India Art Fair 2024 features some of India’s most important contemporary galleries alongside established international names showcasing rare masterpieces and contemporary works. In addition to standout presentations in the main Galleries section of the fair, India Art Fair will also put a spotlight on South Asia’s living traditions as well as its next generation of digital artists.
The Platform section spotlights the rich artistic heritage of South Asia through the works of contemporary masters of traditional arts, including presentations foregrounding the spiritual roots of these traditions. The participants include: Delhi Crafts Council (DCC) (New Delhi) exhibiting traditional woodworking technique of marquetry; Inherited Arts Forum (New Delhi) making a curated presentation on the artistic trope of ‘Devi and her vahana’ with paintings and sculptures; Serenity Arts (New Delhi / Thimpu) bringing traditional Bhutanese Thangka paintings; Shrujan – Living and Learning Design Centre (Kutch) presenting contemporary crafts from the Kutch region of Gujarat; and Gallery Ragini and OJAS ART (both New Delhi) showing a variety of traditions ranging from Madhubani and Gond to Pattachitra and Bhil art, amongst others.
The Studio continues to be the space at the fair for interactive, transformative and cutting-edge digital art, including the Digital Residency Hub, hosting projects by Digital Artists in Residence, Dhruv Jani, MYLES x Ameya and Sadhna Prasad, each bringing exciting interpretations to the Residency theme of ‘Forces of Nature’ in the form of interactive projects made using the iPad Pro and MacBook Pro. Dhruv Jani presents an adventure-quest video game experience in which players excavate the subterranean layers of a mountain and reconsider their notions of what it means to be a ‘good steward of the planet’; MYLES x Ameya, a collaboration between music synthesist, Aaron Myles Pereira and graphic designer, Ameya Shinde, create a soundscape and visual world inspired by the diverse bird songs and textures from the Indian subcontinent; and Illustrator and muralist Sadhna Prasad creates a vibrant alternate world ruled by natural cycles and another ruled by current human excesses, to show two possible futures. Among other new media presentations in The Studio will be exciting VR and AR dreamscapes by Indian creatives presented by TIFA Working Studios (Pune), a biofeedback immersive experience by Hansika Mangwani presented by Method (Mumbai), artist Janhavi Khemka’s stop motion animation and light projection installation presented by Emami Art (Kolkata) and mesmerising digital and video works by Korean new media artist Lee Lee Nam presented by Korean Culture Centre India (New Delhi).
India Art Fair 2024 will see more art than ever installed across its fairground site with institutional-quality, large-scale artist projects by some of the most exciting artists and designers working in India and beyond. Among the projects are दीवारों के भी कान होते हैं। (Walls have ears too) by Sajid Wajid Shaikh, winner of the first MTArt Agency x India Art Fair Artist Prize, an interactive installation of dynamic ear forms on the theme of mass-surveillance; Western Flag by John Gerard, an NFT from the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), reflecting on the history of oil consumption and the climate crisis; Elevator to the Subcontinent by Gigi Scaria, supported by the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA), a multimedia installation of an elevator moving through the various social strata of the country; and Transformations, an immersive mountain landscape created with sustainable materials to serve as a canvas for digital interventions by artists Skarma Sonam Tashi and Philipp Frank supported by sā Ladakh (Leh) and The German Embassy (New Delhi), among others. In addition, India Art Fair Artist in Residence, Siddharth Gohil aka Khatra will create a 100-metre long carpet in his signature graffiti style welcoming visitors into the fair; and artist duo Thukral & Tagra will design the India Art Fair Facade using processes including high-speed algorithmic data collection and traditional painting, which will be repurposed into collectible bags by the dalit-run Chamar Studio after the fair.
Sashikanth Thavudoz is the winner of the third edition of ‘The Future is Born of Art’ Commission, led by BMW India and India Art Fair. He will create an immersive and large-scale installation at the India Art Fair on the theme of ‘Forwardism’, with the all-electric BMW i7 at its centre. For his installation at the India Art Fair, titled ‘Symphony of Nature: The Harmonic Forest’, Thavudoz will combine materials and mediums from past experiences and projects, including illuminated lights and wood blocks, into a multi-sensory and immersive experience. In his installation, which will combine natural and manufactured materials, he hopes to highlight the fragility of the balance between responsible creativity and change – something we must all consider as we go into the future.
The fair also highlights its new cohort of three young and exciting Artists-in-Residence, each from under-represented parts of India: performance and mixed-media artist, Merci Thamshangpha Maku from a village in Manipur, in the North-East of India, working on themes of identity and borders; textile and installation artist, Mayuri Chari working out of rural Maharashtra and with the form and concept of the feminine body; and graffiti and street artist Siddharth Gohil aka Khatra, originally from a small town in coastal Gujarat, the artist has created striking murals across India’s major cities.
India Art Fair is at the centre of a month-long Parallel Programme that sees local galleries, institutions and collections organise special exhibitions and events across the city, giving visibility to its vibrant cultural ecosystem. Gallery highlights include the first solo show of Alicja Kwade in India presented by Nature Morte, a show of dark figurative paintings by rising star Zaam Arif presented by Vadehra Art Gallery, surreal works by Colombo-based Anoli Perrera by Shrine Empire, presentations of iconic modernist Nandalal Bose and contemporary installation artist Jayashree Chakravarty by Akar Prakar, a survey of ‘The Art of Indian Textiles’ shown by Devi Art Foundation in collaboration with Crafts Museum, New Delhi, a solo presentation of multimedia artist Manjunath Kamath by Gallery Espace and a focus on art for collective climate action by Sustaina India 2023 fellows presented by artist duo Thukral & Tagra and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, both on view at Bikaner House.
Alongside the fair, the Indian Ceramics Triennale also takes place in New Delhi, featuring some of the brightest names in sculpture in South Asia, including Parag Tandel, Deepak Kumar and Ankon Mitra.
As in previous editions, the 2024 fair will be an all-inclusive event, with a programme featuring dedicated tours for supporting special assistance, and through braille guides, tactile artworks, and an accessible seating and floor plan. Find out more about all that’s happening by tuning into India Art Fair’s social media platform (@indiaartfair). Preview passes and tickets are available via BookMyShow and the India Art Fair website.
Opening Hours
Thursday, 1 February 2024 | BMW VIP Preview, 3pm – 7pm
Friday, 2 February 2024 | Select VIP Preview, 11am – 7pm
Saturday, 3 February 2024 | VIP Hours, 11am – 12pm | Public Hours, 12pm – 7pm
Sunday, 4 February 2024 | Public Hours, 10am – 6pm
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