At India Art Fair, design becomes the new collectible
In order for any kind of collectible design to have a substantial shelf life, the industry in India needs more spaces of engagement
At first glance, Molten Prism gives one pause — light brings the dappled brass to life, and its four legs, each unlike the other, are placed in a manner that implies repose and motion simultaneously. For a console table, Molten Prism looks like it has people to meet and places to go to. Vikram Goyal chuckles at this description of his piece that will be exhibited at the 15th edition of the India Art Fair (IAF) 2024. “I agree, it has a lot of movement in it,” he said. Known for his dynamic engagement with brass, his chosen medium through which he merges traditional methods with a global outlook, the Delhi-based designer will present a range of consoles, mirrors, screens, and a showstopper of a piece titled Silken Passage, a 28-foot-long and 8-foot-high mural inspired by the Silk Road. “Amongst the several skills that traversed this ancient route was that of metallurgy: of design, technology, techniques, raw materials and human ingenuity. We’ve depicted this in our repoussé style with flora and fauna from the countries that were part of the route, along with vessels that conveyed the passage of the goods,” said Goyal, who returns to the IAF again. This year, however, he will be joined by contemporaries as part of the first cohort of IAF’s new design section that will feature limited edition pieces and the best of Indian collectible design.
“With the design section, we want to show the international art market the incredible handmade collectible design that is emerging from India, and how singular it is. Each of the designers whose work will be displayed at this edition is engaging with traditional Indian crafts and motifs and has reimagined a wide variety of objects,” said Jaya Asokan, director, IAF.
Besides Vikram Goyal Studio, five other studios will be showcased: Atelier Ashiesh Shah (Mumbai), Rooshad Shroff (Mumbai), Gunjan Gupta (New Delhi), Studio Renn (Mumbai), Karishma Swali and the Chanakya School of Craft (Mumbai), and de Gournay (London/Paris/New York/San Francisco/Los Angeles/Beirut/Shanghai).
Collectible design in India
In order for any kind of collectible design to have a substantial shelf life, the industry in India needs more spaces of engagement — it is not enough to simply be hosted by art galleries that feature more traditional forms of art but to have an ecosystem that solely pushes the envelope for collectible design.
“Collectible design in India is nascent and largely misunderstood but the potential is huge. What is missing are retail spaces that can showcase design,” Gunjan Gupta, one of this year’s participants, said. Shroff echoed the sentiment: “Until quite recently, we didn’t have any galleries in the country that showcased collectible design. There are now two in Mumbai — æquō in Colaba, and 47-A in Girgaon.”
The other concern surrounding the collectible design industry is that of price — is a particular item such as a chair, a table, or a lamp, worth as much as fine art?
“I feel these distinctions between art, design and craft are artificial, so to speak. The lines are blurred. What do we even understand by the word ‘collecting’?” asked Srila Chatterjee, who has collaborated with gallerists Tara Lal and Mortimer Chatterjee to form 47-A. She founded BARO Market, a platform dedicated to Indian craftsmanship from around the country, and her experience with working with artisans, craftspeople and designers over the years has primed her to explore the central question surrounding the purchase of art and design items. “What attracts anyone is the story behind the piece — the story told by the maker/designer and how that story resonates in their own lives. It doesn’t always have to be an acquisitive relationship, but what I’ve understood is that what people want the most is to understand these stories. The setting in which these stories are told then becomes very important; the public should not feel intimidated to engage and ask questions about the works on display. A great example of such a space is the Kochi Biennale; everybody feels that they can be a part of it. We need more democratic locations because any piece of art, craft or design, is based on a story. The more we open up these spaces, it benefits the maker, the thinker, the viewer and the buyer. And then we can have more stories to tell,” Srila Chatterjee said.
The question of boundaries between design and art is hardly a new one — in 1966, renowned Italian graphic designer Bruno Munari advocated for the blurring of the boundaries that separate art from the public, stating that design could be the conduit that brought form and function together. In his seminal book, Design as Art, he wrote, “Anyone who uses a properly designed object feels the presence of an artist who has worked for him, bettering his living conditions and encouraging him to develop his taste and sense of beauty.” In the 1950s and ’60s, Charles Edouard Jeanneret (better known as Le Corbusier) and his cousin, Pierre Jeanneret, who was involved in the Chandigarh Project, designed modernist style lamps, chairs, tables, chairs and cabinets to populate the government buildings coming up in the city of Punjab. “Thousands, probably tens of thousands, of pieces were made to his specifications in factories throughout the region,” wrote Fred Bernstein, in 1st Dibs, a well-known design zine online.
Gupta explained the shift in perception. “In the 1980s in the West, there was an evolution of design as a language. It emerged as a reaction to fatigue stemming from industrially produced furniture that started to appear homogeneous. Industrial designers such as Ron Arad, Tom Dixon, and Fernando Campana started to explore furniture beyond their function and started to play with material and concept, particularly in the language of chairs, and put this vocabulary on the map,” she said.
At the IAF, Gupta will present “Everyday/Yesterday”, a collection of conceptual objects that engage with the contrast between mastercraft and jugaad across a range of materials and typologies including furniture, jewellery, photography, wall art and tableware. “Concept and play with the material are critical for a piece of design to become ‘collectible’; it’s about a complex object with several layers that emerged at a particular moment in time that makes it collectible in the future. It questions the status quo and stands independent of trends and other common associations,” she said.
Furniture has always been an area of focus when it comes to collectible design and this year, limited edition designs will take centre stage as Goyal, Gupta, Shah, and Shroff showcase their unique collections, each rooted in the rich history of the craft from different states in the country.
Shah’s portfolio is inspired by Wabi-sabi, the Japanese philosophy that celebrates beauty in imperfection; the collection features a bench made from marble, a cast aluminium chair teamed with elephant grass, stools fashioned from bronze and copper-based alloys in the Dhokra style, and coffee table made from fibre-reinforced plastic. Shah is also co-curating the inaugural booth of the celebrated Carpenters Workshop Gallery (London/Paris/New York/Los Angeles), which is making their IAF debut next month.
Shroff, an architect, has collaborated with Baroda-based artist T Venkanna to produce a collection of chairs, benches and coffee tables where the motif of time runs through all the pieces. For example, the sun and moon are painted on chairs made from old Burma teak. “In a world where almost everything is mass-produced, time is luxury, it’s what allows us to create things. In 2017, I called my first solo show ‘15, 556’, a tribute to the number of man-hours it took to make the pieces. When we’re looking at collectible design, we are also looking at what can stand the test of time — can it become timeless at some point?” Shroff said.
India Art Fair will be held at the NSIC Exhibition Grounds, New Delhi from February 1-4, 2024
Correction: This article has been rectified. An earlier version mistakenly stated that seven design studios will be showing at the India Art Fair. In all, six will be showing.
Continue reading with HT Premium Subscription
