In this recession not many artworks are finding buyers, but so far that hasn’t been a deterrent for galleries to experiment. Shibani Chawla, owner of Chawla Art gallery has on display at her current exhibition, over 25 sculptures by nine artists, from veterans like Prodosh Das Gupta and Satish Gujral to the relatively lesser known Jaipur-based Mukul Mishra and Soumitra Gouri from Vadodara. “The rising interest in sculpture shown by our clients prompted us to organise the show. There is a growing market for the medium,” adds Chawla, who has been working towards sourcing the works for over three months now. While some of the artwork comes from the artists’ studio, others, including the sculptures of Prodosh Das Gupta and Gujral, belong to the gallery collection. “We wanted to have a display that was representative and included young and senior artists. Paresh Maity does more paintings, but he made some sculptures for this show,” says Chawla. Did the recession affect the price tag put on the work? “The senior artists decided the price themselves, we just helped the younger artists decide,” says a non committal Chawla.
The exhibition at Chawla Art Gallery, Sheraton Hotel, is on till February 28.
