From Rathin Barman's documentation of architectural sites in the form of sculptures and drawings to Kanu Gandhi's rare photographs of Gandhiji on display, India Art Fair seeks to present the best of the South Asian region to a global audience, say Saritha S Balan and Ankita Jain
The India Art Fair— the grandest celebration of art in the country besides the ongoing Kochi Biennale— has at times earned the wrath of critics, at times pleased the art lovers and then at times managed to amuse the public. In its ninth year, it will be looking more closely at India’s neighbourhood and within and has added fashion, heritage jewellery, food art among others.
Seventy two exhibiting galleries, artistic projects, speakers’ forum boasting speakers like Richard Armstrong, the director of the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum in New York; Shireen Gandhy, the director of Chemould Prescott Road; Manuel Rabaté, the director of the louvre Abu Dhabi, Simon Rein, the program manager of Google Arts & Culture; Mark Rappolt, and a thrust on the South Asian art scene are some of the highlights of the upcoming fair.
Talking about international art scene, Neha Kirpal, the brain behind the whole idea of the India Art Fair that was known as India Art Summit in its initial years, said, “The exhibitions of contemporary Indian art across the world and the creation of new Indian and South Asian acquisition committees are just some of the new developments that indicate a shift of perception in terms of where India is on the global stage.” Neha drew attention to the ongoing shift in interest and power from the West to the East. “Since the 1990s, Asian contemporary art has grown exponentially due to regional biennials and triennials, the building of new contemporary art museums, the international recognition and success of Asian artists, and of course global political and economic shifts.”
Broader pan-Indian representation
lal Bahadur’s work titled Adi shakti or super power is a natural power which exists but not seen. The work relates to woman as Prakriti, as creator abundant in generosity, benevolence and selflessness whereas Viveek Sharma’s current series leans towards an exploration of the esoteric, while continuing his distinct visual aesthetics. Significantly, the imagery focuses on magnifying what was earlier placed as a distant view, and brings together a series of powerful portraits. Then there is his Sadhu series inspired from the Kumbh Mela. The surfaces on it come alive in layers of painted daubs, as the artist delves into the magic of pointillism.
A reflect on the subcontinent
Works of artists Subrat Kumar Behera, Mahbubur Rahman, Pala Pothupitye and Youdhishtir Maharjan, from the South Asian region will be exhibited, encouraging a conversation across borders. The selection of works based on the concept of ‘belonging’ and ‘identity’ weave stories of colonisation, fantasy and socio-political issues in these regions. “You will be able to view work from the galleries of neighbouring countries, like the Britto Arts Trust from Dhaka, the Nepal Art Council from Kathmandu, and the Theertha International Artists’ Collective from Colombo,” claimed Neha.
The art of fashion
Not So Serious, known for its modish quirk and exquisite workmanship, is presenting the collection titled Alice in Wonderland at the IAF. “It’s not a traditional method of brush on paper but, at the end of the day, it is an expression of the artists’ creativity; for me, the fabric is my canvas. Through the Art Fair, the intention is to be able to share my personal form of art with the people,” said Pallavi, the designer.
The heritage jewellery house from Jaipur, Amrapali Jewels is all set to make its debut at the IAF. In a bid to support the event’s endeavor to highlight the region’s cultural landscape, they will be unveiling key artifacts and fashion jewellery from the Amrapali Museum for the first time ever to the public. A ground-breaking step towards enlightening the world of India’s diverse heritage, the Amrapali Museum is a curation of the country’s tribal history all housed under one roof.
Food art
le Meridien Hub has been designed showcasing the art and spirit of the local streets, featuring locally inspired flavors to cultural experiences. A curated event will feature a live juxtaposition of street art and music Rhythms on Canvas. While the musician plays the drums; the artist paints to the notes, capturing the rhythms on the canvas.
Photo section
Armed with a camera and an eye for the interesting, Idris Ahmed shoots photographs across genres. His collection of photographs is being exhibited in a special section in a project titled Follow your Dreams. “I love shooting portraits. I am a travel and portrait photographer. For this project, I have photographed young aspiring individuals: occasionally crazier yet resolutely coherent. The fact that makes these portraits special is that all of them have been taken by a phone rather than a professional camera,” said Idris.
Children’s spot
A sculpture by artist Nantu Behari mainly makes children in different expressions using different mediums such as screws stuck on fiber as compared to aluminium pins used last year. “In the previous edition, we had a record 500 pictures/ selfies clicked with Nantu’s works. The Art fair always brings about an atmosphere which is conducive and comfortable for youngsters as well as even younger school going kids. The exhibitions and booth allocation is balanced hence there’s something to offer to all age groups,” said Neha.
The foreign hand
With the increase in the participation of foreign galleries every year, Neha explained, “Around 40 Indian galleries and 20 international galleries are exhibiting at the IAF this year. The number of international galleries are increasing over the years. There are only 8-10 solo booths rest of the galleries would be exhibiting group shows with a few artist per booth. We are bringing the international galleries to have a balance view.”
Kim Kim Gallery will present the booth set-up of South Korea which has changed from an agricultural feudal society to an industrial society in record time and went from occupied country, through war, over dictatorship to democratic republic. Solo show of Yaakov Agam Yaakov Agam from Israel explores the theme of the dimensions of art.
Did you knowIJ
Since the fair's first iteration in 2008, the number of visitors rose from 10,000 then to up to 100,000 visitors in 2016. This time, the fair will have 72 exhibitor booths from countries in South Asia, West Asia and Europe, as well as the US
The IAF will be held from February 2-5 at the NSIC Grounds, Okhla