Dubai might not have been able to come out of the recession that hit its economy in 2008, but the city’s art world is definitely buzzing with curators and artists participating at the annual art fair Art Dubai 2011, starting from March 17. Making itself as the second biggest art fair in Asia after the Hong Kong Art Fair, Art Dubai 2011 will feature 71 galleries from 31 countries including Europe, America, South East Asia, China, Middle East and India, presenting them another opportunity to bridge the geographical boundaries.
“Dubai is taking longer than others to come out of the slowdown, but once it gets over, Dubai will emerge as the central point for art in Asia,” says Shalini Sawhney, director of The Guild, Mumbai/ New York, one of the six Indian galleries participating at the fair. Shalini isn’t expecting any major sales at the fair, but she sees it as an opportunity to interact with other galleries and artists participating in the fair.
When asked what makes the fair so important for the gallery, she says, “Dubai has a large number of European and American population, plus it’s proximity to Europe makes it a suitable location for an event like this. Also the Middle East and other Asian countries have a very rich art and culture scene, and we are hoping to have a closer look at their art through the fair,” she says.
The Guild will be presenting a wide variety of artworks from Indian conetmporary artists like Riyas Komu’s Blood Brothers, large metascapes of Akbar Padamsee, K.J. Subramanyan to Iranian artists like Shadi Gadirian, whose photographs from the Qajar series were a major attraction at the galleries booth in Art Dubai 2001.
Gadirian’s photographs present a very engaging idea about what “status” means to women in Iran. Her photographs show Iranian woman with vacuum cleaners and radio, when it made its entry into the country in the 1970s. Apart from that there are artworks from Taiwanese artist Charwei Tsai who has worked on different mediums including a block of driftwood.
The gallery will also show a fibreglass installation from T.V. Santosh, a large sculpture of 6X6 foot size, which was also showcased at the Delhi Art Summit. There’s also a an artwork from Prajakta Potnis, who uses a traditional broom strands to wove pleats similar to hair.
Shalini says that since contemporary Indian art has fully established itself in the international market, she had no doubts in making them an important part of the gallery’s offering at the fair.
“However, there’s still a greater need for more galleries to cater to the available artwork and a better infrastructure for artists to create art installations. Those who work with metal, still struggle to find skilled labour, and it’s a big challenge,” she says.