Art Works

However the most important development this year is the possibility of featuring exiled artist MF Husain. While the matter is still a delicate issue for those investing huge amounts of money into the Summit,the efforts to showcase the maverick artist’s are underway. “Over the last one-and-half years,we have been speaking to the Home Ministry to grant India Art Summit security support for the free showcase of all Indian artists,including Husain. We are still waiting for a response,but we do look forward to creating an art fair that truly represents the whole of the Indian art scene. We hope we will receive support from the government,“ says Neha Kirpal,director of the Summit.

In fact,recently a closed door round table discussion was held at the Lalit Kala Akademi to thrash out various art-related issues,and Husain’s continued absence at the Summit was one of the key topics. The cultural secretary Jawhar Sircar,Ashok Vajpayee,head of the Lalit Kala Akademi,Rajiv Lochan,director,National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA),Kirpal and other private art entrepreneurs and academics were present at the discussion. While Sircar promised Kirpal that he would look into the matter,others like Shukla Sawant,artist and faculty at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU),advised,“As long as the event of showing Husain’s work is not surrounded by media hoopla,it should be alright—one should just go ahead and display Husain and see what happens.”

The other big highlight of this year’s Summit will be the speaker panel where artist Anish Kapoor,Hans Ulrich Obrist,co-director of the Serpentine Gallery and Homi Bhabha,director,Harvard Humanities Centre,will come together to discuss the perception of Indian art internationally.

This year the Summit will also feature an exhibition by photographer Gauri Gill. Gill will document the setting up of the stalls on the 800 square feet exhibition grounds at Pragati Maidan,take portraits of the workers who help set up the Summit and create a gallery of visitors to the fair. There will also be online interactions that will invite people to read and blog with young art writers and artist Abhishek Hazra,who will be designing the project. “We will also involve educational institutes. Over 40 students of art and art history will be interning with participating galleries,at the sculpture park and on art projects,” says Kirpal,adding that there will also be curated walks to help visitors navigate the fair.

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