Interview: Abhay Maskara - curator and owner of Gallery Maskara

T. Venkanna: Too Big Too Small, 2008. 25 x 9 feet. Papier mache, gold.

When and why did you decide to become an art dealer?

I have been a student, a thinker and a serious collector of art for the past 15 years. I was moonlighting in art while at Microsoft - reading a lot, visiting galleries and museums in the US and wherever my travels took me. I was also collecting whatever I found interesting and could afford. I started with collecting Modern and Contemporary Indian art, then the brackets suddenly dropped and it became just wholly about the art - radical and excellent art, being touched and moved by art - and my collecting became free from culture specific or country-specific prejudice. After being soaked in the magic of visual art for six years in the west, it is in 2005 that I finally decided to return to India and convert my passion into a profession.

I took a year to explore all possibilities, to look within and see where I could make a difference and add value to the local art scene. Part of that internal and exploratory journey resulted in a blog called collectorsmind.com - a forum for sharing knowledge, gaining knowledge and shaping opinions - that I started in 2006. But it was my constant urge to be close to the creative process that gave birth to the Gallery Maskara.

Can you make a presentation of your gallery’s profile?

Gallery Maskara has a clear and compelling mission to taking a global and multidisciplinary approach to art that responds to the cultural fabric of our time thus fueling critical dialogue, collaboration, and public engagement. More simply put, it is to EXHIBIT AND PROMOTE ART OF THE PRESENT.

The freestanding 3,250 square foot building served as a cotton godown during India’s pre independence era and it has been renovated by noted conservation architect Rahul Mehrotra to maintain its historic character. With 45 feet ceiling height and walls that run 100 feet in length the cavernous space marks a shift from the typical white cube neutral space and is raw yet flexible, making the building extremely well-suited for contemporary art practices.

Monali Meher: In Determination II, 2009. 3 hour timed performance. Mansoor Ali: Dance of Democracy, 2008.

How have you chosen the artist you are working with? And do you exclusively represent Indian artists?

We particularly work with a core group of artists who we represent – they tend to be mostly emerging and mid-career artists from around the world. Occasionally we also do group exhibitions with artists on a collaborative basis who are not necessarily represented by the gallery.

We typically have 6-8 shows annually. We work across all art forms - from paintings, to performance, site-specific installation to new media. We work across geographical boundaries to showcase works and artists that have a stimulating visual message and conceptual reach. Our shows are focused on promoting artists from other parts of the world including the US, Europe and South America and consequently opening up a new dialogue within the local artistic community.

What currently characterizes the commercial art market in Mumbai and in India in general?

The Indian art market is characterized by buyers who are predominantly buying Indian art, so it is very nationalistic in that sense. Buyers are still prejudiced towards figurative and narrative based art. Most of the demand is still for two-dimensional works which are easy to understand, collect, and display.

T. Venkanna: Dream in Dream, 2007. 60 x 102 inches. Oil on Canvas (diptych).

Within the last years there has been an increased international interest in contemporary art from India, but also a worldwide recession. Have these more or less contradictory tendencies had any direct impact on your gallery?

Indian art’s visibility has certainly increased, so India has become an art buyer’s destination. However, the international interest is mostly limited to a handful of signature names which have been circulated in art fairs, biennials, and auctions. A vast majority of artists who don’t fall into this category are sadly ignored by the international collecting community and art media. As a result we have many visitors who come looking for signatures and often go back with more radical works from our gallery. As more international buyers come in and get exposed to newer works of art they hopefully go back with a renewed knowledge that the base of Indian contemporary artists is broader and more variegated than what they initially thought it to be.

It was our endeavour right from the outset to make a paradigm shift in the way new art was created, curated and collected. Our shows for most of 2008 up until the bust in the art bubble were focused on promoting artists from other parts of the world and consequently opening up a new dialogue within the local artistic community. Our program has remained consistent despite the bust and we have still been able to stay true to our original mission.

Nina Pandolfo: Untitled, 2008. 33 x 50 feet Graffiti and mixed media on gallery wall.

Who are your typical buyers?

Gallery Maskara is not a traditional gallery. Our program reflects the mindset of our curator/gallerist, and we use the gallery as a platform for self expression, and to further creative ideas that are close to my heart. The art shown in galleries like ours appeal to like-minded collectors who find joy in collecting works that are relevant to the times they live in. These patrons tend to be young professionals, ex-pats and/or seasoned collectors who are looking for more experimental or otherwise experiential works that reflect their personality and are in some way congruent to their lifestyle and aspirations.

Would you say there is a big difference between running a gallery in India and in the West – if so, how would you describe this difference?

I have no first-hand experience in how galleries in the west are run. However, in general, we are moving towards a more organized and structured system with galleries representing select artists on an exclusive basis, curated shows with attention to detail, galleries with specialized programs like those dedicated to new media, photography, contemporary art, rather than having a ‘catch-all’ mandate or program.

Avantika Bawa: Mathesis: dub, dub, dub, 2009. Variable size. Site specific installation: found boxes, crates, corrugated tin sheets, aluminum pipes, bricks, latex and graphite.

What are your biggest challenges right now as an art dealer and what wishes do you hold for the future of Indian contemporary art?

We are constantly challenged to find artists who are exploring new media, pushing creative boundaries and working outside the mainstream. With our international mandate, we also are proactively expanding our base of collectors who are interested in more experimental and experiential works by young and emerging artists and collectors for whom the nationality of the artist comes second to the quality of the art.

We are committed to furthering the viewing and collecting public’s understanding and engagement with cutting edge and compelling art. Be it performance, video or new media, our mission remains dedicated to showcasing these art forms and their makers in a democratic and approachable manner. We also are keen to continue tapping into the global art community so that we may expose them to our cultural practices and spaces as much as we would want our viewing public to see and engage with their larger contexts.

Thanks.

Max Streicher: Silenus, 2002. Each figure: 312 inches. Nylon spinnaker, electric blowers.

Shine Shivan: Second Hand Pepe, 2009. 72 x 36 x 16 inches. Wool, used fabric, soapnut, animal bones.		Tatheer Daryani: Untitled, 2009. 50 x 48 x 48 inches. Blood, Mercury, Glass.