Four Case Studies – Direction for Art and Practice in contemporary India

First Part of a 3 part upload

Laying the ground :

Among the many developments that marked developments in field of contemporary Indian art in the last few years (actually about a decade now) has been the dominating focus on works that prioritize socially and politically charged subject matters over stylistic experimentation and conceptual investigation. Artists that created social realist, political pop works that provide for and conform to a kind of collective imagination of a Indian society have been gaining so much recognition since the late 90s. Soon we came to see a trend where in the mainstream believed in playing down technological and formal density in order to purely divert the attention of the viewer towards the content of their depiction. Their insensitivity to the method and obsession with materiality and social content runs through their entire practice that leaves little room for anything else.

The optimism of the market gave a huge boost to the confidence and ambition of the players and continues to feed into a ‘bigger means better’ frenzy. There are resources to open large galleries, stage expensive productions, mount large-scale exhibitions, produce large catalogues and host luxurious opening night parties. All of a sudden everything is possible. Artists responded to such optimism with attempts at mega-productions. Artworks and art practices are discussed and perceived, not from an artistic and conceptual point of view, but from new criteria such as their size, production budget, market price and preference of collectors, and then (finally) their meaning. (Thankfully) The global trend of buying and exhibiting Indian art on an international level didn’t really reflect the artistic thinking and working in the country but instead indicated the growing importance of India as a economic power and a cultural phenomenon.

***

Somehow these two phenomenon are interrelated, and it now sets in that the success of contemporary art, was not entirely an artistic triumph. The works of art that caught the international attention during this period were attributed to a more ideological connotation than what their innocent creators designated them to be and categorized as various forms of political statements by foreign curators and critics. This was then translated into a market interest that would go on for years and energized the practice of many Indian

artists and curators.

In fact, the extraordinary success of these artists and their sudden wealth has been a curious phenomenon in the Indian art system. This particular value system has been magnified and underlined by the established neo liberal pragmatism of the entire Indian society. An artist’s success and recognition is always and purely measured against his market price and performance. There is almost no other way to approach and discuss an artist’s work apart from what kind of social realist content the work carries and how this can be translated into an impressive price.