AD India : What to watch out for at the India Art Fair 2023 (by Avantika Shankar)

Here's a roundup of what AD is most excited about at the India Art Fair 2023, being hosted in the capital from 9-12 February.

Waswo X. Waswo in collaboration with Chirag Kumawat and Dalpat Jinger; Journey Through the Forgotten World; Gouache and gold on wasli paper; 8 x 8 inches; 2022.

The 14th edition of India Art Fair brings some of the biggest names in the art world back to the capital this week, and the festival, as always, is an unmissable showcase of the best the country has to offer. There’s no substitute for wandering around the fair sans agenda, and discovering new favourites for yourself; but if you need a guide to some of the best the fair has to offer, here’s a list of what we’re AD is most excited about this year. 

Vadehra Art Gallery 

Vadehra Art Gallery presents a varied roster of artists grappling with contemporary themes of personal memory, mythology, capitalism, and the socio-political relevance of lived reality. Shilpa Gupta challenges norms of perception and representation with a neon sculpture that reads, “Still they know not what I dream”; Gulammohammed Sheikh considers the arbitrariness of the idea of national progress with a cast and painted weathervane; the late B.V. Doshi’s surreal mixed media canvases depict the preoccupations of old age. Other artists include Anju Dodiya, Atul Dodiya, Biraaj Dodiya, N.S. Harsha, Praneet Soi, A. Ramachandran, Jagannath Panda, Nalini Malani, Paramjit Singh, Rameshwar Broota, Shailesh B.R., Sudhir Patwardhan, Sunil Gupta, and Vivan Sundaram.

Artist: Balkrishna Doshi; Title: Untitled; Medium: Mixed media on canvas ;Size: 54 x 72 in; Year: 2021

The exhibit is at Booth # B4 

Nature Morte

A fixture on the New Delhi art scene, Nature Morte will be showcasing the diversity of art mediums it has come to be known for, with an extensive display of paintings, sculptures, mixed media works and more by both established gallery artists and new additions to the roster. The gallery is especially pleased to introduce Berlin-based artist Alicja Kwade for the first time in India, through two sculptures, one hanging work and one work on paper. Other artists include Asim Waqif, Dhruvi Acharya, Jitish Kallat, Kamrooz Aram, L.N. Tallu, Lorenzo Vitturi, Manish Nai, Manisha Parekh, Nidhi Agarwal, Parul Gupta, Reena Saini Kallat, Sagarika Sundaram, Sarah Meyohas, Subodh Gupta, Suhasini Kejriwal, Tanya Goel and Thukral and Tagra.

Dhruvi Acharya; Save the Environment - Fitting in, 2023; Collage, Gouache and Watercolour on Paper; 12.25 x 16.25 in; 30.9 x 41.1 cm.

The exhibit is at Booth # A1

Galerie ISA

Mumbai’s Galerie ISA will bring an eclectic selection of artworks to the fair, showcasing a diverse roster of artists from both international and diasporic backgrounds. The gallery is especially keen to introduce enthusiasts to emerging talent, namely, Laila Tara H., who will present a piece made of natural pigment, watercolour and 23k gold on handmade paper; Diana Al-Hadid whose work includes fibre glass, steel, plaster and gold and copper leaf; Santiago Giralda who paints with oil on linen; Eeman Masood who works with gouache and gold ink on arches paper; Antonio Santin, who paints with oil on canvas; and finally, rising star Anoushka Mirchandani whose oil paintings are gaining great recognition in the United States. 

Anoushka M Wedding; 1986

The exhibit is at Booth # A3

Emami Art

Ten contemporary artists will be showcasing their new work at the Emami Art booth this year, exemplifying practices that are grounded in vernacular composition. The pieces explore a range of themes of local relevance, from agrarian politics to sustainability, and proffer a radical interrelation between rural and global issues. The booth will showcase important mid-career artists like Arindam Chatterjee and Prasanta Sahu–who present works on canvas and paper–and Soma Das, who will showcase tempera painting, alongside young emerging talent like Arpita Akhanda, Ali Akbar P.N., IAF artist-in-residence Debashish Paul, Ghana Shyam Latua, printmaker Janhavi Khemka, Shilpi Sharma and finally, Ujjal Dey, who has been selected as one of the artists for the upcoming 2023 British Textile Biennale. 

VIVIAN SARKY

The exhibit is at Booth #  B10

Apparao Galleries

Apparao Galleries considers the interconnection between mathematics and art in a stunning showcase of work by artists who are inspired by architecture, structure, and form. The pieces also explore the many ways in which age-old Indian philosophies continue to influence contemporary art, architecture, and design. Metaphysical ideas like the concept of infinity, shunya, cardinality, and symmetry weave through the works, reflecting the role that mathematics plays in shaping our perception of the world. Artists on the roster include D. Dhasan, Gautam Bhatia, George K., Lakshmi Madhavan, N. Ramachandran, Princess Pea, R.M. Palaniappan, Ravinder Dutt, S.H. Raza, Surabhi Kochar and Nasreen Mohamedi.

The exhibit is at Booth # F1

Vikram Goyal

Showcasing his signature approach to materiality, craftsmanship and culture, designer Vikram Goyal will unveil a new series of statement objects that explore metaphysical ideas through functional forms. The statement piece, The Tree of Good Fortune, draws from Brutalist architecture to experiment with organic forms in unpolished brass, exposed edges and patinated gold surfaces. Dreamscape highlights the repoussé metalwork technique in the form of a large mural ornamented with good luck symbols from a 17th century Rajput manuscript. An especially notable highlight is Love Seat, a sculptural brass bench that reflects Goyal’s intuitive understanding of how form blends with functionality. 

The exhibit is at Booth # I1; Left Hall

DAG

DAG will unveil the second edition of the Iconic Masterpieces of Indian Modern Art series in concurrent showcases at India Art Fair and its new gallery at Windsor Place, Janpath, celebrating the finest and rarest of historic Indian art pieces. The gallery intends to acknowledge the depth and excellence of Indian art across the ages by spotlighting 50 seminal works, including the first ever commissioned painting made by Raja Ravi Varma, a portrait by Abanindranath Tagore, an exceptional oil depicting a hunting scene in India by Thomas Daniell, and iconic works by Allah Bux and MAR Chughtai who went on to become two of the most celebrated artists in Pakistan. 

Abanindranath Tagore

The exhibit is at Booth # B11

Tao Art Gallery

Viraj Khanna pushes the boundaries of all traditional processes in his latest series of textile works, creating complex abstract forms through ancient techniques of zardosi and aari. Khanna hopes to elevate hand embroidery in the global art landscape, acknowledging it as an art form in its own right. His hope is that pushing the boundaries of the tradition will, in its own way, preserve the art forms and allow them to remain relevant in the modern consciousness. Khanna’s showcase at the Tao Art Gallery booth also raises questions of self-reflection and transformation, which have been intrinsic to the artist’s practice for years. 

Viraj Khanna, Untitled (2023), Hand embroidery on textile. Image courtesy of Tao Art Gallery and the artist.

The exhibit is at Booth # B18

Art Alive Gallery

Art Alive Gallery’s showcase at India Art Fair exemplifies the diversity of artistic practice that defines the contemporary Indian art landscape. The gallery will bring special focus to the work of Amarnath Sehgal, whose artworks speak about politics and power, and stand as a beacon of hope, connection and resistance. A series of Sehgal’s sculptures will be presented alongside special folios on human rights issues, as well as a presentation commemorating the 75th year of Partition. Art Alive’s booth will also feature recent artworks by renowned artists Sakti Burman, Arpana Caur and Thota Vaikuntam, Paresh Maity and Chandra Bhattacharjee, alongside Maite Delteil, Rohit Chawla, Maya Burman, Anjaneyulu G. and Vipul Rathod. 

Paresh Maity, A Silent Melody, Oil and Acrylic on Canvas, 7x5 feet, 2022

The exhibit is at Booth # B13

Gallery Espace

Gallery Espace has two booths at the fair this year. In B5, a vibrant showcase of prints, paintings and sculptures showcases the versatile practices of 17 artists, namely Arunkumar H.G., Chitra Ganesh, Dilip Chobisa, G.R. Iranna, Ishita Chakraborty, Jeram Patel, Harendra Kushwaha, Manisha Gera Baswani, Manjunath Kamath, Mekhala Bahl, Nandini Bagla Chirimar, Puneet Kaushik, Sheetal Gattani, Sunil Gawde, Tanmoy Samanta, Vasudevan Akkitham, Karl Antao and Zarina. In G3, Waswo X. Waswo’s solo project features his signature contemporary miniatures painted with a higher degree of stylistic realism, as he returns with collaborators Chirag Kumawat, Dalpat Jinger and R. Vijay for a solo show titled “Last Ride in the Wild, Wild East”.

Sunil Gawde

The exhibits are at Booth # B5 and Booth # G3

Gallery Maskara

At Gallery Maskara’s IAF booth, four artists will showcase work across a range of mediums, highlighting how traditional materials can be employed in experimental, contemporary forms. Parag Sonarghare’s larger-than-life, hyper-realistic portraits depict the haunting emotionality of his subjects, who are often from marginalized communities; Prashant Pandey’s abstract sculptures, by contrast, are ephemeral contemplations on human activity; Priyanka Choudhary’s natural pigment text-based works consider the state of the human condition and finally, T. Venkanna’s virulent and unconventional imagery provokes an entirely new perspective on human life. The gallery will also showcase objects of furniture that were born out of a collaboration between T. Venkanna and architect Rooshad Shroff. 

ABHAY MASKARA

The exhibit is at Booth # E1 

Article published on https://www.architecturaldigest.in