India Art Fair, the leading platform showcasing modern and contemporary art from India and South Asia, returns for its 15th edition at the NSIC Exhibition Grounds in New Delhi from 1 to 4 February 2024. Led in partnership with BMW India, India Art Fair 2024 is the biggest edition yet, featuring more than a 100 exhibitors, including 72 galleries, 7 design studios, and the participation of major regional art
institutions.
The fair welcomes 30 new exhibitors, including more than 12 first-time South Asian institutional participants as part of its mission to celebrate and further support the arts ecosystem in the
region. The fair’s inaugural Design section hosts pioneering designers and studios, spanning collectible furniture, jewellery and fabrics, with a strong emphasis on contemporary interventions into traditional craftsmanship. Building on the growth of the Indian art market and economy at large, the 2024 edition of the fair also sees the greatest international participation yet, with 18 international galleries and institutions exhibiting and several leaders of global arts organisations confirmed to participate in the fair’s Talks Programme, ensuring that the fair is once again a global meeting ground for collectors, curators and art professionals, and strengthening cultural dialogue and ties with the wider international art scene.
Jaya Asokan, Fair Director, India Art Fair comments, “The landmark 15th edition of India Art Fair comes at an exciting time for both the South Asian art scene and the market, with artists from the region
becoming a part of international conversations as never before. As we continue to grow as a fair, we remain focused on our mission to amplify the voices of the most exciting artists from the region and to
support the expansion of South Asian creativity. We are thrilled to launch our very first Design section and to welcome a diversity of creative talent from across India and the broader region. I look forward to
welcoming new and old friends to the fair.”
GALLERY HIGHLIGHTS
India Art Fair 2024 features some of India’s most important contemporary galleries alongside established
international names showcasing rare masterpieces and contemporary works, as well as examples
drawing from South Asia’s traditional arts heritage. Top Indian contemporary galleries exhibiting include Vadehra Art Gallery, GALLERYSKE, Nature Morte, Exhibit 320, Gallery Espace, Shrine Empire, Latitude 28, Blueprint12, Akar Prakar, Art Alive Gallery (all New Delhi), Anant Art Gallery (NOIDA / New Delhi), Chatterjee & Lal, Jhaveri Contemporary, Chemould Prescott Road, Gallery Maskara, Galerie Isa, Project 88 (all Mumbai), Emami Art, Gallery Art Exposure (both Kolkata), Experimenter (Kolkata / Mumbai), Vida Heydari Contemporary (Pune), Apparao Galleries, Gallery Veda (Chennai), Archer Art Gallery, Iram Art, ZOCA (all Ahmedabad), and Dhi Contemporary, Shrishti Art Gallery, Kalakriti Art Gallery (Hyderabad). Alongside these are modern galleries, including DAG (New Delhi / Mumbai / New York), Crayon Art Gallery, Sanchit Art and Dhoomimal Gallery (all New Delhi). India Art Fair also welcomes 4 new Indian galleries for the first time, Gallerie Splash (Gurugram), Method (Mumbai), ÆQUÕ (Mumbai) and Serenity Arts (New Delhi / Thimphu).
Among the international galleries returning to the fair are Galleria Continua (San Gimignano / Beijing /
Les Moulins / Habana / Roma / São Paulo / Paris / Dubai), Marc Straus, Aicon and Aicon Contemporary (all New York City), 1×1 Art Gallery (Dubai), neugerriemschneider (Berlin), Bruno Art Group (Tel Aviv /
Singapore), Saskia Fernando Gallery (Colombo), and Grosvenor Gallery (London). In addition, the fair
introduces 3 new international gallery participants, Carpenters Workshop Gallery (London / Paris / New
York / Los Angeles), Galerie Geek Art (Tokyo / New Delhi), and Indigo+Madder (London). Comprising solo presentations curated by participating galleries, the Focus section showcases mixed media works by senior artists like Probir Gupta (Anant Art Gallery), Paresh Maity (Art Alive Gallery), V. Ramesh (Threshold Art Gallery), Chippa Sudhakar (Shrishti Art Gallery) and emerging practices including Isha Pimpalkhare (Tao Art Gallery).
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, among others.
SHOWCASING SOUTH ASIAN DESIGN
India Art Fair hosts its first Design section in 2024, highlighting the exciting contemporary design scene
emerging in South Asia. The section features limited edition and hand-made collectible design by studios
paying homage to and redefining the centuries-long tradition of craft in the region. Recognising the
strength of its local talent as well as the burgeoning global interest in India as a design destination, the
inaugural design participants include: Vikram Goyal (New Delhi) bringing collectible design brass objects
that translate the rich legacy of craft excellence from India into contemporary designs that resonate in the
region and abroad; Atelier Ashiesh Shah (Mumbai) which transcends the boundaries of art, design, and
architecture, drawing inspiration from Indian culture and tribal philosophy to create collectibles through
collaboration with craftsmen; Gunjan Gupta (New Delhi) bringing a playful approach towards material
and form with new applications of India’s handmade and craft vernacular; RooshadSHROFF (Mumbai),
in collaboration with T. Venkanna, showing the artist’s sketches translated into marble inlay and set within
the wooden furniture; Studio Renn (Mumbai), specialising in collectible jewellery combining alternative
materials like concrete with gold and diamonds; de Gournay (London / Paris / New York / San Francisco /
Los Angeles / Beirut / Shanghai), known for special edition hand-embroidered and hand-painted wallpapers; and Karishma Swali & Chanakya School of Craft (Mumbai), showing large-scale handcrafted interdisciplinary works using a variety of needlepoint techniques.
THE FUTURE IS BORN OF ART COMMISSION
Marking eight years of partnership, India Art Fair and BMW India expand the scale and scope of ‘The
Future is Born of Art’ Commission created to platform Indian art and artists on a global stage. Building on the previous two years of the Commission in which winning artists were given the opportunity to design
BMW car wraps showcased at the fair, in 2024, the winning artist will be commissioned to create an
immersive installation with the BMW i7 at its centre. Focusing on the theme of ‘Forwardism’, the winning
artist’s installation will be future-oriented and present a unique creative vision for a more sustainable
world. Especially in this expanded scope, the Commission attests to BMW India and India Art Fair’s shared belief in the power of art, creativity and innovation in building a sustainable collective future. Vikram Pawah, President, BMW Group India comments, “BMW Group India is a leading patron and partner of various art and cultural engagements across India. We strongly believe that corporate citizenship and intercultural dialogue are essential elements of the core foundation of our responsibility towards society. As the Presenting Partner of India Art Fair, BMW Group India has supported the evolution and exposure of modern and contemporary Indian art and artists since 2015. In the latest edition, BMW India proudly brings the third visionary perspective of the ‘Future is Born of Art’ commission. We welcome connoisseurs of art and automobiles to embark on journeys of creative discovery at the India Art Fair in 2024.”
THE STUDIO
The Studio continues to be the space at the fair for interactive, transformative and cutting-edge digital art
and technology projects. After its successful first year, the Digital Artists in Residence programme is
back with three incredible artists showcasing major works housed at the Digital Residency Hub. Responding to the theme ‘Forces of Nature’ the multi-disciplinary artists use iPad Pro and MacBook Pro
to bring their immersive storytelling to life. Visitors will also be able to join the artists who will share their
creative process on iPad during special artist-led Today at Apple sessions, as well as expand their digital
art skills alongside Apple Creative Pros. Among other new media presentations in The Studio will be exciting VR and AR dreamscapes by Indian creatives presented by TIFA Evolving Culture Foundation (Pune) and a biofeedback immersive experience by Method (Mumbai).
INSTITUTIONS AND OUTDOOR PROJECTS
The celebrated Institutions section of the fair includes booths and projects supported by 22 leading cultural foundations, collectives and organisations as part of the fair’s commitment to supporting the
thriving arts scene of the region and beyond. These include ‘Antumbra’, an immersive installation by artist
Jitish Kallat drawing from Nelson Mandela’s long imprisonment to create a moving reflection on time
interwoven with themes of confinement, hope and resilience, jointly presented by the Foundation of
Indian Contemporary Art (FICA) (New Delhi) and JSW Foundation (Mumbai); relief prints including a
rare 19th century Kalighat woodcut by the Purushottam Public Trust (Vadodara); a showcase of young
photographers from the North-East of India by Egaro Photo Festival (Agartala); and mixed-media works
by Nepalese artist collective Aakrit exploring their collective identity through practices as diverse as
miniature painting and experimental photography, supported by Unnati Cultural Village (Kathmandu);
The French Institute in India, alongside the Basu Foundation and Galerie Lelong Paris unveil an artistic collaboration between major French artist Barthélémy Toguo, Creative Director Karishma Swali, and the highly skilled artisans of the Chanakya School of Craft to design a unique, interdisciplinary installation spotlighting the confluence of art and craft.
India Art Fair’s Outdoor Art Projects include some of the most ambitious installations yet, allowing
audiences to experience art beyond the exhibition halls. Highlights include: the India Art Fair facade created by the celebrated artist duo Thukral & Tagra, a community based installation of ceramic works
by various artists supported by the Indian Ceramics Triennale (New Delhi), and an immersive mountain
landscape created with sustainable materials to serve as a canvas for interventions by artists Skarma
Sonam Tashi and Philipp Frank supported by sā Ladakh (Leh) and The German Embassy (New Delhi).
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.
TALKS PROGRAMME
The Talks Programme, supported by JSW and taking place in the fair’s Auditorium, presents a carefully
put-together roster of the leading names in art and culture to converge on ideas past, present and future,
placing special emphasis on the place of South Asian art and culture in the world today. Highlights include talks and panels by international experts such as Michael Govan, CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA); Mónica Bello, Head of Arts, CERN, supported by the Embassy of Switzerland in India under the initiative SwitzerlandIndia 75; collector Komal Shah;
contributing to the conversation alongside a strong list of artists, designers, patrons and museum directors from India and South Asia.
BEYOND THE FAIR
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.
Now in its third year, India Art Fair’s Young Collectors’ Programme continues its focus on those starting
out in their collecting journeys in an effort to create a lasting future and sustainable growth for the
booming Indian art market. Building on previous editions, this year’s programme encourages young
collectors to engage with young artists from beyond the urban capitals of India to foster a sense of
pan-Indian community among the next-generation of patrons. In collaboration with STIR, the programme
sees the activation of The Dhan Mill in Chattarpur, New Delhi collaborating with NorBlack NorWhite and
other young design studios based in the area to mirror the launch of the Design section at the fair.
PARTNERSHIPS
In addition to working with BMW India as the Presenting Partner and JSW on the Talks Programme, India
Art Fair continues to build its relationships with longstanding supporters and expand its range of creative
partnerships including with RADO, Tarun Tahiliani Design Studio, India Sotheby’s International
Realty, Faber-Castell and The Marg Foundation
VENUE
NSIC Exhibition Grounds
Okhla, New Delhi, Delhi
110020, India
METRO
Govindpuri Metro Station which falls on the Violet line is close to the entrance of the fair. For the complete train schedule and routes, refer to the information here.
PARKING
The venue is easily accessible by taxi and car parks are available at the gates on a first-come, first-serve basis. Public transport is very convenient for the fair and we recommend you use it where possible.
