The New Art Mart

But that was until a group of art patrons decided to step in. Rajendra Patil,editor of the magazine,Indian Contemporary Art Journal,believed Mumbai needed its very own art festival to boast of. “Art events were taking place all over the world,but there were no such initiatives in the financial capital of India,” he says. So,he devised an elaborate plan for an art fair,put the idea before a few people,and soon enough,India Art Festival was born.

Today,the festival has all but taken shape,with the inaugural edition set to be held a little over a month from now,from November 17-20. Preparations are on in full swing,and some prominent people from the art world are now associated with the project. Besides Patil,who is the secretary of the festival,there is art historian Saryu Doshi,who is the president,renowned Indian artist Prafulla Dahanukar,who is the chairperson and Anupa Mehta of The Loft,Mumbai,who is the advisor. When the festival kicks off,an area of over 26,000 feet in Nehru Centre,Worli,will play host to over 40 galleries and 400 artists,spread over two floors.

What’s interesting to note is that the 400 artists we speak of are all individual artists who usually exhibit their works in public galleries around the country. The 40 galleries will,of course,showcase works by established Modern and contemporary artists —spread over the entire ground floor. The second level,however,has been reserved for individual artists. “Many talented artists in India have not been inducted into the gallery system because there are many more artists than there are galleries,” explains Patil. “So on the entire second level,we will exhibit lower-priced works by individual artists,” he adds.

On the ground floor are 50 stalls exhibiting works by the masters. This includes a separate space that has been demarcated for sculptures,called sculpture park. The galleries participating in this arena are Chemould Prescott Road,Gallery Maskara,Sakshi Gallery and The Guild from Mumbai and Gallery Espace from New Delhi.

Other participating galleries include Akar Prakar from Kolkata; Archer Art Gallery and Nexus Arts from Ahmedabad; Forum Art Gallery and Studio Palazzo from Chennai; Galerie-9 from Hyderabad,Galerie Sara Arakkal and Time and Space from Bangalore,Kalaneri Art Centre from Jaipur; Gallery Defence,Lavanya Art and Progressive Art Gallery from New Delhi; and The Gallery Gnani Arts from Singapore.

Unlike others,this festival has more in store for art enthusiasts than the usual seminars and discussions. Crossover events featuring fusion shows with art and music,street performances,art walks,poetry recitations and film screenings are only some of the activities going into make sure the festival is a memorable one.