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The Spanish government may have just slipped into a recession, but they couldn’t have been more generous in their hospitality—a fact the 40-member-strong team of journalists from four continents would endorse. All stops were pulled out to keep us happy. Transported on a luxury bus from our super-luxury designer five-star hotel, we drove through the beautiful city of Madrid. With the sun shining brightly in a crisp sky and a line of snow-capped peaks of the Pyrenees forming a natural wall on one side, we arrived at the fair site. An art fair is similar to any other trade fair, except that it is a fair in which art galleries participate. Arco Madrid 2009 had more than 250 galleries participating, from around the globe.

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India this year was the guest country at Arco Madrid. And it was a disaster royale. I was embarrassed to see the insipid show our galleries had put together. The works of some 50 extremely talented Indian artists were on display, in a manner that was both unimaginative and tacky. Gallery Nature Morte and Jitish Kallat’s life-size installation of a skeleton structure of a potable water truck—put up by Gallery Haunch of Venison, UK—being the only saving grace. The other Indian galleries either lacked the experience or the creative finesse required to exhibit on a stage as big as Arco Madrid. Though the Spaniards tried everything they could to make India’s presence felt—all the 100-odd exhibition personnel sported India badges and the Indian tricolour was prominently displayed everywhere—it failed to create the buzz expected of a guest country. What a pity, for an opportunity as splendid as Arco Madrid could have put our artists on the international map.

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