As a witness to the India Art Fair (IAF) since its inception, I have a distinct memory from an earlier outcome – children peering through the boundary wall of the fairground, disrupting the manicured landscape with raw curiosity And uncontrollable laughter turns back into equal compassion. Waving to visitors and participants. A display of childlike emotion, flowing freely.
Therefore, joining some of the multifaceted voices shaping this year’s edition, it is heartening to see how the Mela today, over the years of evolution, is breaking the perceived polarities of display of young-old, past-present, technology-tradition, stands to. – Fine arts, gallery-street, man-nature, man-woman and others.
Arpita Akhanda explores history through photographs, maps, letters and postcards. photo credit: IAF
With over 1,000 artists, 71 galleries and 14 participating institutions, the 14th edition to be held from February 9-12 at NSIC Grounds in New Delhi, set to present a new fusion and interplay of diverse forms and philosophies Is. “We want to break down the boundaries and hierarchies between what is considered art and what is considered craft,” says fair director Jaya Asokan. “At the fair, works by contemporary artists who are taking forward the art they have inherited like Madhubani artist Santosh Kumar Das, Gond artist Dhawat Singh, Bhil artist Bhuri Bai, global artists Anish Kapoor, Mithu Sen and Kiki Smith can be seen on the same stage. , We are giving them the attention they really deserve.”
Jaya Ashokan, India Art Fair Director | photo credit: IAF
The Kochi Muziris Biennale has recently raised some important concerns regarding the need for effective organization, focused on how the IAF can expand its role in the public sector, expert guidance and a well-organized outlet can make art more accessible locally and globally by offering for industry. The directors are convinced of these responsibilities. “India Art Fair is at the forefront of supporting the stories and achievements of South Asian artists, not just for four days, but 365 days a year through the power of our digital platform. We are dedicated to representing a diversity of voices and keeping them at the center of our identity.”
“We believe in the transformative power of the arts, using it as a tool to nurture important conversations around issues affecting them from mental health, gender, sexual orientation, race, ecology. The only As a trade fair, we hold the responsibility of bringing dynamism to the market, expanding the collection base and furthering the international dialogue on Indian and South Asian art and culture.Jaya AshokanIndia Art Fair Director
The Future is Fame (2022) Installation by Aravani Art Project | photo credit: IAF
identity search
Meanwhile, the much-anticipated artistes who have been roped in for new shows are quietly gearing up to channel their inner children on stage. Debasish Paul channels his childhood between the ancient cities of Banaras and Phulia in Bengal by crafting it into sculpture and performance, dissolving notions of time and space. “When I worked in the hills for 50 days, I became a part of the landscape and knew that my identity was timeless. Both the cities I grew up in are culturally rich with folklore and mythology that shaped my existence through teachings of love, oneness, our universal connectedness. The aim is to instill these knowledge in a place of free association like fairs – the game brings us back to our true identity,” he shares.
Untitled by Debashish Paul
Lakshmi Madhavan’s inquiry is wrapped in innocent memories of her grandmother’s comfortable body clothes Kasavu Mundu, She talks me through the everlasting weaving village of Balaramapuram in Kerala, which serves as her studio and place of pilgrimage. “composed of Kasavu Mundu It is a 200-year-old tradition and continuing for four-five years seems like a small intervention. The grassroots scenario is different; Your thesis will fly if you really want to understand and reinvent the craft. She shares how the bodies of the weaver and the loom merge to form a single being. “It’s like a mythical creature that is half human and half machine thanks to the close relationship shared for 20-25 years.” She opens up the question of identity through a work that looks at the irony that a weaver is not allowed to wear a garment though they spend years making it. “When they die only cloth wraps them – and hence “no body” – dissolved caste, community, gender and socio-economic discrimination.”
The Hanging of Lakshmi Madhavan III | photo credit: IAF
Each such micro-narrative creates a sea of rich stories that float seamlessly within the macro discourse.
Of memory, poetry and fierce genes
Gaurav Ogle of the Digital Artists in Residence Program uses his agency to create an alchemy of poetry and technology, the tangible and the intangible, the everyday and the everyday, enchanting through his collected memories of growing up, traveling and meeting people. “Transforming cultures is my core inspiration for creation. I believe that cultures are a reflection of what we mean by aesthetics, what we mean by visual memory, which is of course our imagination.” inspires, because they are references that we have in our personal stores.
Artist Gaurav Ogle | photo credit: IAF
He points to a state of cultured suspension among the crowd, giving away what he sees. “Like a door I saw somewhere, someone’s earrings…it all comes back as things that add up to a story. I am able to digitally combine poetry and words because to me these things are not independent – they are all elements of the same story. When a story comes to me, it is often in the form of a single word or sentence, just the sound a word makes can create a world for me. His work Fair, a satire on bestsellers, features everyday unsung heroes who he feels “deserve a place on our bookshelves”.
The first posterzine of the fair, belly fire, Another compelling text act featuring eight powerhouses including Meena Kandasamy and Shilpa Gupta. “Stickers are an extension of actions that deal with truth, time, and definitions of self and other,” says Gupta. Zines are torn, pasted and used to spread feminist messages towards creating a more equal world.
belly fire Posterzine | photo credit: IAF
In the second, the key learnings from the talks program, align and constrain, will be documented in an action plan that will be made available to all. These sessions address key areas ranging from representation to conservation.
The world at the India Art Fair seems to be a hope in a fragmented world of increasing convergence, a welcoming playground of simplicity and ingenuity, devoid of boundaries in both discipline and time-space. “I learned weaving from the womb,” as one of Lakshmi’s weavers would say, a reminder to every artist – present and yet realized – to keep her child alive.
The senior writer-editor’s practice spans convergent cultures, global literature, the multidisciplinary arts, and social issues.