Desi DNA

Anita Rani on St Tropez Beach
Art on the Beach

Desi DNA sends Anita Rani to the sandy beaches of St Tropez to check out the Indian artists who are impressing the jet set with their beautifully sculpted pieces of art.

Take one international art dealer, fifteen Indian conceptual artists, three kilometres of the Cote D’Azur and what do you get? ‘L’art A La Plage’ or Art on the Beach – an annual summer exhibition of art placed along five beaches next to St Tropez.

For the past five years artists from exciting art-scenes have been giving joy to Mediterranean types and the lastest subtitle, ‘Made In India’, promises sculptures with just a hint of the subcontinent.

Desi DNA’s Anita Rani packs her suitcase and flies off to meet the creative talent behind the stunning showcase. Ignoring the beautiful location and beautiful people she sets about exploring why Indian artists have stepped out from the shadows - and what it means for Indian art on a global scale. Indian artists featured include Bharti Kher, Atul Dodiya, Ravinder Reddy and Subodh Gupta, all of whom hope tourists and visitors on the beach will want to take their gigantic sculptures home.

During her expedition Anita bumps into…

Enrico Navarra, the playboy art dealer behind the scenic splendour of L’Art A La Plage. So successful is Enrico in dealing contemporary art to serious collectors and celebrities, like his pals Jonny Depp and Bono, he’s afforded himself a house in the Cote D’azur country. In the past five years, his show on the sand has predicted massive movements from France, Russia and China. Now its Indian artists he’s chosen to invest his money in, stake his reputation on.

Amanda Eliasch, a photographer and arts enthusiast who convinced Enrico that the rich beach crowd would fall for these Indian artists more than any others.

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    L'art de la Plage

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