Change of Seasons

Summer 2007 is quickly slip-sliding away. Before we know it, verdant trees of green will be flaunting their red, yellow, and orange leaves of autumn, heat and humidity will give way to cooler, more bearable temperatures, children will be trading swimsuits for school books. And so it goes—September will be upon us soon.

The Indian contemporary art scene will likewise be shaking off the summer doldrums, returning to form with several auctions and exhibits in the works. The first, Saffronart’s Autumn Online Auction will kick things off September 5 –6. For those who want to get an early jump on the action, their catalogue will become available online on Aug 14.

Also beginning on the 6th of next month, TamarindArt, a popular midtown Manhattan gallery, will present a solo exhibition of paintings by Kamal Mitra featuring exquisite paintings that were showcased at their sold out show last November. On Wednesday, the 19th, they will host a cocktail reception for the special and ongoing show.

A major exhibition of photography and video art depicting contemporary India will be presented at Newark Museum in New Jersey beginning 19 September. The show, titled Public Places, Private Spaces: Contemporary Photography and Video Art, comprises over 100 works by 28 photographers and video artists, reflecting the interior and exterior realities of today's India. Photographers and artists represented include Raghu Rai, the late Raghubir Singh, Pablo Bartholomew, Vivan Sundaram, Ram Rahman and emerging talents such as Tejal Shah and Shilpa Gupta. According to the curators, this exhibition demonstrates India's "artistic vitality arising from extreme economic shifts, the pervasive influence of the media and cultural traditions competing with globalization".

And of course, fall Indian art auctions will be revving up at Christie’s and Sotheby’s in New York the third week of September. It should be interesting to see if prices pick up where they left off last spring.

These art events are just a few that will be occurring as the seasons change. Just enough to begin thinking about putting away the beach balls for another year and grabbing a rake.