Art From South Asia, Brazil Get Their Moment
LONDON — Outside of Frieze London and Frieze Masters, there was still much excitement around the British capital when it comes to art.
Truls Blaasmo, a Milan-based Norwegian art adviser, who is the curator for the Gucci Art Program, co-curated an exhibition titled, “Syncretic Voices, Art & Design in South Asian Diaspora” with Michael Jefferson at Fonthill Pottery in Primrose Hill.
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Four floors of the property were filled with artworks from Rana Begum, Vipeksha Gupta and Harminder Judge and 26 pieces from the personal collection of British-Indian art collector and real estate developer Rajan Bijlani.
“South Asia is truly at the forefront of the cultural agenda in London right now, with exhibitions such as ‘The Imaginary Institution of India: Art 1975-1998’ opening at the Barbican. ‘Syncretic Voices’ taps into this moment by highlighting the unique narratives, cultural richness and historical depth that artists and designers of South Asian origin bring to the contemporary art scene,” said Blaasmo.
He added that sales at the exhibition have exceeded expectations despite “the market tightening slightly on contemporary art.”
At the Opera Gallery on New Bond Street, Brazilian artist Gustavo Nazareno presented his first major U.K. exhibition, “Orixás: Personal Tales on Portraiture” featuring 16 portraits in oil and 25 charcoal drawings.
He said his work takes its cues from fashion photographers such as Irving Penn, Richard Avedon and Steven Meisel crisscrossed with the paintings of Caravaggio and Raphael, as well as his own Afro-Brazilian background.
Nazareno said a lot of the work had already been purchased despite only being open for three days.
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