21 October – 12 November 2021
Project description
Traces is the first Bagri Foundation art trail organised on the occasion of Asian Art in London 2021.
Three London-based intergenerational contemporary artists are invited to respond to the beauty and history of selected artefacts and antiques shown by three participating galleries. For Traces – Bagri Art Trail, Yarli Allison, Zarah Hussain, and Keith Khan create original micro-commissions that are shown alongside the fantastic collections of Marchant, Shahnaz and Peter Finer galleries respectively. These encounters have sparked conversations between traditional and contemporary art with the creation of three original works that will be on show for the duration of Asian Art in London, 21 October – 6 November 2021, and beyond.
Emerging art historians are invited to write an original piece to further explore the relation between the galleries’ collections and the micro-commissions. The writers – Miyako Kato, Sohyun Kim, Giulia Resti – are selected in collaboration with the MA Modern and Contemporary Asian Art course at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, London.
Weaving a path that links materials such as porcelain, jade, steel, leather, wood, and lacquer to digital and contemporary creations, the Bagri Art Trail explores how the traces of the past embodied by the antiques on show, speak to contemporary artists, and how contemporary artists can reinterpret and learn from them.
Aimed at facilitating new and unexpected encounters of traditional and contemporary Asian art, the Bagri Art Trail invites audiences to engage with and enjoy the dialogue among disciplines, art forms, materials, and histories.
Curated and produced by the Bagri Foundation in collaboration with:
Asian Art in London. Founded in 1998 and now in its 24th year, Asian Art in London celebrates London as an international centre for expertise and excellence in Asian art. Its annual programme focuses on a central event taking place each autumn in and around Central London. Its participants, are made up of London’s premier Indian & Islamic art galleries and the leading East Asian art galleries, together with leading Asian art dealers based outside London and abroad. Also among its participants are the three main central London auction houses, and additional specialist auction houses from across the UK and internationally. This year has seen the addition of an overseas participant category, for those who cannot travel to exhibit in Central London, to strengthen Asian Art in London’s international presence.
In 2020, Asian Art in London expanded to include an Indian & Islamic focus for the first half of the event and concentrates on East Asian art during the second half. This coincides with the major art auctions of Indian & Islamic and East Asian art in London. Asian Art in London is overseen by a board selected from the participants, promoting the year-long programme as a whole and London as a global centre of commerce and expertise in Asian art.
Sotheby’s Institute of Art. Sotheby’s auction house was founded in 1744 when entrepreneur, occasional publisher, and successful businessman Samuel Baker held his first auction. Today at Sotheby’s Institute, we emphasize a keen understanding of an object’s value and history, a spirit of inquiry and scholarship, business acumen, and innovation that build upon these foundational values and continue to leverage the access of the world’s largest art business.
The Institute offers educational programs for professionals, pre-college audiences, and graduate students seeking expertise in art business and an understanding of the multi-billion global art economy. Our course offerings cover everything from art history to key business skills and are taught at our campuses located in the world’s art capitals of London and New York, as well as online. Courses at Sotheby’s Institute are structured with the guiding principle that education is gained in the classroom, but equally important is hands-on experience and situational context. Institute faculty are experts and leaders in their fields, bringing a wealth of practical knowledge from their professional experiences as well as a solid academic grounding to all students.
