Art in the City

Palette Count

What’s an art fair without the works of the luminaries who embody the very concept of art for most viewers? From Western masters such as Picasso, Miro, Dali and Warhol to MF Husain, Paresh Maity,Ganesh Pyne and Satish Gujral among the Indian masters, the fair brings you close to the greats. At the Immigrant Gallery, for instance, there is an original sketch made by Picasso on his
80th birthday.

Collateral Events
Apart from the main NSIC grounds, there are collateral events across the city. Wednesday evening saw the launch of India’s First Biennale (DC Books; Rs 5,000) at Wieden+Kennedy. The 770-page catalogue book showcases works by 89 artists from 23 countries who participated in the Kochi-Muziris Biennale in 2012. Some collateral shows are already in progress, from Subodh Gupta’s solo at National Gallery of Modern Art and Sudarshan Shetty at Galleryske to Nalini Malini at Vadehra Art Gallery and “Word.Sound.Power” at Khoj Studios. On January 31, check out visual artist Sonia Khurana’s installation, video, image, music and text show at 24 Jorbagh, Lodhi Road. Other venues for collaterals are in Mumbai, at Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke, Volte Gallery and Jhaveri Contemporary, and in Bangalore at Galleryske.

First Timers
Among a sea of familiarity, the fair has some fresh faces. The biggest highlight is ace jewellery designer Nirav Modi’s participation with the “Mughal Collection”, inspired from the motifs of Mughal miniature school of art. First-time galleries include Pakistan’s Art Chowk, which brings with them contemporary artists from the region, while Galerie Jerome Poggi from Paris debuts with Bertrand Lamarche’s conceptual “sculptural hypotheses”, in the form of video as well as 3D installations. Another one from Paris is Galerie Suzanne Tarasieve. At booth C11, Lisbon-based Perve Galeria is splashed with surrealist doodles, illustrations and graphic arts, with Latin American artists Aldo Alcota, Alfredo Benavidez Bedoya, Alfredo Luz and Carlos Zingaro among others. Istanbul’s Gallery NON has conceptual works by Sweden-based Meric Algun Ringborg and Gunes Terkol from Ankara. This is also the first time for Mark Rothko Art Centre, The Himalayas Art Museum and Kiran Nadar Museum of Arts at the fair.

Chat Room
“Do an increasingly vocal audience influence public collections, and how far does art reflect this shift? How do we understand the profile of the citizen consumer?” — these are some of the questions surrounding the first talk at the fair. Titled “The Public and its Art”, it will feature critical theorist Homi Bhabha and Chris Dercon, Director, Tate Modern, London. Later in the day, artists Bharti Kher and Jitish Kallat will discuss two decades of Indian artists’ engagement with the international art scene. The talks, which begin around noon and continue till 6.30 pm on all days except the closing on Sunday, include a variety of topics from China’s booming art scene to oft-asked question by collectors, ‘Why I buy’.” Other speakers include artist and photographer Dayanita Singh, documentary filmmaker Amar Kanwar and Jonathan Stone, Chairman and International Head of Asian Art Christies.

Curated Walks
Lost in the labyrinthine passages or need information about the works on display? A regular feature of IAF, curated walks will be conducted by guides appointed by the organisers at 2.30 pm, 3.30 pm, 4.30 pm, 5.30 pm and 6.30 pm on January 31 and February 1. On February 2, the walks will be conducted from 12 pm onwards. The walks are free of charge.

Ground Reality
The fair is being held at the NSIC Grounds, near Govindpuri metro station, till February 2. The art works are distributed over three tents — except a few outdoor pieces — a total 20,000 sq m to be covered on foot. There are also gift shops, bookshops and art shops on the premises. Timings:
2 pm -8 pm, except on the closing day, when the fair opens at 11 am and closes at 6 pm. Tickets: Rs 300.

With Premankur Biswas