Hong Kong: Christie's spring 2008 sales of Asian contemporary art in Hong Kong May 24-25 will feature a selection of 27 significant works by Indian artists along with those of their counterparts from China, Japan and South Korea.

The inaugural evening sale of Asian contemporary art on May 24 is a first for the category worldwide and an eagerly-awaited new element to the sale series in Hong Kong this season.

It will feature a selection of top-tier works by the likes of Subodh Gupta, Jitish Kallat, Anju Dodiya and Atul Dodiya. A day sale May 25 will offer a further selection of works from these and other noteworthy Indian contemporary artists, including Shibu Natesan, T.V. Santhosh, Justin Ponmany, Jagannath Panda, Hema Upadhyay, Baiju Parthan and Talha Rathore, and the duo of Jiten Thukral and Sumir Tagra.

The Indian modern and contemporary art category has grown exponentially, with increasing global demand seen in every one of Christie's sales in New York, London and Hong Kong.

Since launching modern and contemporary Indian art sales in New York in 2000, Christie's worldwide sales in this category have grown from $656,000 to $36 million in 2007.

Among the highlights is Atul Dodiya's "Woman from Kabul", estimated at $114,400- $153,800. Regarded as one of the leading artists of his generation, Atul Dodiya has become a widely recognised figurehead in contemporary art, influencing many of India's burgeoning younger artists.