Queen of arts

In its ninth edition, India Art Fair gets bigger and more experimental

A fresh segment on vernacular art, focus on the new generation of young collectors from South Asia, extensive indoor and outdoor projects and the return of the popular film programme — the ninth edition of India Art Fair promises all this and more. 

M F Husain’s Mithuna, presented by KNMA

This year, the focus is firmly on South Asia’s ability to look inwards and have a dialogue within itself. “Renu Modi’s Tale of Two Cities is an interesting example of this,” says Neha Kirpal, the fair’s founding director. “There is also a gentleman who is bringing artists from Bhutan to the fair. He will later be taking them to Varanasi. It is this ability to collaborate and exchange that is exciting.”

One of the highlights this year is a strong “speakers’ forum”, with curators, artists, critics, gallerists and collectors such as Richard Armstrong of Solomon R Guggenheim Museums, H E Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi of the Sharjah Art Foundation and JaiJai Fei of the Jewish Museum, New York discussing the future of museums, art of collecting and technology in art. Some of them are coming to the fair for the first time.  

F N Souza’s Untitled (Family) presented by KNMA

Collateral events

The most striking among the host of collateral events is Stretched Terrains, a string of seven exhibitions by the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art. This includes segments on MF Husain, SH Raza, FN Souza, Akbar Padamsee, Ashim Ahluwalia, Nalini Malani, Nasreen Mohamedi, Parthiv Shah, photographs and architectural models by Madan Mahatta, Raj Rewal and Kuldip Singh. 

From the Gujral Foundation comes the Open Hand that offers viewers a glimpse into some of its key international projects such as collaborations at the 11th Shanghai Biennale, the British Museum, the 56th Venice Biennale and the Contour Biennale 8. Also interesting is Paresh Maity: World of Watercolours at Art Alive, which showcases 40 years of the artist’s journey within the medium.

Pallavi Paul's work at the Contour Biennale 8

Vernacular in Flux

This new space, curated by Annapurna Garimella, will showcase a new interpretation of India’s rich vernacular art culture. “One part of the idea was to encourage art institutions and galleries to curate what they think of vernacular art,” says Garimella. This is the focal point of the panel discussion, while the main show is centred around three aspects of vernacular art: portraits (literal and figurative), skills and storytelling. It looks at the journey of communities through works such as accordion books that showcase how Gond weddings have changed over time, from the purana shaadi held in the forests to the naya shaadi in an urban context. “The show also celebrates skill — that labour by hand is a thing of beauty,” says Garimella.

Kaliya Mardan’s leather puppet from Karnataka, presented by Gallery Espace

Girjesh Kumar Singh’s Laga Chunari Mein Daag, presented by Rukshaan Art

Special projects

Sixteen specially curated art projects by artists such as Mithu Sen, Thukral and Tagra, Sudarshan Shetty, Reena Saini Kallat and Rathin Barman focus on audience engagement. “For instance, Memoir Bar by Thukral and Tagra is done by the public. The artists help in encapsulating a memory in a very permanent way,” says Kirpal. Presented internationally earlier, it is being shown in India for the first time.

With the focuses on visual arts, the fair also has a dedicated photography exhibition, which includes a rare and intimate account of Mahatma Gandhi’s life in pictures by his nephew, Kanu Gandhi.

Reena Saini Kallat’s Woven Chronicle, circuit boards, speakers, electrical wires and fittings, created in situ at the Museum of Modern Art, New York

India Art Fair will be held from February 2 to 5 at NSIC Grounds, Okhla, New Delhi