A SUMMARY OF THE MOST EXCITING ART NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE
While we focus on Indian art, we can’t obviously function in a vacuum. It’s a small world and everything is connected, especially on the web. So, let’s train our spotlight across the world map to see what’s going on — from art trends to socio-political issues to everything that affects the great aesthetic global consciousness. Or, let’s just travel the world and have some fun!
Octogenarian Indian-origin painter goes online
Artist Prafull Dave with Rashna Imhasly-Gandhy in his studio in Zurich in 2020. Photo: Chemould Prescott Gallery
For the first time, Indian-origin Zurich-based artist Prafull Dave will showcase his latest exhibition, ‘Into The Light’, online (here), via Mumbai’s Chemould Prescott Road gallery. The contemporary painter professes to enjoying change willingly after six decades in this sphere, and will be showing his work remotely from his studio in Europe. The Gujarat-born artist informs that his 16 pigments-on-canvas works revolve around the theme of moving from darkness to light. The event came to light after Rashna Imhasly-Gandhy, sister of Shireen Gandhy who is managing the Mumbai gallery, visited the artist in Switzerland. Mid-day has more details.
Spring art auctions to garner $1 billion
Grace Hartigan\’s \’The Phoenix\’ (1962) is being auctioned at Christie’s during its spring sale. Paintings by women painters are among the offerings that will give market watchers a sense of the post-pandemic market.
Photo: CHRISTIE\’S IMAGES LTD.
Starting Tuesday next week, New York’s top auction houses will attempt to auction at least $1 billion in art during a series of in-person and live-streamed sales. This move by Sotheby’s and Christie’s marks a return to a somewhat normal rhythm after a disruptive pandemic year. Christie’s will remain live-streamed, while Sotheby’s announced that it’s ready to allow a few dozen people to show up in person and bid. The Wall Street Journal reports.
Syrian refugee girl’s puppet to ‘walk’ across Europe
The Walk project, which was delayed by Covid, will now take place from 27 July to 3 November from Gaziantep in Turkey to Manchester. Photograph: Bevan Roos/PA
The Walk project was meant to have taken place between April and July but was delayed by the pandemic. Now the 5,000 mile (8,000km) journey of Little Amal, from Gaziantep, near the Turkish-Syrian border, to Manchester, will take place over 12 weeks from 27 July. The giant puppet of a nine-year-old Syrian refugee girl will “walk” from Turkey to the UK through villages, towns and cities for one of the most ambitious and complex public artworks ever attempted. The idea is that the girl is desperately searching for her mother. Along the way she will encounter art installations, performances and events, big and small. The Guardian explores the poignant concept.
An inflammatory chat with Burnt Banksy
Photograph: Burnt Banksy | Via The Art Newspaper
In March this year, Twitter account BurntBanksy took a lighter to a 2006 print by Banksy, titled Morons, reportedly purchased for $33,000 at Christie’s in December. But, not before it was converted into a nonfungible token (NFT) for the booming digital market. Later, BurntBanksy’s debut NFT sold to an anonymous buyer for about 380,000 in cryptocurrency. The New Yorker catches up with the renegade ‘artist’ to discuss the experiment and his future plans.
