Indian artists are being actively collected by international museums, and exhibited in challenging modes within the biennial circuit. Moreover, there are more examples of collaborative projects between arts organisations here and international cultural institutions, so there is a more sustained exchange. The future of Indian art seems very promising to me although one hasn’t seen too many Indian artists in the museums abroad or in major auctions. Growth in art and cultural initiatives is helping lay a strong foundation, positioning India as one of the major art destinations. However, the industry continues to grapple with challenges regarding infrastructure, taxation and lack of awareness about art. With joint support from both private players and government bodies, the industry can embark on a remarkable growth trajectory. It is a narrow market where there are only a few artists on the top with spiralling prices only in one segment. This causes fatigue amongst buyers due to repetition of names while many other artists don’t get promoted at that level. A miniscule group of artists rules the art markets and leaving limited enthusiasm for the rest among the buyers. The spiralling of the prices in the art market by the gallerist, auction houses and art investors causes a suspicious inflation which dissuades the art buyers as it happened around 2007-08 in India. There is a lack of art schools of quality and private institutions make a drop in the ocean. The popular Indian artists who have actually been exhibiting abroad have lived all across the world more often in their earlier years and the exposure at that global level has helped them make a name for themselves. However, if you look at major auction houses in the global scenario, Indian art is in its very nascent stage though with increased exposure, the future looks promising and hopefully Indian art will be able to reach the masses.
