India Art Fair, the leading platform showcasing modern and contemporary art from India and South Asia, closed to significant acclaim amid reports of buoyant sales. Taking place from 9th-12th February 2023 at the NSIC Exhibition Grounds in New Delhi, the fair featured a strong line-up of 85 exhibitors, including 71 galleries and 14 institutions. Led in partnership with BMW India for the seventh time and with artists’ voices at its centre, the fair brought together galleries, collectors, institutions, artists, organisations and art-lovers alike, fostering crucial opportunities for dialogue, discovery and exchange. The 14th edition of India Art Fair, organised by Angus Montgomery Arts, welcomed new and returning visitors, acknowledging it as an unmissable event on the international art calendar, to discover, nurture and collect South Asian art and artists.
Jaya Asokan, Fair Director of India Art Fair commented: “This edition of India Art Fair has been our most ambitious to date, with a fourth exhibition hall to accommodate an increase of gallery applicants and visitors. The fair continues with its expanded Young Collectors Programme aiming to educate and empower new collectors to make their first purchases, providing a gateway and entry point for collecting art and culture. We are dedicated to promoting pioneering South Asian art, elevating a diverse array of powerful artists, voices, and art forms, including those from lesser-known parts of the country.”
Dr. Thomas Girst, Head of Cultural Engagement BMW Group comments“India Art Fair is a celebration of the beauty that humans are capable of creating. Congratulations to India Art Fair for an amazing instalment. India Art Fair makes an effort to be inclusive, which is the essence of what defines this fair.”
The fair attracted an audience enamoured by the South Asian art scene, and those curious to learn more, including a significant number of private collectors as well as representatives from local, regional, and international art institutions, highlighting the fair’s reputation.
Robust
VIPs in attendance included local and international museum curators, visiting collectors and patrons, including Adriano Pedrosa, Curator of Venice Biennale 2024 and Artistic Director of Sao Paulo Museum of Art; Natalia Di Pietrantonio, Curator at Seattle Art Museum; Gregor Muir, Director of Collection International Art at the Tate; Giulia Sartori Conte, Senior Manager, Collection Committees at the Tate; Mallica Kumbera Landrus, Curator at Ashmolean Museum; Lauren Schell Dickens, Senior Curator at the San Jose Museum of Art; Sean Leffers, Institute of Contemporary Art, San Diego; Victoria Lynn, Director of the TarraWarra Museum; Skinder Hundal, British Council; and patrons from Museum of Modern & Contemporary Art, Sri Lanka.
Throughout the fair week, galleries reported robust sales, with many highlighting an enthusiastic response from both established and emerging collectors cementing the strength of the Indian market. Several noted that India Art Fair provided a great platform for meeting new collectors.
A snapshot of reported sales include: Vadehra Art Gallery sold an artwork by Rameshwar Broota for USD 200,000 to a private collection in the UK, and another by Balkrishna Doshi for USD 100,000 to Kiran Nadar Museum of Art; Galleria Continua reported sales by Anish Kapoor, Subodh Gupta, Nikhil Chopra, Shilpa Gupta, Loris Cecchini, Kiki Smith, Alejandro Campins and Osvaldo González within a price range of USD 5,000 to nearly USD 900,000, with an average price of USD 20,000 to USD 30,000; Chemould Prescott Road sold a number of works including a sculpture by N S Harsha for ₹5,500,000 (USD 66,650); Nature Morte sold a work by Tanya Goel for over ₹5,000,000 (USD 60,600) and another by Reena Saini Kallat for over ₹2,000,000 (USD 24,200); Latitude 28 sold out 75% of their booth in the first two days, including works by Sanket Viramgami and Yogesh Ramkrishna which are priced at ₹800,000 (USD 9,700) each.
Mr. Sunil Kant Munjal Founder & Patron, Serendipity Arts and Founder & Chairman, THE BRIJ said “Firstly, I would like to congratulate the India Art Fair team, on delivering a very well organised event. It is a delight to see continuous improvement in many aspects of the fair including the offerings. It has exhibited a wide range of artwork from artists across the country and beyond, giving a boost to the creative economy. As an institution we are happy to be a part of the fair.”
Quality
Prateek Raja, co-founder, Experimenter Gallery said “There is a sense of euphoria in the collectors. We’ve had great sales with both new and existing collectors buying our artists’ works. The quality of work being shown continuously improves year on year. If you’re interested in contemporary and modern art, India Art Fair is the place to be. Galleries are presenting a strong mix of emerging and established artists.”
Kishore Singh, Head of Exhibitions, DAG said “Enquiries have been brilliant this year with a wide range of prices. The Indian art scene has seen a transformation over the last three years. Since the pandemic we’ve seen sales and values rise, which is evident at the fair. It has been wonderful to see so many young collectors alongside our usual collector-base.”
Salomé Zelic, Associate Director, Galleria Continua said “We are delighted to have returned to the fair after several years of absence in India. Vibrant conversations took place and we were overjoyed by the atmosphere and attendance. There was a strong interest from Indian collectors in both our local and global artists. It was wonderful to have our artist Osvaldo González be invited by Khoj and the fair to do a one-week residence from which his beautiful artworks were born.”
The 15th edition of India Art Fair will take place at NSIC Grounds, Okhla, New Delhi from 1 to 4 February 2024.
https://indiaartfair.in/
See also: Ras Al Khaimah Fine Arts Festival Opens
