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What to expect at India Art Fair 2026?

The 17th edition of the fair, which will be held in Delhi from February 5 to 8, will see 123 exhibitors, including several new participants

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Nov 7, 2025 12:59 PM IST

Morii Design (Photo Credits: Ezra Alcantra)

Only days after the inaugural IAF EDI+IONS Hyderabad was held on November 1-2, the India Art Fair (IAF) has announced the line-up for the 17th edition of the fair in Delhi.

To take place from February 5 to 8 at NSIC Exhibition Grounds in New Delhi, the edition is being touted as its biggest yet, with 123 exhibitors.

While the prominent international participating galleries include David Zwirner, Galleria Continua, Neugerriemschneider and Carpenters Workshop Gallery, the edition will also see several first-time participants, including 193 Gallery, Rajiv Menon Contemporary, Whitestone Gallery, LAMB, Sabyasachi Art Foundation, Lakeeren Contemporary and Subcontinent. “The 17th edition of India Art Fair marks a watershed moment for us — not just in scale, but in reach. With a record number of exhibitors and a truly global line-up, India Art Fair continues to serve as the definitive meeting point for the international art community in South Asia,” stated IAF director Jaya Asokan in a release.

While the Design section will expand to include new exhibitors such as Kohelika Kohli Karkhana, Morii Design, SHED, Galerie Maria Wettengren, Kunal Maniar and Associates, a newly designed and curated space will be dedicated to institutions.

The Focus section, meanwhile, will present a solo showcase, each exploring the diverse vocabularies of contemporary art in South Asia and beyond — the line-up includes Bharti Kher, Shailesh BR, Ravinder Reddy, Girjesh Kumar Singh, Thandiwe Muriu and Khadim Ali.

Khadim Ali (Source: Latitude 28)

While some of the leading galleries from the region will occupy the booths indoors, other projects include Paresh Maity and Deepak Kumar’s large-scale sculptural installations, supported by Art Alive Gallery and Exhibit 320, respectively.

American artist Judy Chicago’s ‘What If Women Ruled the World?’ will invite people to ponder a world where women are in power and artist Kulpreet Singh’s project, presented by Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, will be rooted in the ecological aftermath of the green revolution, including the “animal, fungal and plant species” nearing extinction.
There will also be digital interventions. If “Participatory Quilt”, presented by digital art agency DMINTI, will invite audiences to engage with urgent questions while fostering discussions of a different tomorrow, Serendipity Arts will bring The Charpai Project — exploring India’s iconic woven bed as a cultural, social and design symbol — conceptualised by Ayush Kasliwal, in a new format with a digital intervention by AI artist Goji.

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The coming year will also see the continuation of IAF EDI+IONS. “The response to our inaugural IAF EDI+IONS in Hyderabad has been extraordinary. It was heartening to see such an enthusiastic reception from the city’s audiences and art community, reaffirming Hyderabad’s growing importance as a cultural hub. What’s most exciting is that the momentum continues — local galleries are already planning an art weekend next year, which is exactly the kind of ripple effect we hoped for,” stated Asokan to The Indian Express.

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