Thursday 13 June 2024

AstaGuru Showcases The Evolution of Indian Art With Two Auctions – ‘Stroke And Structure’ and ‘Visionaries’

 

After the outstanding success of the milestone 100th auction and ‘The Exceptionals’ Jewellery, Silver and Timepieces auction, AstaGuru is set to host two consecutive auctions dedicated to Modern & Contemporary Indian art. The Modern Indian Art Auction titled ‘Stroke & Structure’ is scheduled to be held on June 20-21, 2024 and will showcase a wide collection of works belonging to the oeuvre of important modernist figures. The contemporary art auction titled ‘Visionaries’ will be held on June 23-24, 2024 will offer works by leading contemporary artists. 

Talking about the auction, Sunny Chandiramani, Senior VP – Client Relations of AstaGuru says: 

“We are thrilled to curate these two back-to-back auctions, which provide a comprehensive perspective on the evolution of Indian art from the 20th to the 21st century. The ‘Stroke & Structure’ catalogue highlights the seminal works of modernist pioneers like Jamini Roy and Amrita Sher-Gil, along with the ground breaking Progressive Artists’ Group and other important figures who shaped the narrative of modern Indian art. On the other hand, the ‘Visionaries’ auction will showcase the vibrant dynamism of contemporary Indian art. Featuring works by trailblazers like Anish Kapoor, this auction celebrates the innovative spirit of the new generation, who continually push artistic boundaries. Together, these auctions offer seasoned and emerging collectors alike a chance to enrich their collections with pivotal works that span decades of artistic excellence.”

Highlights from ‘Stroke & Structure’ Modern Indian Art Auction:

Lot no. 4 is a rare sketch from the early years of legendary Amrita- Shergil who remains to be one of the most famous and loved personalities of Modern Indian art. This work is offered with an estimate of INR 10,00,000 – 15,00,000. 

An extremely important work by artist M F Husain, lot no. 81, is being showcased in the auction.

Women inspired M F Husain to create some of his most iconic, as well as emotionally charged paintings. In the presented lot, executed in 1965, one can observe four women, rooted in a sense of universality, deeply engaged, and communicating, not through words or a spoken dialect but through quiet gestures. This work is offered with an estimate of INR 2,50,00,000 – 3,50,00,000. 

Another creation by Husain, lot no. 12 showcases his deep devotion to the theme of Indian mythology in his oeuvre. Executed with acrylic on a wood board, the work showcases the important Ramayana scene of lord Hanuman carrying the Sanjeevani mountain. Executed sometime during the 1980s, it is offered with an estimate of INR 30,00,000 – 40,00,000. 

Both the works are also published in the seminal book on artist ‘The Eternal Master – Selected Works 1941-2011’ by The Arts Trust.

Lot no. 20 is a sculptural rendition to Krishen Khanna’s famous ‘Bandwallah’ series which brings to life the vibrant spirit of Indian street musicians. A brilliant example of the artist’s multifaceted approach to capturing these musicians who are quintessential to the wedding culture in India, this bronze sculpture is offered with an estimate of INR 20,00,000 – 30,00,000. 

Lot no. 35 is a work titled ‘Dancers’ by artist Sakti Burman. Burman’s paintings often have a surrealist quality, drawing on a rich tapestry of Hindu and European mythology as well as his own memories. This work is estimated to sell at INR 20,00,000 – 30,00,000.

Lot no. 75 is an important creation by artist Jogen Chowdhury titled ‘See My Wounds.’ The work is a brilliant example of Chowdhury’s recurrent theme of gruesome wounds and mangled limbs.

Disturbing yet riveting, these images are powerful visual narratives that lastingly sear the imagination of the viewer. Executed in 2018 with ink, pastel, and pen, it is offered with an estimated INR 65,00,000 – 80,00,000.

Lot no. 101 is a large-scale creation by artist Manu Parekh who has consistently revisited the holy city of Benares. Depicting a sunset scene, the majestic creation spans around 17 feet. It is offered with an estimate of INR 40,00,000 – 60,00,000. 

Lot no. 107 is a beautiful creation from the early career of artist Krishen Khanna during which he was inspired by calligraphy and how it conveyed meaning and emotion through the brushstrokes and the interplay of light and dark. Executed in 1965, it is offered with an estimate of INR 30,00,000 – 40,00,000. 

Adorning the catalogue cover is a beautiful work by Goan artist Lancelot Riberio. Painted in 1965, the vibrant townscape was inspired by a miniature he had painted earlier and which now houses in a UK museum. This work is offered with an estimate of INR 12,50,000 – 15,50,000. 

Lot no. 163 is a brilliant example of Ram Kumar’s abstract landscapes and is offered with an estimate of INR 80,00,000 – 1,20,00,000.

Lot no. 190 is a work by one of the most important women Indian artists B Prabha. The large scale canvas spanning across eight feet showcases a fisherwoman, a theme very close to the artist. This work is offered with an estimate of INR 40,00,000 – 60,00,000. Lot no. 155 is a work by artist Anjolie Ela Menon and will be offered with an estimate of INR  50,00,000 – 70,00,000.

The auction will also present works by several other women artists, including Shobha Broota, Gogi Saroj Pal, Arpana Caur, Bharti Prajapati, Jayasri Burman, and Naina Dalal. 

Lot no. 208 is among several creations by T Vaikuntam offered in the upcoming auction. Executed with acrylic on canvas, it will be offered with an estimate of INR  50,00,000 – 70,00,000. 

Highlights from ‘Visionaries’ Contemporary Indian Art Auction:

Leading the auction is Bharti Kher’s untitled work, Lot no. 116, which was executed in 2012 in her signature medium bindis, on painted board. Renowned for her use of the ‘bindi’ in her paintings and sculptures, Kher first started using them in 1995, after which it became a leitmotif through which she speaks to the world. Traditionally a symbol of femininity, strength and spirituality, the

bindi has undergone a subliminal transformation through her art. The lot is estimated at INR 80,00,000 – 1,20,00,000.

Lot no. 110, ‘Mountain’ by Anish Kapoor is an impressive sculpture by the British-Indian artist executed using acrylic on fibreboard in 1996. This work is an extraordinary display of Kapoor’s artistic skills and his interest in playing with dimension and perspective. The sculpture features layers of ridges, meticulously put together to create an undulating mountain. This lot is estimated to be sold at INR 60,00,000 – 80,00,000. 

‘For A Life Lost Between Bullets And Bombs (Diptych)’ by T V Santhosh, lot no. 16, is a large-scale oil on canvas executed in 2010. Keeping to his signature style, this lot too incorporates elements of photorealism, injected with a hint of lightning, evoking the moment of capturing the image rather than presenting the finished photograph. The lot is estimated at a value of INR 25,00,000 – 30,00,000.

Estimated at a value of INR 30,00,000 – 40,00,000, lot no. 23 is an oil on canvas work by eminent contemporary artist Nataraj Sharma titled ‘The Stage’. Executed in 2023, the work comes from the artist’s vast oeuvre of works canvases imbued with both wit and introspection which are simultaneously dramatic, contemplative, serene, and defiant.

Lot 67 – Valay Shende – Boy with Balloons

Lot no. 67 is a remarkable work by Valay Shende titled ‘Boy With Balloons’. Executed in his signature medium of stainless steel discs in 2018, the sculpture represents the artist’s penchant for circular discs as his preferred medium, inspired by his interest in nature and science. He aims to symbolise that all creatures and people are created from the amalgamation of atoms and molecules. This lot is estimated to be sold at INR 20,00,000 – 30,00,000.

About AstaGuru

AstaGuru Auction House was conceptualised in the year 2008 with the sole purpose of creating a safe and secure platform to conduct online auctions for Contemporary & Modern Indian Art. Over the years, AstaGuru has curated auctions encompassing diverse categories, our portfolio includes art,  jewellery, fine silver, timepieces, textiles, celebrity memorabilia, rare books, numismatic, philately and vintage cars. In 2018, AstaGuru became the first Indian auction house to present an exclusive  edition for vintage and classic cars. “AstaGuru has strived to successfully bridge the gap between prospective buyers and consignors by transcending the limitations of live auctions. AstaGuru imparts effortless transparency to the process of acquiring and selling art and rare collectibles. The online module offers bidders the opportunity to bid from the comfort of their houses or while they are on the go.

For more information, please log on to https://www.astaguru.com/

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Minor Detail | A group exhibition at AKARA CONTEMPORARY

 

13th June – 20th July, 2024

Curated by Shreemoyee Moitra, this show features works by Saanthiya Bulchandani, Mehak Garg, Shyamli Singbal and Anirban Mishra at Akara Contemporary Gallery.

Minor Detail reflects, highlights, and lingers on these concepts of personal space, inhibition, intimacy, and psychological and emotional aspects of human existence in an interior space that is often missed in our day-to-day lives.

Saanthia Bulchandani, They Lay in Heaps, Pen and Ink on Paper, 43 x 52 inches, 2024

Our successive living spaces never disappear completely; we leave them without leaving them, because they live in turn, invisible and present, in our memories and in our dreams. They journey with us— Michel de Certeau 

Free of an outsider’s gaze, the sense of home or private space has a very significant meaning in human psychology. It frequently connotes the need for belonging, familiarity, comfort, and attachment through personal memories and is also an affirmation of a sense of self, supported by a space. Homes are a spiritual refuge, a bulwark against loss and change, and a deep reflection of one’s inner life. It is a shapeshifter created in fleeting moments, in our own bodies and our own surroundings. Artists have long been fascinated with domestic interiors by looking inward. We often create a home inside our own bodies, redefining what it means to inhabit our own selves within a space.

Home is a space to rest, to feel the pulse of one own’s solitude, to daydream and to take refuge from the constantly moving world. Mumbai-based Saanthia Bulchandani’s intricately done monochrome ink drawings are a study of the constant dialogue between a space and a person. The folds of the quilt, the scattered pillows on the bed, the plant at the corner of the stairway, and the lone woman sitting on the sofa drifted in her thoughts breathes on their own and reaffirm the language of a lived-in place where any inhibition are at rest.

Shyamli Singbal, Mom Eating Kinderjoy, Ink and colour pencil on paper, 5.8 x 8.3 inches, 2023

Goa Born Shyamli Singbal’s idea of home is her loved ones, her people, and the warmth and closeness they share. For her, it’s the people who make her feel at home, not the physical space. Her works are almost like a journal, where she continuously documents and records the raw inhabited details of her people and her surroundings. Often, when she is far away from home and the only way to connect with her loved ones is through the advancement of technology, through video calls, she finds herself keeping a record of it by saving screenshots. She then later painstakingly renders them into frames, evoking a sense of comfort, safe space, and belonging, which is ‘home’ to her. She accomplishes alchemy by freezing and reliving these moments through her nuanced drawings.

The semi-realistic oil paintings and the cluster of miniature canvases are part of Haryana-born Mehak Garg’s autobiographical exploration of her own self and space. With her subdued colour palette, Garg portrays the complexity and dynamism a space and a mind can exchange. Her practice highlights the significance of psychological and emotional aspects of the human being in a domestic space and translates them into thought-provoking and emotionally rich compositions.

Mehak Garg, Untitled, Oil on Paper, 3.5 x 5.5 inches, 2022

The home, even more than a structure, is a psychic space, it bespeaks intimacy. The ornamented rug in the drawing room, the long old corridors leading to the bedroom, the isolated chair by the balcony, the frames on the walls, the aquarium at the corner table are all part of a home that, too, grows old with us and often outgrows us by becoming a museum of memories. Kolkata-based Anirban Mishra’s serene array of watercolour and ink drawings is a vignette of the same. Rooms and planes expose the contradictions between closed spaces and open spaces, often becoming dreamlike landscapes rather than fixed enclosures.

Anirban Mishra, Homealone, Watercolor on Paper, 22 x 28 inches, 2024

ABOUT THE GALLERY

Akara blends the rich traditions of modern art with the innovations of contemporary practice.
Nestled in the art district of Mumbai, Akara operates across two spaces: Akara Modern, one of the leading modern art galleries in India since 2015, and Akara Contemporary, a new platform for the current and next generation of South Asian and international artists.
Across both galleries, Akara centres India and South Asia within the continuum of international art history and brings alternative narratives and realities to the foreground of global discourse.
Through exhibition programming, artist representation, institutional partnerships, art fairs, gallery collaborations, and art advisory, from which it first was established in 2009,
Akara aspires to transcend borders in its many forms, from the artistic to the geographic.

Venue: 3C Amarchand Mansion, 2nd Floor, 16 Madam Cama Road, Colaba, Mumbai 400001
Gallery Timings: 11:00 am to 6:30 pm (Tuesday to Saturday)
Website: www.akaraart.com

Picture copyright to Akara Contemporary.

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Friday 7 June 2024

TARQ

 

It gives me immense pleasure to invite you to the preview of Overlaps, a show that marks TARQ's Tenth Anniversary, on Thursday, 13th June 2024. Since opening ten years ago, a core value of the gallery has been to appreciate that art is fundamentally for every one of us. It is with this spirit that we present Overlaps, which comes together as an experiment in collaboration, whilst staying true to the values of art being accessible to all. 

The exhibition features seven screen prints, each made by two artists in collaboration with each other. The portfolio includes fourteen out of the seventeen artists we work with regularly at TARQ, and is definitely a one off in terms of how it was made - which was a complete adventure! 




the Inauguration ceremony of the exhibitions Chitrakavyam Ramayanam and Shakti - Fair & Fierce

The National Gallery of Modern Art, Ministry of Culture, Government of India cordially invites you to the inauguration of "Chitrakavyam Ramayanam and Shakti - Fair & Fierce" on Saturday,  8th June 2024 at 5:30 pm. 

We look forward to your gracious presence. 


 

Tuesday 4 June 2024

"Capturing Nature's Essence: The Nisargarupam Exhibition"


The "Nisargarupam" Painting Exhibition, featuring watercolor landscapes by artist Santosh Kardak , will be organized from June 4th to June 10th, 2024, at the Nehru Centre Art Gallery, Worli, Mumbai. While performing the duties of an art teacher, Santosh Kardak will bring the natural beauty of areas like Junnar to life on paper with the help of his brush. All these paintings will be enjoyed by art lovers at the exhibition. 

Artist: Santosh Kardak 

Santosh Kardak is a professional artist with a lifelong passion for painting. He pursued his interest in painting from childhood and continued his artistic journey by obtaining a B.A. and subsequently, he pursued a Diploma, completing two years of ATD alongside. Under the mentorship of  well-known artist Sanjay Sable, Kardak refined his skills in the intricate handling of watercolors. Later, during his tenure as an art teacher in Junnar, he adeptly captured the essence of nature using the challenging medium of watercolor. Kardak's paintings are characterized by his ability to capture the simplicity of everyday subjects on paper in an artistic manner that brings the scene to life.


Upon relocating to the Akole area, Kardak found himself presented with an excellent opportunity for authentic landscape painting. The natural beauty of this region is truly remarkable, inspiring Kardak to create numerous landscape paintings depicting various subjects such as the waterfalls during the monsoons, overflowing paddy fields, and the valleys of Konkan.

In the face of rapidly changing times, nature is becoming increasingly distant from humanity. The relentless pace of urbanization threatens to erode the beauty of rural areas. In such circumstances, the "Nisargarupam" Exhibition offers a rare opportunity to experience the wonderful beauty of nature through art. It is an exhibition that should not be missed.

From: 4th to 10th June 2024“NISARGRUPAM”

An Exhibition of Paintings in Watercolour

By well-known artist Santosh B. Kardak 


VENUE : Nehru Centre Art Gallery, Dr. Annie Besant Road, Discovery of India Building

Worli, Mumbai 400 018, Timing: 11am to 7pm

The exhibition is open to art lovers daily from 11 am to 7 pm.