Art Investments 2020

Art is bought by collectors from the world over, either or their love of art or as an investment. Carpe Diem Art and Learning Centre, Majorda is set to hold an exhibition, the first in a series of shows that will highlight both successful as well as potentially successful artists whose work already holds or stands to hold a good chance of becoming collector’s pieces.

Titled, ‘Art Investments Goa: 2020’, the art show highlights three Goan artists - Sonia Sabharwal Rodrigues, Vitesh Naik, and Rajesh Chodankai, each of them having had their own measures of success and value in the art market. The artists with their experience spanning over two decades will display their works of art till April 12.

Describing the exhibition, owner, Carpe Diem and the curator, Daegal Godinho says that on the face of it the exhibition appears to be another’ group show featuring three artists in one show, but it is more than that. “What one should expect is quality in the work, a good aesthetic display of works and reasonable pricing, keeping in mind of course how each artist has been selling in the past,” says Godinho.

‘Art Investments Goa: 2020’ according to Godinho is the first that Carpe Diem is presenting with the sole intention of building a larger art buying community, providing guidance or insight into what is trending and aiming to make art more reachable to general public. It will also help them understand the importance and benefits that art provides to any community.

He adds that the artists, Rodrigues, Naik and Chodankar each have their own distinct style of painting. Naik, he says, has a style that speaks of the ordinary world today. “Our daily routine, dilemmas, beliefs, inner struggles and doubts and so on is seen through Vitesh’s work,” he says.

Speaking of Rodrigues’ work, Godinho says, her works are characteristic of the use of hues of blues, pinks and greens, and she additionally adds the larger colour spectrum in her abstracts. “Sonia’s figurative works speak of the goodness and blessings that life and our belief system provides us with. Her artistic skills are also highlighted through a series of sketches of ‘heads’ each speaking about the human mind and thoughts that run through it,” says Godinho.

The absence or lack of recognisable forms in Chodankar’s work allows one to make sense of the works, a process which the artist too uses in the creation of the same. “Rajesh gives us a sense of completeness and peace in the abstract form through a subtle focus on colours and their shades where each of his works picks a different colour to play with,” he adds.

Godinho says that as a gallery owner he comes across artists of all kinds, experiences their works and gets a glimpse of their struggles and their successes while also observing the buying trends and paying attention to different kinds of artists.

“While many shows aim to promote budding artists, this one aims to help filter through the sea of art and artists and help the ‘average you and me’ narrow down that search. Seniority, consistency of producing work, sales, and growth in terms of their individual unique styles, clients’ feedback, and more, help us select artists we believe should be highlighted,” says Godinho. He adds that there could have been more participating artists, but he says that promoting too many at a time could possibly clutter the show.

The upcoming exhibition has no theme in particular “Goa is blessed with many talented artists, many of whom struggle to find the required platform to advance their career. The role of an art gallery is to be able to identify and promote artists. Hence in this case the ‘theme’ isn’t the subject of the artworks being displayed but rather the credentials, dedication and quality of the art produced,” explains Godinho.

The prizes of the artwork begin with a few thousand rupees and could rise up to ten thousands of rupees. “What one must remember is that these artists have dedicated a large part of their lives to their art and hence their thought processes, conceptualisation and creation of work have quality and attention to detail that makes them well worth their price tags,” says Godinho. He adds that when the economy hits a growth spurt again, these are the artists whose works are likely to also grow in value too.

“Art is for everyone. Art is not separate from our daily lives and our ability to see art in everything around us makes us a far richer and united as a community,” says Godinho. He adds that the hope is that idea of this exhibition would then extend to other regions of India, to make it an annual event that artists will proudly participate in.

(‘Art Investments Goa: 2020’ opens on March 21, 7p.m. and will go on till April 12, 10 a.m. to 7p.m. at Carpe Diem, Majorda.)