With live performances and events, an extended bookshop, workshops, and diverse talks featuring in the 2020 edition, the focus of the fair remains on presenting previously unseen artistic talent and showcasing South Asian art.
"When we set out, we wanted to create a clear identity for the Fair, whether it was an international art fair or a regional one. The Fair currently gives 70 per cent of its space to Indian galleries selling South Asian art, because we are not an international art fair, but a regional art fair, and we're proud of that," said Fair Director Jagdip Jagpal. She added that there are artists with their exhibits from the South Asian countries.
The Fair has come to position itself as a leading cultural platform for the global art fraternity to discover modern and contemporary art from South Asia. It celebrates the thriving modern-day art scene, combining cutting-edge contemporary visual art with modern masters, vernacular artistic traditions. This year, the Fair fascinates with an appealing tent facade designed by popular Indian artist Sameer Kulavoor focussing on the everyday Indian life.
Apart from a diverse selection of contemporary and modern art galleries from across different cities in the country, the 2020 showcase features international galleries from New York, Berlin, Seoul, Colombo, London, Hong Kong, and Dubai.
Visitors can also catch a glimpse of art activities taking place outside Delhi and Mumbai, like the Kochi Muziris Biennale and Serendipity Arts Festival, and the Chennai Photo Biennale.
The focus section showcases pivotal solo presentations curated by participating galleries including: Ratheesh T. by Galerie Mirchandani and Steinruecke, Girjesh Kumar Singh by Rukshaan Art, Anjan Modhak by Emami Art, Avijit Dutta by Kalakriti Art Gallery, D. Dhasan by Apparao Galleries, K.S. Radhakrishnan by Galleri Nvya, and Subodh Kerkar by Gallery Art Positive.
Platform, a popular sector of the fair acts as a springboard for emerging artists, art practices and collectives from South Asia, with Britto Arts Trust (Dhaka), Delhi Crafts Council (Delhi) and Metta Contemporary (Navi Mumbai)
Outdoor art projects, ranging from largescale interactive installations to sculptures, including giant wooden rain drops by Chennai based printmaker Vijay Pichumani with Art Houz Gallery touching on the ongoing conversation around water scarcity and excess, to acclaimed international Magnum photographer Martin Parr, who will present a live photography project from PHOTOINK, featuring a growing display of images that have been captured across the fair. Other artists participating under this section include Achia Anzi, Anita Dube, Farah Mulla and Rathin Barman.
The 2020 fair has also lined up performance artistes including Maya Krishna Rao, Jelili Atiku, Piyali Ghosh, and Raisa Kabir.
Yet another interesting part of the Fair, that extends beyond the venue, are collateral events programmed by galleries, museums and arts spaces around the city. Highlights include the opening of the newly refurbished Jaipur House; Kiran Nadar Museum of Art; Gujral Foundation, Khoj International Artists Association, Bikaner House; Nature Morte; Vadehra Art Gallery, Gallery Espace and Shrine Empire Gallery; and walkthroughs in Okhla, among others.
The Fair is presented by the BMW Group India, which is showing the BMW Art Car by Andy Warhol one of the 19 prominent artists from across the world to have created Art Cars using contemporary BMW automobiles of their times.
The India Art Fair is taking place at the NSIC Grounds here till Sunday.
(Siddhi Jain can be contacted at siddhi.j@.in)
( With inputs from IANS )