LuxeBook December 2020

X. Waswo. “Waswo’s exhibited works were sold to eminent collections, but we lost out on sales to collectors who prefer seeing the work in the gallery before buying it,” says Bhavna Kakar, Founder Director of the gallery and editor of TAKE on Art magazine. Their second exhibition When is Empathy Too Much, the ongoing exhibition features works by four young artists; Abhishek Narayan Verma, Al-Qawi Nanavati, Shalina Vichitra and Yogesh Ramkrishna. “We had two well attended virtual walkthroughs during the exhibition and as the pandemic situation progressed the number of walk-in visitors increased,” reports Kakar. Threshold Art Gallery, represented online at TAP and Abu Dhabi Art had an equal share of triumphs and challenges. “The primary market for contemporary art has always been a struggle - more so since the 2008 slump. However, every crisis teaches us new ways of survival. The digital platforms have been very successful in terms of visibility for the artists,” says Tunty Chauhan, Founder and Director of Threshold. “Overall, I would say the sales have been good, not dismal as one would think,” adds Chauhan. Abu Dhabi Art, an international art fair showcasing a global selection of galleries with an emphasis on Asia and UAE (19 to 26 November), helped the gallery gain popularity and sales. “I feel the second quarter of 2021 will be better. As the Kochi Muziris Biennale is also happening next November, we have a lot to look forward to in India,” says Chauhan. V.S Gaitonde, Untitled, 1974 was recently sold online by Saffronart auction house 20| L U X E B O O K | D E C E MB E R 2 0 2 0