Indian art has been around for over 5,000 years — a complicated and vibrant reflection of the country’s myriad  historical, religious and political developments. However, its impact on the modern art market at an international level has been relatively limited in the last century.

Art fairs, or expos, have always been a fantastic platform for a city or a country to bring together its eminent artists, curators and galleries with private and commercial buyers, patrons and investors. They act as flash points, attracting local and international attention and coverage for artists and galleries looking to extend their reach beyond the domestic market.

In the last few years, India’s contemporary art scene has started to do just that. A series of international art fairs have brought together disparate artists under the broad banner of being Indian and working in the now.

On September 25 in Mumbai, Art Expo India (AEI) will throw open its doors for the second year and invite the world’s art collectors, galleries and press to cross the threshold and take a fresh look at what young Indian artists are doing at home. It will include all forms of media from photography to sculpture and everything in between.

“An art fair gives curators, art dealers, collectors, art consultants, critics and journalists a chance to see new art and get to know the galleries involved,” says Vickram Sethi. The organiser of AEI, he has dealt in art since the early 90s and has watched the Indian scene flourish quietly.

“Having had an art gallery of my own, it gave me first-hand experience of the difference between the art markets in India and the rest of the world. I decided that in order for India to have a chance of gaining a more impressive global standing, we needed an art fair,” he explains.

AEI isn’t the only annual art fair held in the country. Last month saw the second India Art Summit (IAS) held in New Delhi, which attracted 55 galleries and about 20,000 visitors. AEI is held in Mumbai because “it is the financial capital of India”, says Sethi. You only have to look at the number of successful galleries that have sprung up around Dubai’s DIFC — the city’s own financial centre — to see that this type of setting makes sense.

However, in a country as large as India and with such an unstructured art market, there is plenty of room for more than one art fair. In an effort to attract international attention, there is always strength in numbers.

“Art Expo India needs to become a continuation of the revival of the Indian contemporary art scene as witnessed at the India Art Summit in New Delhi this August,” says Vibhuraj Kapoor, owner of Gallery Beyond in Mumbai. Kapoor is an example of how things are changing — he used to travel to Singapore or New York to take part in art fairs, but is now heading to AEI for the first time.

“Art expositions are an effort to create bridges for information on the art practices of our times. Well-organised ones can be a great visual adventure; Art Expo India promises to be just that,” he continues.

Although modern Indian art has a relatively healthy pulse at home, it slows down abroad. The Middle East has started to reflect its diverse Indian expat population, with a wider inclusion of Indian art in its galleries. But generally speaking, the further west Indian art travels, the fainter the heartbeat. One of the aims of AEI (or any international art fair) is to act as an amplifier for that heartbeat, turning it into a pounding the global art body cannot ignore.

“There are three main challenges to the Indian art market: international exposure, limited collectors and buyers and an unorganised art market,” says Sethi. These factions all interlink and affect each other, but a lack of consolidated resources within India for its art scene doesn’t help.

“We need to make art accessible. There’s a lack of a museum culture within India and we don’t have enough grants, public or private funding to help introduce Indian artists on both an internal and external level,” says Sethi. “There is no single platform that gives artists an opportunity to exhibit internationally,” he adds.

This is the crux of the ethos for both AEI and the IAS — to give the wave of new Indian talent room to flex their muscles and show off their skills to an international market, which although is more considered in its purchasing than ever before, is also home to a huge amount of collectors who, in times of economic uncertainty, buy art from emerging artists.

This encouragement of investing in art from both domestic and international buyers is reflected in AEI’s programme, which features talks from Sharan Apparao and Menaka Kumari Shah on buying art in a recession, as well as a keynote address from Kay Saatchi on how to spot new talent and build an international art collection. Saatchi co-curated with her ex-husband 34 exhibitions for the Saatchi Collection between 1987 and 2001 and is now the founding director of the Artists and Collectors Exchange, which promotes young artists.

“Art, primarily, is a thing of beauty and should be bought because you enjoy it, but having said that, as an investment it has continued to give a stronger return than traditional equity markets for those interested in investing in the medium to long-term,” explains Sethi.

“Our theme is emerging contemporary Indian art and the relationship with the international art scene.

“Art is about looking without prejudice and approaching subjects without preconceived notions,” says Sethi.

“Our exhibiting galleries are constantly bringing fresh perspectives to Indian art.

“We only invite galleries who are passionate and ground-breaking in the artists they foster. Art Expo India creates a space where collectors can see the context in which the art is produced and how far along the journey Indian art is. The result is a collection of the very best art India has to offer.”

The concern over which path modern India takes and the domestic cost of global modernisation is at odds with the immediate future for its art scene. What started with a small rumble is building to something much more urgent and explosive.

Just as the tide of global economics is slowly sweeping east, the art world’s gaze is starting to follow and, eager to have their time in the spotlight, Indian artists are waiting in the wings, ready to claim centre stage.

Kapoor says, “If art has always reflected the times and culture that we live in, then Indian contemporary art has become a force to be reckoned with.

“Our art practices and our concerns are global in nature with the edge of the Indian diaspora. It is very alive and constantly changing, as the world we live in continues to change.”

Head to Mumbai from September 25 to 27 to see Art Expo India and help ring in those changes.

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