A Guide to Collecting Contemporary Art

NEW DELHI: Every time I encounter a piece of art I have a set reaction. I walk over to the artwork, tilt my head in this all-knowing manner and examine the piece. I then walk ten steps back, change the angle of my head, and stare at the work for another ten seconds. Then I let out a ponderous “hmmm” and walk to the next piece where I repeat the drill. The point of this little show is to avoid betraying my absolute ignorance of the subject at hand to everyone else in the room.

This little performance holds me in good stead (or so I think). Now here I will admit that it takes a lot of control to not let my eyes widen in horror and shock when I discover what most of these artworks in question are priced at. Instead, I continue with my “hmmm” and quickly look away.

If any of the above is familiar, I have good news. Actually, I have good news even if you are one of those rare few who actually knows why that carefully measured tilt of your head is essential in properly surveying an art piece. The Portret Project, a niche gallery concept located in New Delhi with a focus on portraiture as an art form, has released a guide titled “A Guide To Collecting Contemporary Art.”

In addition to providing tips that are useful to the budding collector, the guide is great reading for art abecedarians like myself, as it lays on critical information without dumbing it down.

The guide has been released to coincide with an upcoming show, titled “Twenty for Twenty| 11.7” x 16.5” for 20k.” The show falls in line with The Portret Project’s aim to “making the art of portraiture accessible, bringing to our audience a wide array of ‘portrets’ ranging from the traditional to the conceptual.”

The founder of The Portret Project, Sakhshi Mahajan, said, “The aim of this year long project is to make art accessible, approachable and friendly for younger collectors. The gallery is carrying out various curatorial projects and initiatives to engage our viewers in an interactive manner so that they develop a personal experience with art. The collectors guide along with the show will urge individuals to look and purchase contemporary art with greater discernment than they have before.”

The only curatorial agenda imposed on the works at this upcoming exhibit is the uniformity of size: 11.7 x 16.5 inches. The artworks are all priced at Rs. 20,000 -- allowing younger collectors access at the affordable pieces (and making sure that my eyes do not widen in surprise while I -- this time with a more knowing head tilt -- check out the works).

The complete guide can be found at: https://theportretproject.wordpress.com/

Excerpts are reproduced below:

WHAT IS CONTEMPORARY ART?

General Overview:

1. Contemporary art celebrates the creativity of the artists of the present.

2. Coined in the mid-20th century, it addresses what is most current, both stylistically and conceptually.

3. Working in a wide range of media, contemporary artists often reflect and present a take on amongst other things sociopolitical issues globally.

Some contemporary Indian artists include Atul Dodiya, Anju Dodiya, Ravinder Reddy, Bharti Kher,Subodh Gupta, Jitish Kallat, Sheela Gowda, Shilpa Gupta, Anita Dube, Sudarshan Shetty, Ranbir Singh Kaleka, Gigi Scaria, GR Iranna, Dayanita Singh, Raqs Media Collective,Sheba Chhachhi, Hema Upadhyay and Alwar Balasubramaniam.

Contemporary Art Mediums:

Contemporary art includes painting, sculpture, photography,drawings, prints, time-based media and Installation & Site Specific work

Check out the exhibition “Twenty for Twenty| 11.7” x 16.5” for 20k” at A 10/6 Vasant Vihar, New Delhi from the 8th – 22th of August 2015, from 11am- 7pm.

The artists showcasing at the show are V. Anamika , Prasannakumar N, Avijit Mukherjee, Naveen Kumar, Aishwaryan K, Venugopal VG, Sahaya Sharma, Pallav Chander, Umashankar V., Susmit Biswas, Ayesha Singh, Alpesh Dave, Pulkit Prajapati, Purvi Parmar, V. Anamika, Harshada Kerker, Jeet Pandya and Sagar Bhowmick .

The Portret Project Details:

Studio:
A 10/6, Vasant Vihar, Basement
New Delhi- 110057
(By appointment only)

For Appointments:
Call: +919871149911
sakhshi@theportetproject.com
www.theportretproject.com