “The Indian market is very important in the global art scene and this fair is a major step. I can imagine this to be major fair in Asia competing alongside London, Miami and Basel in the next 5-10 years. The sales results of the fair seemed very impressive by comparison to other fairs in their first year.”
With all eyes now on India, event producers Hanmer MS&L, have announced plans to schedule India Art Summit 2009 between 19th – 22nd August’ 2009 in New Delhi. Next year, the fair is proposed to be over three times bigger and applications are already pouring in from across India and world. While in the first year, the focus was largely on Indian art and Indian galleries, the second year will see participation from galleries across the world showcasing a sizeable array of artworks from different parts of the world.
About the Author:Neha Kirpal, Associate Director, India Art Summit 2008
(India's Modern and Contemporary Art Fair)
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - India's First International Art Fair