India’s own art fair
The art calendar in India opens every year with the India Art Fair, held in February in Delhi, annually. This year saw the 15th edition of this hugely successful event which has remained the country’s leading platform to showcase contemporary art. So, what was different about this year? The 2024 Art Fair was the largest edition ever, boasting of 109 exhibitors!
Thanks to the addition of a new section for design this year, which expanded the horizons of the fair with this ingenious cross-disciplinary inclusion. Seven design studios participated, presenting works like Karl Lagerfeld’s fountain worth USD 1,62,000 and many other such works by renowned international designers.
This year’s fair also saw the introduction of an art prize to promote one Indian artist by awarding a commissioned art project, which would be displayed in the upcoming edition in 2025. This is the first award of its kind and at USD 100,000, it is also South Asia’s largest. As one of the VIP guests at the opening remarked, “The fusion of traditional and modern influences indicates to me that India’s soft power, art, will be it’s greatest power.” These words couldn’t be more true!
Winter art in Bengal
The land that has birthed the writers and artists who defined the country’s cultural landscape, finally had its very own cultural extravaganza this year, the Bengal Biennale. Set across 27 venues, the maiden edition featured more than 100 artists.
The biennale exposes visitors to diverse artistic practices, with both established and upcoming artists being given a platform. One of the major shows is a retrospective on Rabindranath Tagore showcasing 85 of his works and the inclusion of several such solo shows is a unique feature of the Bengal biennale, as most contemporary biennales do not focus on individual voices.
Some of the notable works include Mithu Sen’s ‘I am Ol Chiki’, which gives us a glimpse of the culture in the Santhal village, with a mural featuring the Ol Chiki script, Nikhil Chopra’s performance, ‘Land becoming Water’ set in the fields of Santiniketan, where the earth transforms when rain drenched and Paresh Maity’s larger than life interactive bronze sculpture of a jackfruit asking many others.
