New Delhi: The India Art Fair will begin here from February 9 with the special focus on contemporary and digital artistic talent alongside modern masters. Organised in partnership with BMW India, the fair will present 86 exhibitors, including 72 galleries and 12 institutions at the NSIC Grounds in Okhla here. The meeting ground for collectors, curators and art professionals will also have a studio presenting the fair's 'Digital Artist in Residence' programme.
"The scale and diversity of the fair in 2023 reflects the expansion of the contemporary and modern art market across India and South Asia, as well as burgeoning interest from the international community. "We're particularly proud of all of our artists who are testing the boundaries of contemporary and traditional arts or digital innovation, with many coming from previously unexplored regions of India. We're proud of the quality of work they're producing and powerfully responding to our changing times," Jaya Asokan, fair director of India Art Fair, said in a statement.
The upcoming art fair will house a selection of "tech-meets-art" projects and installations, including a dedicated digital residency hub showcasing artworks made by these artists on the theme 'Finding the Extraordinary in the Ordinary'. Visual artist and illustrator Mira Felicia Malhotra will highlight the oddities and idiosyncrasies of Indian family life in vibrant portraits of women titled "Loag Kya Kahenge", while artist, poet and writer Gaurav Ogale will showcase an audio-visual book anthology series "Bestsellers" to explore "the extraordinary biographies of ordinary people".
Another artist in residence, Varun Desai will create an immersive projection room giving a glimpse of the future, fusing artificial intelligence and human
consciousness. The fair will feature some of the India's most important contemporary art galleries presenting established names and promising young talents, including Vadehra Art Gallery, Nature Morte, Gallery Espace, Blueprint12, Emami Art, Gallery Art Exposure, and Apparao Galleries, alongside modern master galleries such as Dhoomimal Art Gallery, DAG and Crayon Art Gallery.
International galleries including Galleria Continua who will present works by Anish Kapoor, 1X1 Art Gallery will bring Rina Banerjee and Bahk Seon Ghi; Marc Straus will feature Anne Samat; Bruno Art Group will present Andy Warhol; and Saskia Fernando Gallery will show internationally-renowned South Asian artists Jagath Weerasinghe and Chandraguptha Thenuwara. India Art Fair's 'Align and Disrupt' talks programme will host conversations surrounding the arts, inviting leading artists and arts professionals to align on critical
subjects.
The section will see discussions on topics such as "What Are We Causing: Ecology, Environment & Climate", "Decolonisation & The Arts: Looking at Art Historical Blind Spots", and "Changing Formats of Art Making: Tech, Art and Law". The four-day fair will also feature 10 leading cultural festivals, collectives and foundations, including soft sculptures and book projects by Britto Arts Trust (Dhaka); a series of textile panels by Lakshmi Madhavan for Devi Art Foundation (New Delhi); a group show with works by Siwan-based ceramicist Upendra Ram and Goa-based feminist conceptual artist Mayuri Chari. The event will come to a close on February 12. (PTI)
