Arts Group

Keen on an international art career? Elise Foster Vander Elst is commercial director of Gallery BMB, India. She tells how she carved a career in the global art world, helping to launch an art space in Mumbai with a debut show featuring contemporary art greats the Chapman brothers, Jon Kessler, Riyas Komu, George Osodi, Tunga and Wang Qingsong.

What’s your background?

After leaving school in the UK, I moved to Paris and completed a BA in history of art at the Sorbonne. I realised I was particularly interested in contemporary art, and decided a great place to learn about it in more depth would be New York, so then I went to the big apple to work at MoMA-PS1 and ArtReview magazine, and loved every minute of it.

I thought it best to have a masters, so returned to Paris to do an MA in contemporary art, where I specialised in performance art.

How did you become involved in launching a gallery in India?

After my Masters I joined a small Parisian gallery, and its director was interested in bringing more Indian art to France. I helped research interesting artists, contact them and plan exhibitions, and was fortunate enough to build good relationships with some brilliant artists.

Then I went to work for a British auction house in Paris. I began to realise that to properly delve into the Indian contemporary art world, I had to be in India. Returning from a holiday in Delhi, I was standing at the luggage carousel of Charles de Gaule airport when Bose Krishnamachari called me to discuss a new gallery he was planning with long-term art patrons Dia and Devaunshi Mehta and Avanti Birla.

What’s been the high point of your work at the BMB so far?

Bringing 39 works, by 7 artists from 5 continents, to Mumbai for The Dark Science of Five Continents exhibition.

Which Indian artists would you particularly recommend?

Where to start? If I had to narrow it down- Prasad Raghavan; Charmi Gada Shah; PS Jalaja’s fresh large scale, beautiful pastel works; Tejal Shah (whose works always keep this incredible balance between being challenging and aesthetically beautiful); Riyas Komu; I adore Bose Krishnamachari’s installations; and Sumedh Rajendran’s solo show was one of the best gallery exhibitions I have ever seen.

What advice would you give to a young person with dreams of an international art career?

Visit every single gallery show in the town where you live. If you are lucky enough to live near museums, go to every exhibition, and if you can afford it and the show was good, buy the catalogue or at the very least take the press release. Read every art magazine you can get your hands on, remember names, be respectful to everyone you meet – but always stand up for yourself. Finally, as unglamorous as it sounds, work really really really hard. It’s the only way.

Image: Gallery BMB, Shankar Natarajan. Courtesy Gallery BMB.