The Middle Men

From a temperature-controlled tent to 200 armed men, putting up the India Art Fair requires a lot of back-end work

Written by Vandana Kalra

February 1, 2015 03:17 AM IST

4 min read

The artwork being put on display at the India Art Fair.

Drops of black ink wriggling into glass boxes bring closer the eventual drowning of the carefully painted figures. Artist Muhammad Zeeshan wanted this. The Pakistani neo-miniaturist envisioned his installation to die at the India Art Fair (IAF) to illustrate the brutal reality of art being finite. Zeeshan has succeeded. But there is Milia Santosh to thank for it. The exhibitor liaison at Electra Events and Exhibitions faced an odd challenge when requested for a tank in the wall that could supply ink inside the exhibit hall.

He found a solution by placing it in a corner and concealing the pipes. Santosh is used to such requests. She has been handling the set design for IAF since its inception in 2008. Her work usually begins in October, once the organisers prepare a list of participants. What is now a hall filled with artworks was till a few months ago, a blueprint of floor areas booked by galleries. In 2013, she recalls creating a fog screen for a Jitish Kallat installation.

“We start preparing for the fair soon after the previous edition,” says Amrita Kaur, who markets the fair across the world. Proposals submitted by each gallery are screened by her and she manages the accounts, with each gallery paying Rs 21,500 per sqm for a general booth and Rs 20,000 per sqm for a solo project.

However, government regulations need to be adhered. International galleries are welcome, but any sale needs to be registered for taxes to be levied. Customs clearance too requires intervention from organisers. “Sometimes we need to make calls. Also, all paperwork needs to be in place,” says Kaur. Bubble wrapped and sealed in boxes, the artwork is transported to the venue at NSIC Grounds in Okhla Phase III. But before that the hall needs to be readied.

The waterproof tent has a temperature regulator, which helps in keeping the interiors at a comfortable 22 degrees. Lights are installed on freshly painted three meter high planks of wood. White lights for the day and halogen lights for the night to account for dew and condensation. Fire extinguishers are suspended at emergency exits and 50 fire marshals are stationed on the site. Over 200 security guards are posted at different locations to safeguard the artwork. There are check points every few meters, ensuring no artwork is smuggled out.

“It’s a huge responsibility. Every night we clean the aisles to prepare for the next morning. Every corner is checked for intruders before the locks are put at night and one core team member stays on site overnight apart from the security guards,” says Kaur. Insurance though is privy of the galleries.

The event is insured for Rs 5-7 crore, but galleries are responsible for their own stalls. “We usually take blanket insurance for all our work. The estimates are provided by us. There hasn’t been any claim yet but it’ll be interesting to know how that will work. I’m sure it’ll be contentious,” says Uday Jain, director of Dhoomimal Gallery, who has the famed modernists at his stall during this edition. With footfalls expected to cross one lakh and selfie posers trooping in, there is close vigil. “Sometimes people come too close. There is also a tendency to touch the artwork, which could end up damaging it,” says Sameer Seth, manager of special projects at Sante Fe Moving Services that handles shipping of Paresh Maity’s work. He was on site installing and guarding the artist’s motorcycle ants day before the fair opened. “It’s a public event. One has to be cautious,” he adds.

Vandana Kalra

Vandana Kalra is an art critic and Deputy Associate Editor with The Indian Express. She has spent more than two decades chronicling arts, culture and everyday life, with modern and contemporary art at the heart of her practice. With a sustained engagement in the arts and a deep understanding of India’s cultural ecosystem, she is regarded as a distinctive and authoritative voice in contemporary art journalism in India. Vandana Kalra's career has unfolded in step with the shifting contours of India’s cultural landscape, from the rise of the Indian art market to the growing prominence of global biennales and fairs. Closely tracking its ebbs and surges, she reports from studios, galleries, museums and exhibition spaces and has covered major Indian and international art fairs, museum exhibitions and biennales, including the Venice Biennale, Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Documenta, Islamic Arts Biennale. She has also been invited to cover landmark moments in modern Indian art, including SH Raza’s exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the opening of the MF Husain Museum in Doha, reflecting her long engagement with the legacies of India’s modern masters. Alongside her writing, she applies a keen editorial sensibility, shaping and editing art and cultural coverage into informed, cohesive narratives. Through incisive features, interviews and critical reviews, she brings clarity to complex artistic conversations, foregrounding questions of process, patronage, craft, identity and cultural memory. The Global Art Circuit: She provides extensive coverage of major events like the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Serendipity Arts Festival, and high-profile international auctions. Artist Spotlights: She writes in-depth features on modern masters (like M.F. Husain) and contemporary performance artists (like Marina Abramović). Art and Labor: A recurring theme in her writing is how art reflects the lives of the marginalized, including migrants, farmers, and labourers. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent portfolio is dominated by the coverage of the 2025 art season in India: 1. Kochi-Muziris Biennale & Serendipity Arts Festival "At Serendipity Arts Festival, a 'Shark Tank' of sorts for art and crafts startups" (Dec 20, 2025): On how a new incubator is helping artisans pitch products to investors. "Artist Birender Yadav's work gives voice to the migrant self" (Dec 17, 2025): A profile of an artist whose decade-long practice focuses on brick kiln workers. "At Kochi-Muziris Biennale, a farmer’s son from Patiala uses his art to draw attention to Delhi’s polluted air" (Dec 16, 2025). "Kochi Biennale showstopper Marina Abramović, a pioneer in performance art" (Dec 7, 2025): An interview with the world-renowned artist on the power of reinvention. 2. M.F. Husain & Modernism "Inside the new MF Husain Museum in Qatar" (Nov 29, 2025): A three-part series on the opening of Lawh Wa Qalam in Doha, exploring how a 2008 sketch became the architectural core of the museum. "Doha opens Lawh Wa Qalam: Celebrating the modernist's global legacy" (Nov 29, 2025). 3. Art Market & Records "Frida Kahlo sets record for the most expensive work by a female artist" (Nov 21, 2025): On Kahlo's canvas The Dream (The Bed) selling for $54.7 million. "All you need to know about Klimt’s canvas that is now the most expensive modern artwork" (Nov 19, 2025). "What’s special about a $12.1 million gold toilet?" (Nov 19, 2025): A quirky look at a flushable 18-karat gold artwork. 4. Art Education & History "Art as play: How process-driven activities are changing the way children learn art in India" (Nov 23, 2025). "A glimpse of Goa's layered history at Serendipity Arts Festival" (Dec 9, 2025): Exploring historical landmarks as venues for contemporary art. Signature Beats Vandana is known for her investigative approach to the art economy, having recently written about "Who funds the Kochi-Muziris Biennale?" (Dec 11, 2025), detailing the role of "Platinum Benefactors." She also explores the spiritual and geometric aspects of art, as seen in her retrospective on artist Akkitham Narayanan and the history of the Cholamandal Artists' Village (Nov 22, 2025). ... Read More

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Dhoomimal Gallery India Art Fair