The footfalls increased,but could the Commonwealth Games boost sales in art galleries? Flipping through the pages of her diary,gallerist Nidhi Jain points out that the number of foreign contacts has multiplied since the Commonwealth Games (CWG) began last week. We had at least 20 foreigners walking in each day. Some of them are clearly visiting the city for the Games, says the director of Gallery Ragini. She had positioned herself at DLF Emporio from October 1 to 6,where the gallerys exhibition Creating Commonwealth was on at the atrium. The exhibition brought together contemporary artwork from India,Bangladesh,Pakistan and Singapore among others. These countries share a lot in common because of our colonial past. The works of Tushar Joag,Vivek Vilasini and Bose Krishnamachari seem to have gone down well with the visitors, adds Jain. To show at Emporio rather than at the Lado Sarai-based gallery was a strategic move. The mall is being promoted as a shopping destination during the Games so showcasing art here helped us attract attention, says Jain. All five purchases,however,have been made by Indians,but Jain is optimistic that the visitors will get in touch once they return home. We have received several queries. We will correspond through e-mail and some queries should turn into sales, she smiles. Even as the Games hits its peak,Delhis art circuit is beginning to calculate the results not on the sports ground,but in galleries where exhibitions specially curated for the CWG had opened after several months of planning. Bhavna Kakar,director,Latitude 28,where a solo show of Hyderabad-based Sujith SNs works on Delhi opened on September 29,says there has been an average footfall of 20 each day,of which around 20 per cent has been foreigners. Of the 24 works,almost 50 per cent is sold. We have kept the price at an affordable Rs 25,000 to Rs 4 lakh, adds Kakar. Close to her gallery in Lado Sarai,Anu Bajaj of Gallery Art Positive abandoned her plan of having a show featuring artwork related to sports,for an exhibition of Gopal Swami Khetanchis canvases dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi. We wanted to be different,and Gandhi is a renowned figure, says Bajaj. The price,she says,has been kept at a conservative Rs 1 lakh to 3 lakh. The footfalls have been moderate. Curator Rupika Chawla has hoardings at metro stations to promote the exhibition Art Celebrates 2010: Sports and the City at Lalit Kala Akademi,while Mukesh Panika,director,Religare arts.i,has artwork from the exhibition Looking Glass divided between his Connaught Place gallery,Max Mueller Bhavan,British Council and American Center. We are close to the stadiums and the response has been encouraging. We are expecting more people after the games get over, he says. Seema Subbanna,director of Gallery Ensign in Geetanjali Enclave,however,sounds a tad disappointed. We were looking forward to more delegates, she says about the solo show also by Samir Aich. The security concerns might be restricting their movement, she reasons. Sunaina Anand,director,Art Alive gallery,who has the ceramics of PR Daroz on display,adds,We expected more foreigners at the gallery. The vacations,however,are leading to more footfalls. We have many students coming in. Ashish Anand,director,Delhi Art Gallery,attempts to strike a realistic note. Im not sure how many of those coming for the Games are interested in buying art, he says. His Hauz Khas gallery is under renovation,but at the Emporio branch,he has on sale not only artwork but also fine art memorabilia. Visitors can take back Laxman Pai coasters,Velu Vishwanathan diaries and Satyajit Ray postcards. But there has been no change in footfall,certainly,no change in the number of foreigners trooping in, he says.
