The art of showing

There’s no dearth of art shows in the city, with group exhibits and solo shows being a regular on the social calendar. But beyond the air-kissing, deep thought and creative pursuits, what really works to sell a piece of art? Does an artist sell more when hogging gallery space all alone, or does the concept group exhibits lead to gain, as a result of cross marketing.

Creative head, Deepa Subramanian of Galerie De Arts, which will soon be completing a year in the city, says that while solo shows do give more room to showcase an artist’s work, group shows offer a perspective in various genres of art, under the same roof.

Her gallery, which has mostly hosted solo shows in the past year, is also planning to hold a group show during its anniversary celebrations. “It also depends on the strategy of a gallery and how closely it works with a specific artist. Group shows are more popular amongst emerging artists, who pool in resources to rent out a space to showcase their work,” offers Deepa.

Hosting group shows, however can sometimes lead to brand dilution, says art experts. But Sharan Apparao, of Apparao Galleries, that has art galleries across Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore, says the primary reason for hosting a show like that can be from the lack of enough art work to showcase. “With senior, established artists, often there is not enough work to put up. Also, there are so many galleries, for these art pieces to get divided across the country. Low volume of work leads to hosting group shows,” she explains, adding that it is imperative to have a proper theme or the same level of artists when hosting such shows. Agrees Deepa, adding, “If you are putting up an M F Husain piece, then you have to feature artists of the same calibre.”

During a group show, says Sharan, if an artist showcases with good artists, their work and reputation picks up as well. “If the theme is correct and the exhibit is well curated, then cross marketing can work wonders during group shows,” she points out. Sharan however, does caution that well-known artists sometimes do tend to have an issue when showcasing in a group. “It all depends on how convinced they are about it and some great people skills,” she laughs.

But whether a solo ride or a group outing, art buying has definitely picked up in the last six months, say gallery owners. “People have started to buy moderate to high-value art. In fact, we sold around six works during our recent exhibition, as compared to the last two years when sales had hit rock bottom,” says Deepa. Among recent trends doing the rounds of art shows, is unconventional thought, points out Sharan. “Ideas are completely moving away from academic thought. Classic pieces of art work are fading to give way to edgy experimentation and even presentation during shows,” she adds.