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Art market nosedives
THE RECESSION all around has created a dent in every business. The art market has not really flourished here even in good times. Whatever market there was for art has taken a nosedive following the recession.
There are no sales, says K. Ramachandran Nair, managing director of Chitram Art Gallery, one of the first private galleries to dot Ernakulam. There was a time when the art galleries did witness some feeble activity.
Art lovers and collectors buy paintings in phases, taking their time seeing and selecting, Mr. Nair says. Tourists generally go for Kerala motifs. He feels there is a dearth of good landscape paintings in Kerala. Kerala's forests are totally untouched by artists, he adds.
Good paintings were sought after to grace the interiors of the buildings that had come up during the construction boom. But Government bodies like the Corporations or GCDA or other institutions had shown the least interest in promoting art, say most of the art gallery owners and artists.
Anoop Skaria, owner of Kashi Art Cafe, says even the architects and designers do not support the artists. According to him, ``people invest in art only when they want to hide black money.'' It had made quite an impact in Mumbai and other places where there is an art market. But with a change of Government policy about declaring excess wealth under the voluntary disclosure scheme, art market has taken a beating, remarks Mr. Skaria.
There is not much market in Kerala and Kochi pockets whatever is there of the market. There are more artists and art galleries in Kochi now, says Kaladharan, artist. But according to him, it is the prints and reproduction of famous artists that spoil the show here.
Deepak Aswani, owner of The Raymond Shop, where Cafe Palette has been promoting quite a number of amateur artists, says that it is the architect and designers who make the choice according to the funds available. The customers do not have a choice, mainly because there is hardly any awareness. Paintings are bought mainly as part of home decorations these days. Instead of laminated pictures, customers generally pick up paintings and landscapes are generally preferred, he adds.
Since there is no corporate support to talk about, there are fewer exhibitions. Whatever one-man shows are organised, most of them are with the help of grants received, Mr. Kaladharan says. He also blames the media for not providing enough coverage to art. News about art and exhibitions are restricted to local editions.
``Kashi is more into creating awareness about art among the general public, says Mr. Skaria, ``Only when people know what art is and begin to appreciate it will they think of buying.''
By Shyama Rajagopal
Photos: H. Vibhu
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