The 16th edition of the India Art Fair (IAF) is it most ambitious one yet. Currently taking place at Delhi’s NSIC ground in Okhla, it brings together 120 exhibitors, including 78 galleries, and major regional and international art institutions. Craft and design have separate designated areas. There are talks, performance art projects, largescale installations and so much more. Through its robust parallel programming, noteworthy art is also spread across the city. In the words of Jaya Asokan, the Fair’s director, “India Art Fair continues in its mission to showcase the very best of South Asian art alongside major contemporary international artists and collectible design by pioneering studios, reinforcing its position as the leading site for the discovery of art and culture in the region.”
There is much to see and take in – the work of masters and novices, as well as classic, modern and cutting-edge contemporary art. In the midst of this artistic splendour, a few young artists stood out. Here is our roundup of the ones to watch for:
Anindita Bhattacharya (Threshold Art Gallery):
Delhi-based Bhattacharya apprenticed with the Kishangarh, Mughal and Persian schools of miniature painting in Rajasthan. The intricacy of detailing she learned there informs her experimental and thought provoking work. At the IAF, a work known as ‘(Re) Writing on the Wall’ stands out in particular. Calling to mind the intricate jaalis of Mughal architecture, these delicate paper cut out artworks are spread across an entire wall. Their placement mimics seepage on the wall, highlighting a sense of decay – a message that is further enhanced through the Urdu lettering which recounts the learnings from important political texts.
Viraj Khanna (Kalakriti Art Gallery):
Where some artists may attempt to break the mould, Khanna embraces it. As the son of renowned fashion designer Anamika Khanna, he often repurposes her creations to make his own, alongside other original works primarily in the medium of textile. His work captures interesting moments and trends from the zeitgeist, as seen on social media. A particularly interesting work at IAF recreates an Instagram grid with embroidery – a medium he feels helps him capture different moods owing to its varied textures – beneath which is the epithet, “I’ve put the nazar sign now so I can keep sharing photos from my parties and holidays without stress.”
Avijit Dutta (Art Heritage):
Hailing from West Bengal, Avijit Dutta’s practice captures the essence of contemporaneous issues as they play out in his surroundings and community. He uses opaque colours, pens, charcoal, and soil to create interesting mixed media works. Small objects like plastic bags, lungis and vessels acting as symbols of the hustle bustle of daily life, take on particular significance to indicate the reality of different social conditions. An interesting work at the fair is a disc made with soil which has a rupee sign painstakingly scratched out on it as a comment on demonetization’s effect on the masses.
Umesh S. (Artist-in-Residence, IAF):
The practice of Umesh S. intertwines art and agriculture inspired by his work in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, and his ancestral village, Kurmurhi, in Bhojpur, Bihar. He comments on the fragility of ecological systems, the disappearance of seeds, and the erosion of agrarian traditions, by bringing indigenous knowledge, materials, processes, and tools to people’s consciousness. At the IAF, he propagates this message through a performance piece incorporating these varied elements to ignite conversations about ecology, heritage, and the balance between progress and preservation.
Non-Linear (Dennis Peter) and Cursorama (Yash Chandak) for BMW’s ‘The Future is Born of Art’ Commission:
This artist duo is known for blending generative visuals, electronic music, and interactive systems into immersive multimedia installations. While Peter is trained as an architect and musician, Chandak began as a motion designer and live visual artist, before they came together to make their unique art works. Focussed on the theme of ecocentrism, their project ‘Biolume’ won the prestigious annual commission by BMW this year. It merges the beautiful natural phenomenon known as bioluminescence with cutting-edge generative art. The result is a mesmerising interplay of light, motion, and sound that calls to mind the fragile balance of the ecosystem and our responsibility to nurture the planet’s resources.
Mohd. Intiyaz (Method Art Gallery):
Originally from Jharkhand, Intiyaz migrated to Delhi to escape civil unrest and uncertainty. His work focuses on his firsthand experiences of migration and marginalization and is deeply personal. He pulls upon his core memories and daily occurrences in his neighbourhood, to highlight uncomfortable realities. A large sculpture of his is on display outdoors at IAF. Titled ‘Dar Badar 2.0’, it is an emotionally charged piece depicting tiny figurines with their heads covered with steel baltis or buckets sitting on an intricate maze of copper pipes. It takes inspiration from his childhood experiences, and touches on themes of discrimination, resilience, and the universal struggle for belonging.
Imon Phukan (Artist-in-Residence, IAF):
Phukan draws from the rich traditions of her native Assam, to transform textiles into narratives exploring themes of identity, loss, and the interconnectedness of humans with their environment. For her project created as part of IAF’s Artist-in-Residence program presented in partnership with the Royal College of Art, Phukan combines the mediums of textiles, painting, and performance to create immersive installations hung from the ceiling as large tapestries. Nature, cultural hybridity and the silence of unresolved conversations are explored by stepping into her ‘forest’, where layers of colour, texture, and meaning come alive.
Yogesh Barve (Art & Charlie):
Barve from Mumbai uses a range of artistic materials such as found objects and digital technology on his mobile phone camera to make multimedia installations. The focus of his work is on social and cultural experiences of equality/inequality, the outsider/insider, and the uninvited/the invited. At the IAF this year, his outdoor installation ‘I Am Not Your Dalit’, takes inspiration from James Baldwin’s works and uses Ambedkar’s writings to highlight ongoing social issues. LED tickers, like the ones used in railway stations, are used to critique the slow decline in significance of important social and historical texts. It also highlights the lack of access to education and technology to certain sections of society.
Bhushan Bhombale (Strangers House Gallery):
Mumbai-based Bhombale experiments with abstract decoupage that deals with creating surfaces using oil and acrylic paints spread over a multimedia surface of textile, paper, box-board, canvas and papier-mâché. At IAF, he has displayed a sculpture series based on his observations of quotidian shapes and materials, inspired by Sawai Jai Singh II’s Jantar Mantar. He makes a comment on human imagination through curves, triangles and circular projections arranged in assorted combinations, looking towards and reflecting the cosmos and time.
Other young artists to watch for include T. Venkanna and Madhu Das (Gallery Maskara), liactuallee (artist-in-residence, IAF), Harsha Durugadda (VHC | Vida Heydari Contemporary), Rajyashri Goody (GALLERYSKE), Arslan Farooqi (Anant Art Gallery), Ram Dongre (Art Incept), Ahalya Rajendran (Chemould CoLab), Ayesha Singh (IAF Façade supported by MASH), Richa Arya (Exhibit 320), Ujjal Dey (Emami Art), Chandrashekhar Koteshwar (Gallery Dotwalk), Sachin Pandey (MAG Contemporary) and Noor Ali Chagani (Latitude 28), Santanu Debnath (Emami Art), Sid Pattni (Method), Sivasubramaniam Kajendran (Aicon Contemporary), Yogesh Rai (Akara), Alamu Kumaresan (Anupa Mehta Contemporary Art), Pushpakanthan Pakkiyarajah (Experimenter), Dr Sangeeta Sandrasegar (Iram Art), Sandatharaka Abeysinghe (PRSFG), Alpana Vij and Mahalakshmi Kannappan (SRISHTI ART), and Shubham Kumar (Latitude 28).
Noor Anand Chawla pens lifestyle articles for various publications and her blog www.nooranandchawla.com.