Troubled times give us some of our best art. It only requires a gallery owner to give a seminal idea and the work comes pouring in. We saw it in the case of the Joy of Life and Only Connect concepts of the Art Alive Gallery; the Art and Cinema and the Harvest concepts of Arushi Arts; The Post-card, Stamp and Gift box concepts of Sahamat, and the Mask and Kite concepts of the Dhoominal Art Centre.

Neeraj Goswami, a fine figurative kite at Rs 60,000

The Kite Show, first exhibited at the India Habitat Centre and then at the Dhoomomal Art Centre in Delhi, reflects a wide range of participation from senior artists like Ved Nayar, Gogi Saroj Pal, Adivrekar, Shuvaprasanna and Shipra Bhattacharya, to very young ones like Bratin Khan, Abbas Batliwala, Akash Choyal, Hem Raj, and Nupur Kundu. Among the well-known artists we have Neeraj Goswami, Akmal Husain, Amitava Das, Arup Das, Ganesh Haloi, Jogen Choudhary, Lalu Prasad Shaw, Shamshad, NGMA director Rajiv Lochan, Mona Rai, Kiran Murdia, Shail Choyal, Siddharth, Subroto Kundu, Swapan Bhandari, Sanjay Bhattacharya, Surjit Kaur and Prem Singh to name only a few.

The theme of the Kite seems to have inspired our artists much more than that of the national flag in the adjoining hall. And some of the sales are worth noting. Akash Choyal?s work was among the first to go at Rs 15,000. Bratin Khan sold at Rs 12,000, Shilpa Pandit at Rs 8,000, Harshvardhan at Rs 5,000, Rajiv Lochan at Rs 3,000, Shuvaprasanna at Rs 12,000, Sidharth at Rs 20,000 and Abbas Batiwala at Rs 60,000. Clearly, the show has caught the imagination of artists and buyers alike as the price range is varied and reflects this.

A number of works in this exhibition are likely to be bought up in the next few days. There is an excellent Kite by Neeraj Goswami at Rs 60,000, a classic figurative work in tempera. Then there are Ved Nayar?s works on paper-board at Rs 40,000 and Rs 90,000. A figurative work by the Udaipur-based artist Shadid Parvez is also up for sale at Rs 60,000. Prem Singh?s Kites at Rs 36,000 each are also a good, long-lasting buy.

Hemi Bawa, a glass kite for Rs 25,000

Jai Jharotias Kites at Rs 16,000 each, Jiten Hazarikas at Rs 15,000, Aditya Basak at Rs 10,000, Amitava Das at Rs 10,000, Mona Rai at Rs 8,000, Nupur Kundu at Rs 10,000, Shipra Bhattacharya at Rs 12,000, Shyamal Mukherjee at Rs 16,000, Vandana Rakesh and Swapan Bhandari at Rs 20,000 and Rs 25,000 respectively, are all good buys. It is evident that kite-flying in the broadest sense of the term, has got artists to give their best.

This exhibition gives one not only a good cross-section of our art but also at reasonable prices. In fact, it reflects the sound basis of our contemporary art at present. But that does not mean that the collector and the investor should not exercise their discretion.

The first thing to look out for is the capacity of the material to survive. A number of the exhibits will require to be framed, as Neeraj Goswami?s work is to be preserved properly. Then, while most works are either diamond-shaped or square, there are a number of imaginative ones that are different. They make for good investment. Then there are works by our accomplished artists that are extremely well-produced and not gimmicky at all. They too are worth buying at the price they are being sold at.

This exhibition is a good reflection of the health of our contemporary art market, the spontaneity and originality that characterises it and the capacity to produce works that will have lasting value. This exhibition is a welcome one. It is unpretentious and straightforward, and eventhough it is limited to a theme, it is not gimmicky. Even so, collectors must look at each work carefully and size up those which are the most original. It is that they are the best investment.