The India Art Fair 2020 is bigger and better. Are you going?
If that’s a yes, then the India Art Fair opens this weekend and much is going on. Post a paid preview on January 30, the art fair opens to public from January 31 to February 2. The four-day long celebration of art returns to Delhi with Jagdip Jagpal as the fair director, who has again focused on contemporary Indian and South Asian art with a 70:30 split (70 percent of the space at IAF grounds will be for Indian galleries selling South Asian art and the remaining 30 percent for international artworks). That in no way means you won’t have an eclectic mix of global art at your viewing disposal.
Jagpal says the art pieces she’s most excited about this year include those by Rasheed Araeen, Anwar Jalal Shemza, Naiza Khan, Nadira Husain, who are based in the UK. “Maybe because I was raised in Ireland I’ve got an obsession with South Asian artists from the UK,” she says. There’s Chandragupta Thenuwara, Priyantha Udagedara, and Saskia Pintelon from Sri Lanka. Michael Brown from the Mars Straus Gallery, New York, PSM Gallery from Berlin and of course, the BMW car painted by Andy Warhol.
From India, Akar Prakar gallery doing a special showcase with Bengal masters, Amrita Shergill, Meera Mukherjee, Manu Parekh, and Nalani Malani. For contemporary Indian artists, her picks include Rithika Merchant, Samir Kulavoor, and Nikhil Chopra. They’ve also got artists in residency like Renuka Rajiv, who’ll be doing a collage with different materials like textiles, and Gagan Singh who is known for his simplistic drawings that touch upon current issues with a sense of humour.
Along with these, there’s a lot more you can do at the India Art Fair 2020. Here’s a lowdown for what to bookmark for a high-on-art weekend.
Live Photography
The renowned artist Martin Parr will be running a live photography booth titled ‘Martin Parr: Live Photography Project, 2020’. He will capture the artworks as well as the visitors at the fair and you’ll get to meet the gent who’s known for his ‘intimate and mischievous take on aspects of modern life’ through his perception.
Loose Woman
Maya Krishna Rao, the national award-winning theatre artist will perform ‘Loose Woman’ at the fair. Also the director of this live act, she communicates how a woman traverses through life. Sound, camera, and theatre come together to showcase how various incidents over time ‘push, pull and stretch her skin’, alluding to the resulting ‘looseness’.
Art Walks
If you’re the kinds who want to learn about art keenly, these are for you. Take curated art walks that range from being a quick guide to the fair to those that highlight the breakout artists of the year. Be it collecting art, art inspired by the current ecological state, decoding symbols and metaphors, they’ve got a host of informational and educational walks lined up this year.
Andy Warhol
The BMW Art Car returns fifth year in a row, this once with Andy Warhol’s imprint on it. One of the fair’s main attractions, the car binds together Warhol’s signature pop-art with speed and movement. There’s also a talk about the artist and his history of art that you can attend. Spearheaded by Thomas Girst, Head of BMW Cultural Engagement and Jose Carlos Diaz, Chief Curator at The Andy Warhol Museum, they will discuss the life and work of Warhol, with a focus on him creating the Art Car in 1979.
Get the detailed schedule and buy tickets here.
An innate love for travel and food has translated into many a trips since childhood for Megha; it also fed her curiosity to know about local cultures. When not writing, she is on the lookout for three things: A great dark chocolate dessert, a beautiful pool where she can practice her backstroke, and art that she can save up for.
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