Stage set for 16th India Art Fair in Feb

At least forty-one artists and artist collectives, twelve institutions and seven galleries will make their debut at the India Art Fair, one of the country's most anticipated commercial art events slated to be held between February 6 and 9 at NSIC Exhibition Grounds in Okhla in south Delhi.

- Dhamini Ratnam

MUMBAI:

The fair, which has steadily grown since its first iteration in 2008, will host 120 exhibitors (including galleries, museums, collectives, designers and design studios) this year. International participation too will see an uptick with at least thirteen galleries and nine institutions, of whom eighteen are returning to participate in the 16th edition of the fair.

High-value sales are expected from Mumbai and Delhi galleries including Nature Morte, Gallerie ISA, Chemould and Vadehra, as well as galleries like Gallery Ske (Bengaluru) or Experimenter (Kolkata and Mumbai) given their roster of some of the top-selling contemporary artists in the country.

International galleries like David Zwirner, Galleria Continua and Lisson Gallery, too, will aim to sell big - Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei sold two works for over US$750,000 (nearly ₹6.5 crore) last year, as reported by The Indian Express.

However, art works across different price points will be available at the fair. Delhi-based Pichvai Tradition and Beyond will showcase works ranging from ₹10,000 going up to approximately ₹7-8 lakh.

Exhibit 320 will showcase 10 artists with works ranging from ₹2.5 lakh to ₹20 lakh. Gallery Espace, which recently marked its 35th anniversary, will show 20 works with a price range from ₹90,000 to ₹90 lakh. This includes a print by Zarina Hashmi, Duststorm (Home is a Foreign Place) and a piece by abstractionist Jeram Patel.

However, the booth will focus on contemporary artists, including those working across different mediums like Ishita Chakravarty, a Zurich-based artist, whose ceramic works will be on display and Harendra Kushwaha, an artist of Nepali origin, whose works weave paper in geometric and abstract shapes and sizes.