SAC ART Amsterdam Bridging Europe and South Asia with contemporary and modern art

In the heart of Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands, lies a cozy art space dedicated to South Asian Contemporary Art. Established in 2024 by its founder Tasneem Hatimbhai, SAC ART Amsterdam seeks to create an open and inviting cultural space by promoting contemporary and modern art from the Indian sub-continent. 

Tasneem

For the love of contemporary art 

Tasneem and her husband Joeri Aulman’s love for contemporary art from the Indian sub-continent sparked the initial idea of establishing SAC ART Amsterdam. From their first paintings by Sri Lankan artists such as Rupert Soysa and JagathRavindra,  their private collection of contemporary art has grown ever since. Over the past 10 years, Tasneem has been scouting the art scene for Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi and South Asian contemporary artists despite not being able to find consistent visibility. 

SAC ART Amsterdam aims to extend the awareness and scope of contemporary and modern art from the Indian subcontinent, encouraging international and European recognition for its many talented artists – both stalwarts and younger artists. SAC Art Amsterdam works towards creating an open and inviting cultural space which sparks curiosity and discovery.

An attempt to inspire and engage audiences 

Speaking about how spaces like SAC ART support young and veteran artists in projecting their creativity in the European context, Tasneem said that as a gallery and platform we seek relationships with the artists, and the rest just follows quite organically.

 “We are a private gallery, not funded by any agencies - which puts us in the beautiful position of curating our own shows and working with artists whose work moves and inspires us, and also work which we hope will inspire and engage the audience in EU,” she said in an interview with the Daily Mirror. 

She said that all contemporary art, not just South Asian art, stems from a place that is deeply personal. “And deeply personal expression can, and often is, coloured by social and political conversations and conversations with the self,” she explained. 

Featured exhibitions

SAC ART has showcased four shows in the past year and Tasneem is working towards increasing its reach and the representation of South Asian artists in Amsterdam, NL and Europe. “In December, we will showcase the works of Fabienne Francotte who has been living and painting in Sri Lanka for the past 10 years,” she added.

The current exhibition titled ‘My veins don’t end in me’ is an exploration of the powerful bond between the self and the collective. This all women’s group show by Aditi Singh (Mumbai), Amina Ahmed (New York), Tanuja Rane (Mumbai) and Varunika Saraf (Hyderabad) includes works that speak of the artists’ individual experiences and also of a larger story of their exploration of art through the realms of identity, protest, resilience and beauty.  

“The works unfold in quiet, powerful rhythm: the meditative geometry of line, the fluid invocation of water, the tensile strength of thread, and the layered surfaces of time,” said Tasneem, describing the subtleties of these works of art. Tasneem is an expert at this, given her experience writing about art and artists in journals and magazines for over 20 years, and subsequently writing a thesis on the patterns of visibility and performance of contemporary Indian artists at global auctions when she pursued her MSc at University of Amsterdam.

This exhibition is a celebration of friendship, solidarity, and shared growth much like SAC Art Amsterdam which continues to be a space of connection, collective memory and intertwined stories. The preview of the show which took place in mid-May started with a performance by Rijksakademie van BeeldendeKunst resident and Sri Lankan contemporary artist Chathuri Nissansala.  

Programmes over the past weeks have also included a joint evening with the Rijks academy, an artist visit by Amina Ahmed and conversations with artists, collectors and a larger audience.

Artistic literacy and audience perceptions 

Speaking about artistic literacy and audience perceptions about South Asian culture and artistic expressions, Tasneem said that the audience there is a combination of those from the diaspora and the local audience. “The local audience in general is extremely interested in the arts and you find that The Netherlands is a treasure house of museums and galleries. Their reaction to the work is mixed - they all really enjoy it but do have observations that include comments like ‘the work is so different’. They are curious, keen and well-versed in terms of artistic literacy,” she reviewed. 

She observes that the audience from the diaspora who come to visit the gallery are also erudite, keen and very receptive to the work. “They love the artistic expression and the stories connected to them, stemming perhaps from a shared past,” she added. 

Since the work showcased at SAC ART doesn’t revolve around EU, they are programming to show varied works in terms of style, medium, seniority and price - in order to show the audience a deeper slice of the universe of South Asian contemporary art. 

Delivering South Asian art to a European audience 

Tasneem further said that there is definitely an interest among European art lovers towards South Asian art -- a strong interest from Museums in Germany and NL, and collectors who already know South Asian art. “Walk-ins are less frequent so far. Although, this is changing even as we speak. The reasons for the growing interest are simple - numbers, influence, and fantastic work, a more educated and well-traveled audience, amazing sales results at global auctions and young collectors,” she said. 

Exposure, out-reach and drawing in an audience that’s unfamiliar are some of the challenges in exposing South Asian art to the rest of the world according to this passionate art lover. “We  started from scratch, less than a year ago, but I’m so pleased that we have already started seeing a growing audience, more collectors and an interest from museums,” she added. 

Future plans and aspirations 

Future events planned at SAC ART include a solo exhibition by Shivangi Kalra, which will open doors on 3rd October, followed by a solo exhibition by Fabienne Francotte opening 12th December. When asked about opportunities for Sri Lankan artists, Tasneem said that as private collectors they have exhibits by Rupert Soysa and Jagath Ravindra. “We are in conversation with Minal Naomi and Rupert Soysa for more shows and we hope that this list grows exponentially,” she added.

Speaking about the growth and reach of contemporary art from South Asia and its diaspora both globally and to the West, Tasneem said that the US market and UK markets are “so ripe and happily saturated.” “The logical order of progress is that the next destination is Europe, making the Netherlands the gateway to that market in terms of art. Hence, the time for Amsterdam/Netherlands/continental Europe and South Asian contemporary art is now!” she said in her concluding remarks. 

For more details about SAC ART Amsterdam visit www.sacartamsterdam.com