NEW DELHI.- India Art Fair, India’s premier modern and contemporary art fair, announced its 7th edition taking place from 29 January – 1 February 2015 (with a VIP Preview by invitation on 29 January). YES Bank is Presenting Partner for the 7th Edition of India Art Fair.
Neha Kirpal, Founding Director, India Art Fair says "India Art Fair has taken stock of the way the world is looking at India and the way in which India presents itself to the world. As more international fairs representing emerging markets are established, the desire for collectors is not necessarily to follow the same artists and galleries around the globe, but to engage at a deeper level with each region. This is the approach that India Art Fair is embracing. It is the approach that brings out the unique offering of India, thereby establishing India’s place on the global art map. In line with the positive trends in the market, the fair presents a balanced range of contemporary, modern and classical art, engaging an increasingly broad audience. There is something for everyone and that is what is needed. India Art Fair acts as a catalyst for progress, driving deeper understanding of the country’s artistic history as well as the latest contemporary work from across India, stimulating dialogue, debate, understanding and interaction not only with art specialists, but with the wider public and collectors of tomorrow.”
Sandy Angus, Co-Owner, India Art Fair commented “In my experience of running art fairs in several emerging markets around the world, I can see that collectors today travel the globe to be able to see art from different regions and have a distinguished experience wherever they may go. The desire is to see fresh new works and art forms from exciting emerging markets. India has a lot to offer in terms of its rich art history and its dynamic contemporary art scene, and India Art Fair is focused on bringing together the broadest representation of quality works in a well curated and presented environment that will appeal to a cross section of collectors and the general visiting public alike.”
India Art Fair remains unchallenged as the most important stage for facilitating dialogue and art trade in the region. 85 exhibiting galleries in a total of 90 booths will showcase a breadth of modern and contemporary art practices including painting, sculpture, new media, installation and performance art.
One significant new element introduced to India Art Fair is the appointment of Girish Shahane as Artistic Director. Directing both the Artistic Projects and the Speakers’ Forum, Shahane will integrate a closely curated artistic programme with the fair itself, bringing a focus to the talks and projects to make them directly relevant to the galleries and artists exhibiting onsite and more accessible for visitors within the context of the fair.
The 2015 Speakers’ Forum will engage the entire range of stakeholders in the visual arts – artists, curators, critics, administrators, academics, gallerists and collectors, as well as covering a wide spectrum of artistic practices. Speakers will include Adam Szymczyk, Artistic Director of documenta, the world’s largest and most prestigious contemporary art exhibition; Dr. Venu Vasudevan, Director General of the National Museum, Delhi; Jeremy Deller, leading artist and creator of the British pavilion at the 2013 Venice Biennale; Sheikha Hoor al Qasimi, Director of the Sharjah Biennale and curator of the UAE pavilion at the next Venice Biennale; and Julian Stallabrass, Professor at the Courtauld Institute London, lecturer and writer on modern and contemporary art.
For the 2015 Artistic Projects an extensive programme spanning the outdoor and indoor fair space will present a range of work from high profile Indian and international artists. Highlights of the programme include renowned French artist Daniel Buren’s massive installation work, supported by the French Embassy in India and specially designed for the art fair facade. This is the first of an annual artist-led facade installation project at the fair. Atul Bhalla is creating a walkthrough maze of turnstiles, an interactive work that is both fun and thought-provoking and Chitra Ganesh and Dhruvi Acharya will create a collaborative painting on site, giving visitors an insight into the processes contemporary artists employ in their work. The painting will unfold over four days from a blank canvas to the finished composition. A further dramatic project comes in the form of Francesco Clemente’s tent installation. For 40 years Clemente, one of the worlds most renowned painters, has collaborated with a range of Indian artisans in Chennai, Orissa, Varanasi and Jodhpur creating his series of tents using a range of techniques such as embroidery, block printing and his own spectacular paintings.
In addition, Presenting Partner YES Bank will be hosting a series of talks and events in the YES Bank Lounge, including conversations with Jeremy Deller, workshops with the Asia Art Archive and book launches for Arpita Singh with Vadehra Art Gallery, and Forms of Devotion with Sushma Bahl and the Museum of Sacred Art.
In a re-calibration of the India Art Fair layout, additional exhibition space has been added to the two main tents, and the permanent structure has been re-commissioned to host the largest ever exhibition in a public space on the history of India’s modern and contemporary art. Presented by Delhi Art Gallery, this comprehensive review will showcase the full range of India’s most important artists.
Along with the new design elements to the fair, this year sees expanded restaurant offerings from Delhi’s most popular venues as well as live music at the fair, all of which will enhance the overall experience for our growing audiences from both India and abroad.
