Patang (Kite): Soars with Sensitive Story

BY RAJ S. RANGARAJAN *


A thought-provoking film with serious overtones, Patang is definitely not Bollywood. Seniormost in the film’s credits is Seema Biswas (Bandit Queen, Water) who makes sure that the seriousness of the film is maintained though, admittedly there are hilarious moments within the family story dynamic when kites are soaring in gay abandon on the vibrant streets of Ahmedabad.

An exuberant Priya (Sugandha Garg) in dance

A thought-provoking film with serious overtones, Patang is definitely not Bollywood. Seniormost in the film’s credits is Seema Biswas (Bandit Queen, Water) who makes sure that the seriousness of the film is maintained though, admittedly there are hilarious moments within the family story dynamic when kites are soaring in gay abandon on the vibrant streets of Ahmedabad.

In a story set around the Makar Sankranti festival on January 14 (a.k.a. Uttarayan in some parts of India) the film will reverberate in several parts of the country. Delhi businessman Jayesh (Mukund Shukla) returns to his family home after five years and wants to make good by his family. He wants to set up a condo across town for his mother and sister-in-law Sudha (Seema Biswas) and his nephew, Chakka, a 20-plus man without a job who generally hangs out with young boys in the neighborhood.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui (Gangs of Wasseypur,Kahani) plays Chakka and keeps the tension going while highlighting earlier family slights and resentments with his mother, Sudha and Jayesh’s mother. The bright light in the movie is Jayesh’s daughter, sparkling Priya (played by Sugandha Garg) who is visiting the city for the first time. Her earlier appearance was in My Name is Khan, and Sugandha’s infectious laugh and expressive face do the talking.

Hamid Shaikh awestruck by kites

The film weaves together the stories of six people transformed by the energy of India's largest kite festival. Made of paper and bamboo, these colorful kites are metaphors for many families in Ahmedabad every year when they show off their kite-flying prowess while letting go off their emotions.

Flying a kite successfully is a virtual journey into a philosophical realm. Apart from the breeze that exhilarates it is a cathartic experience as one looks up at the busy sky triumphantly: the freedom and expertise of controlling a square piece of paper and bamboo amidst competitive forces in the form of other challenger kites with glass-laced strings, the merciless wind and the messy skyline with hovering satellite towers and disks from building roofs. 

Shanker Raman (Harud, Peepli Live) has captured the essence of the passionate kite flyer’s psyche through his camera in the night sky. Kites with candles and lanterns glow each narrating a story or expressing a feeling, a thought or a mere moment in his busy life.  Raman’s earlier efforts were Harud and Peepli Live.

Chakka (Nawazuddin Siddiqui in a band

While Chakka is all swagger and resentful of his uncle, Priya’s seductive fondness for a young shop clerk, played by Aakash Maherya from the neighborhood adds to the suspense when Aakash takes her on a scooter ride and one wonders: Will the father take objection to his daughter hanging out with this young boy? Will Chakka have a serious falling out from his uncle? Will the undelivered bunch of kites affect the future of young Hamid Shaikh who lives on the streets and is an associate of Chakka?

Prashant studied theatrical directing at the Actors Studio Drama School in New York and computer science at Cornell University. A native of Chicago, Prashant's interest in the arts began as a graffiti artist. This film Patang (the Kite) was featured at The Berlin Film Festival and in the world Narrative Competition at the Tribeca Film Festival. Patang won the Golden Orchid Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 2011 Hawaii International Film Festival and at the DC APA Film Festival.

Director and writer, Prashant talks fondly of the amount of “intense research he did for the film and how spindles of thread and bundles of kites” form the fabric for this touching 92-minute film.

Prashant says, “Scenes were not rehearsed; they were improvised largely with non-actors and shot hand-held in long takes, without the conventional over-the-shoulder shots. As a result, the edit was a two-year process of distilling and constructing a scripted narrative from 200 hours of documentary-like footage. Just watching the footage took over a month.

“I began by constructing those scenes with major plot points and then proceeded to the transitional scenes. I would make small discoveries, pulling a shot from here, splicing it with a magic moment there, and then returning to the overall structure. Eventually the edit captured the narrative of the original script.”

Indeed, the filmmakers do convey with panache the sense of euphoric excitement that the city is part of in a very real manner. And the film soars.

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[Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York based freelance writer. He covers trend stories on art, reviews books and films for media based in New York; Toronto, Canada; Seoul, Republic of Korea; and India. He can be reached at raj.rangarajan@gmail.com]

South Asian Modern Sales Show Mixed Market

      By Raj Rangarajan and Eileen Kinsella

 NEW YORK—London sales of South Asian modern and contemporary art, at Sotheby’sand Christie’s last week, presented a mixed picture of the market with widely uneven results.

At the Sotheby’s June 8 sale of South Asian modern contemporary art and Indian miniature paintings, just 37, or 42 percent, of the 88 lots offered found buyers. By value, the auction was 23.5 percent sold, one of the lowest such rates seen in any category. The sale realized a total of £546,800 ($844,915).

Sotheby’s specialist Holly Brackenbury said: “The Indian art market is undergoing a period of adjustment after the heights it reached several years ago. It is still developing and, at present, collectors are highly selective.”

She added that “there was strong pre-sale interest in many of the paintings and we anticipate that this will translate into post-sale offers for several key works.”

Still, most of the top lots met or exceeded estimates, including a work by modern masterFrancis Newton Souza, whose painting Goan Landscape, 1964, sold for £68,450 ($105,769), well above the £30,000/40,000 estimate; and A. Balasubramaniam’s fiberglass and acrylic sculpture titled Gravity, 2006, which sold for £43,250 ($66,830) on an estimate of £20,000/30,000.

An untitled oil painting by Sri Lanka-born artist George Keyt sold for £16,250 ($25,110), compared with an estimate of £8,000/12,000.

The remaining top lots, even those by the most prominent painters of this genre, fell within relatively modest presale estimates. Ram Kumar’s 1956 untitled oil sold for £55,250 ($85,372), on an estimate of £50,000/70,000, and Sayed Haider Raza’s oil Ville d’Avray,1962, sold for £34,850 ($53,850).

At Christie’s South Asian modern and contemporary art sale, the house offered 112 lots. Of these, 86, or 77 percent, found buyers. The auction was also 77 percent sold by value.

The top-selling lot was Tyeb Mehta’s Untitled (Mahishasura), 1996, which sold for £1.4 million ($2.1 million) on an estimate of £1.2 million/1.8 million.

Raza also figured in the top lots here, with Clocher du Village, 1958, taking £481,250 on an estimate of £450,000/600,000, while another of his works, an untitled 1980 painting, sold for £121,250 ($188,544) on an estimate of £120,000/180,000. Also by Raza, Untitled(Crucifixion), 1957, sold for £103,250 ($160,554) on an estimate of £40,000/60,000, andVillage au fond rouge, 1958, also cleared its £40,000/60,000 estimate to sell for £85,250 ($132,564).

Hugo Weihe, Christie’s international director of Asian art, said the sale “performed well across the board with works which were fresh to the market and from private collections securing strong prices.” Weihe said the auction “demonstrated the breadth of demand for this category with collectors, institutions and dealers from South East Asia, India, the Middle East to Europe and the United States bidding throughout.”

Among the more contemporary works, Bharti Kher’s Border in Red, 2009, comprised of bindis on aluminum panel, sold for £85,250 ($132,564), compared with an estimate of £50,000/70,000. Two works by Manjit Bawa also figured in the top lots, each selling for £85,250 ($132,564): Untitled (Goat with Aubergines), 1992, which had an estimate of £60,000/80,000; and Untitled (Acrobat), 1988, which had been estimated at £40,000/60,000.

Vibrant Bidding at Christie’s Hong Kong Sales

         —Raj S. Rangarajan 

Vol. 37, No. 37

NEW YORK—Fine art accounted for more than HK$1.4 billion ($181 million) of the overall HK$2.7 billion ($351.7 million) total at Christie’s recent Hong Kong auctions, including six-day and evening sales.

At the evening sale of Asian 20th-century and contemporary art, held on May 26, the total was HK$361.7 million ($46.6 million) and the auction was 91 percent sold by lot, 96 percent sold by value. Sanyu’s Blue Chrysanthemums in a Glass Vase, painted in the 1940s, led the sale with a final price of HK$47.7 million ($6.1 million), surpassing the high estimate of HK$28 million. Also in the top lots, and marking the sale’s third-highest price at HK$38.7 million ($5 million), was Pink Lotus, also painted in the 1940s. Zeng Fanzhi took second place with Fly, 2000, which sold for HK$39.8 million ($5.1 million). Zao Wou-Ki continues to be at the forefront of these sales, with three of the top-ten lots fetching a total of HK$45.7 million ($5.9 million) for his works, each at prices higher than estimated.

The day sale of Asian 20th-century art, on May 27, totaled HK$170.5 million ($22 million), with 85 percent sold by lot, and 96 percent sold by value. The Asian contemporary art figure was HK$97.2 million ($12.5 million), with 72 percent sold by lot, 79 percent sold by value.

Eric Chang, international director of Asian 20th-century and contemporary art, attributed “the robust results of the sale in part to Christie’s integration of southeast Asian contemporary and modern art into the overall Asian category, creating a wider pan-Asian platform.”

In the 20th-century category, Lin Fengmian’s Opera Series: Beauty Defies Tyranny, painted in the 1950s, sold above estimate at HK$11.6 million ($1.5 million). Chu Teh-Chun’s Accent d’orgue, 1995, sold at HK$9.6 million ($1.2 million) and his work figured again in the top ten with Untitled No. 221, 1965, selling at HK$4.8 million ($620,816), or two times the high estimate of HK$2.4 million. Also in this category, Zao Wou-Ki figured in the top ten with two works obtaining a total of HK$10.2 million ($1.3 million).

In the Asian contemporary art sale, the top lot Hearth, 1988, by Shang Yang, sold at five times its high estimate, for HK$6.4 million ($821,744). Zeng Fanzhi, known for his “Mask” series, placed second with his 1997 Mask selling at HK$5 million ($651,728).

The fine Chinese modern paintings sale, held May 29, fetched HK$454.1 million ($58.5 million), and was 91 percent sold by lot and 93 percent sold by value. In the top ten, five paintings by Zhang Daqian brought prices above estimate, with Separation, 1996, selling for HK$34.2 million ($4.4 million). The remaining four works totaled HK$54.7 million ($7 million).

Ben Kong, international specialist head of Christie’s Chinese paintings department, said Chinese paintings sales this season “continued to incite bidding from a diverse group of collectors, further reflecting a pattern of sustained growth in the market for Chinese paintings.”                                                                                                                     

Sotheby’s Hong Kong Sales Reap Rewards of Regional Buying

by Raj S. Rangarajan

NEW YORK—Sotheby’s Hong Kong spring sale series, held April 2–4, totaled HK$2.4 billion ($316 million), compared with a total last spring of HK$2.6 billion ($337 million).

While Chinese ceramics and works of art, as well as jewelry, continue to be the top-earning sales categories here, auctions of modern and contemporary Asian art also performed well.

In the evening contemporary Asian art sale on April 2, the total was HK$211.3 million ($27 million) with Bloodline – Big Family: Big Family No. 2, 1993, an oil on canvas by top-selling Chinese contemporary artist Zhang Xiaogang, having sold for HK$52.2 million ($6.7 million). An acrylic on canvas, 1993 No. 4, 1993, by Fang Lijun, fetched HK$28.7 million ($3.7 million). Both of these were sold to a museum in Shanghai.

Evelyn Lin, head of contemporary Asian art, said, “We were able to source numerous desirable works of Xiaogang’s for sale, notably this masterpiece.” A record was also set for Jia Aili’s It’s Not Only You Who is Pale (Triptych), 2007, an oil on canvas with a painted wooden chair. The painting sold for HK$6.6 million ($848,718), surpassing the HK$2.5 million/3.8 million estimate.

The 20th-century Chinese art category totaled HK$255 million ($32.6 million), while modern and contemporary Southeast Asian paintings on April 2 brought in HK$96 million ($12.3 million). Of the 166 lots offered, 79 percent were sold by lot, 92 percent by value. The top lot was Banyan with Two Young Balinese, by Walter Spies, which sold for HK$9.6 million ($1.2 million), followed by Self Portrait with Child, by Hendra Gunawan, which sold for HK$6 million ($771,794).

Records were set for contemporary works, including Red Ceiling by Ay Tjoe Christine, which sold for HK$2.4 million ($310,256), well above the high estimate of HK$350,000, and The Purple Curtain by Vietnamese artist Le Pho, which sold for HK$2.9 million ($371,795), again clearing the high estimate of HK$800,000.

Said specialist Mok Kim Chuan, “as in previous seasons, bidding came from all over Asia with determined interest from new markets in the Greater China region.”

Zao Wou-Ki, a pioneer in abstract work, figured in five of the top-ten lots in the 20th-century Chinese art category, on April 2, with his 25.06.86 setting a new auction record when it sold for HK$25.3 million ($3.24 million). His 25.05.70 followed, selling for HK$24.2 million ($3.1 million). Both works were bought by Asian private buyers.

On April 3, the fine Chinese paintings sale realized HK$468 million ($60 million). A pair of gold screens, Willows at the Riverside; Begonias by Qi Baishi was bought by an Asian private bidder for HK$70.1 million ($9 million), three times the high estimate of HK$20 million. Mount Lu by Fu Baoshi was sold for HK$24.2 million ($3.1 million) at three times the high estimate of HK$7 million.

Asian Art Sales Dip From Year-Ago Highs

by Eileen Kinsella and Raj S. Rangarajan

NEW YORK—Asian art sales held in New York the week of March 19–23, yielded lower overall volumes than last year, despite broad international demand for certain categories. Christie’s realized over $60 million, for seven sales, including three private collections. The top category was the house’s sale of Chinese ceramics and works of art that had realized $23.3 million as ARTnewsletter was published. It was followed by a private collection sale of Indian and southeast Asian art, assembled by dealer and collector Doris Wiener, that took a record $12.8 million. By comparison, Christie’s took in $117 million at last spring’s sales, and $60 million in 2010.
Sotheby’s realized $61.8 million for four sales, led by classical Chinese paintings, which accounted for $35 million, or more than half of the total, followed by Chinese ceramics, which brought $20.7 million. Indian and southeast Asian art yielded $3.8 million, while modern and contemporary south Asian paintings brought $2.1 million. In 2011, Sotheby’s took in $84 million, compared with $22.6 million in 2010 (ANL, 4/5/11).

Modern Masters Lead South Asian Painting Sale

Christie’s sale of south Asian modern and contemporary art on March 21 realized $7.7 million for 124 lots offered. Of these, 85, or 69 percent, were sold. By value, the sale realized 82 percent.
The top lot was Tyeb Mehta’s Untitled (Figures with Bull Head), 1984, an oil on canvas that sold for $1.8 million, compared with an estimate of $1.5 million/2 million.
The second-highest lot was Akbar Padamsee’s Cityscape, 1959, which sold for $1.3 million against an unpublished estimate in the region of $1 million.
Also by Padamsee, Mirror Image, 1996, was the third-highest lot. The diptych oil on canvas sold for $422,500, falling within the $400,000/600,000 estimate.
Hugo Weihe, Christie’s international director of Asian art and specialist in South Asian modern and contemporary art, said “works from modern masters continue to lead sales and contemporary works received renewed interest.”
The rest of the sale was led by mainstays, including Francis Newton Souza and Maqbool Fida Husain, as well as more recently executed works, including those by Subodh Gupta.
Syed Haider Raza’s Untitled (Village), 1958, sold for $410,500, compared with an estimate of $200,000/300,000. The sale included a total of seven works by Raza that brought in just over $1 million altogether. Nuage Blanc, 1956, sold for $290,500 on an estimate of $150,000/200,000.
Souza’s Chance, 1966, also sold for $290,500, meeting the estimate of $250,000/350,000. A 2007, untitled oil on canvas, by Gupta, that featured the artist’s signature steel pots and pans, sold for $218,500 to a private Asian buyer.
Husain’s Untitled (Keehn Family Portrait), 1959, sold above the $100,000/150,000 estimate, for $206,500, to a dealer.
Said Weihe: “Cross-cultural buying continues to play a significant role in the development of this market, and this season’s was no exception. Contemporary works were mostly acquired by clients from the US, Europe, the UK, India and Hong Kong, with many of them being first time bidders.”
The Indian and southeast Asian art sale, also held March 21, realized $6.3 million, with 90, or 63 percent, of the 143 lots offered finding buyers. The top lot was a buff sandstone torso of Uma, 10th century (Khmer, Angkor period, Pre-Rup). It sold for $1.1 million, far surpassing the $350,000/450,000 estimate, and to a private European buyer. Japanese and Korean art contributed a more modest sum of $1.7 million with just 36 percent sold by value.
Christie’s auction of the Doris Wiener collection saw robust demand, with 346, or 93 percent, of 374 lots finding buyers. By value, the sale was 96 percent sold. Weihe said the auction marked a “milestone” and was the highest total ever achieved for a single-owner collection of classical Indian and southeast Asian Art at Christie’s. He added that the results are a reflection of a “market that honors quality and provenance.”
The top lot was a gilt bronze figure of Padmapani, 13th century (Nepal), that sold for $2.49 million, against an estimate of $250,000/350,000. Another bronze group of Somaskanda, ca. 11th century (South India, Chola period), sold at $1.8 million, compared with a high estimate of $1.2 million.
Sotheby’s March 19 modern and contemporary south Asian art sale brought a total of $2.12 million. Of the 84 lots offered, just 48, or 57.1 percent, were sold by lot. The auction was 41 percent sold by value.
Raza topped the sale, with Jalashaya, 2000. The piece sold for $242,500, falling within the $200,000/300,000 estimate, to a private Indian buyer. It was followed by Husain’s Untitled (Scientist), 1965, which also sold for $242,500, against an identical estimate of $200,000/300,000.
Jagdish Swaminathan’s Untitled (Bird, Tree & Mountain Series), 1972, sold for $194,500, well above the $80,000/120,000 estimate, to an Indian dealer. Specialist Priyanka Mathew noted several strong prices, but conceded that the market is “selective,” and yielded “mixed results” in certain areas.
There were four other works by Husain in the top lots: Udaipur, 1962, sold for $98,500, meeting the $80,000/120,000 estimate; Untitled (Horse), an undated oil on mounted canvas, sold for $62,500, compared with an estimate of $50,000/70,000; Untitled (Woman on a Horse), undated, sold for $56,250, exceeding the $15,000/20,000 estimate; and an untitled gouache and ink on paper, 1949, depicting a woman with a broom, sold for $52,500, compared with an estimate of $35,000/55,000.
The Sotheby’s March 21 sale of Indian and southeast Asian works of art totaled $3.8 million, with 72 percent sold by lot and 74 percent sold by value. The top lot was a standing Vishnu, ca. 12th century (Nepal), which was bought by an American buyer for $590,500, against a high estimate of $300,000. The second-highest lot was a polished brown sandstone of Uma, 11th century (Khmer, Baphuon period), which was bought for $530,500, over four times the high estimate of $120,000.
Anuradha Ghosh-Mazumdar, head of the Indian southeast Asian art department said, “top lots—sculptures of Vishnu and Uma were completely fresh to the market, which helped drive prices well over the high estimates and reflected a stable market in this category.”
At Sotheby’s March 20 Chinese ceramics and works of art sale, two “Heaven and Earth” revolving brushpots from the Qianlong period led the sale. Both of the rare pieces well exceeded their respective $120,000/150,000 and $80,000/120,000 estimates to achieve a combined total of $3.5 million. Henry Howard-Sneyd, Sotheby’s vice chair of Asian art, said: “collectors are prepared to fight for objects with rarity and good provenance when offered at conservative estimates.