India Art Fair 2014 to Begin on Jan. 30

Report by Santanu Ganguly: The 6th edition of India Art Fair, India’s premier modern and contemporary art fair, will take place from January 30 to February 2, 2014 (with a VIP Preview by invitation on 30th January). YES Bank is Presenting Partner for the 6th Edition of India Art Fair.

Since its founding in 2008, India Art Fair has grown to be an epicenter for art in India, with a global reputation for being one of South Asia’s leading art fairs. Showcasing 91 booths from India and across the world, the 6th edition of the India Art Fair will be a key impetus within the commercial art world, exposing local and international artists to a large and diverse audience. With an exciting public programme which includes Art Projects, a Speakers’ Forum and a city wide Collateral Events schedule, the India Art Fair continues to be a highlight of India’s busy cultural season.

The India Art Fair remains unchallenged as the most important platform for facilitating dialogue exchange and trade in the region. The 47 Indian galleries which will be exhibiting during the 6th edition, will be showcasing a breadth of modern and contemporary art practices including painting, sculpture, new media, installation and performance art. This year’s international galleries represent a dynamic mix, from returning European galleries, to a number of cutting edge newcomers, who all share the common goal to explore the Indian art market, forge key relationships and meet new collectors from South Asia.

In addition to the participation of leading and emerging contemporary galleries, an extensive Art Projects programme spanning the outdoor and indoor fair space will be a big focus of the fair this year, presenting a range of work from high profile Indian and international artists. Highlights of the programme include Listen Up! - the first public sound art project to be launched in India. Curated by Tim Goossens and Diana Campbell Betancourt and supported by 1after320 art projects, it is a city-wide installation to make sound art publicly accessible through cellular phones. Among the rich selection of other participators, artist Dayanita Singh will present excerpts from her critically acclaimed File Room series, which has been shown this year at the Venice Biennale and the Hayward Gallery, London. Jose Garcia Miguel (Perve Galeria, Portugal) will showcase a multi-arts installation Tears of Portugal encompassing video, photography and performance. This year’s fair has also attracted leading jeweller NIRAV MODI who will be presenting a collection of exquisite custom made designs inspired by motifs from the Mughal miniature school of art, encrusted with precious gems and priceless diamonds.

Following the fair’s hugely successful VIP and Collateral Events programme in 2013, significant cultural events which are set to take place alongside this edition of India Art Fair include INSERT2014, an exhibition curated by Raqs Media Collective, of 20 leading International and Indian artists, and WORD.SOUND.POWER a collaborative exhibition by KHOJ International Artists’ Association and the Tate Modern. The fair also hosts a tightly curated VIP Programme, in collaboration with public institutions, galleries and private art organizations, for visiting collectors and museums.

Through its Speakers’ Forum (free of charge to the public), visitors will be able to hear some of the best minds from diverse fields within the visuals arts. Highlights from the roster of speakers include Budi Tek (the Chinese-Indonesian entrepreneur, art philanthropist, and collector), Philip Dodd (Chairman of Made in China), Chris Dercon (Director Tate Modern London), Homi Bhabha (Critical Theorist and Anne F. Rothenberg Professor of English and American Literature and Language, and the Director of the Humanities Centre at Harvard University), Bharti Kher (Artist), Jeebesh Bagchi (Member Raqs Media Collective) and Li Bing ( Art Collector and Owner of Beijing He Jing Yuan Art Museum China).

To foster growth and encouragement for this intellectual body of the fair, the Speakers’ Forum has received support from Forum Partner JSW Steel and Academic Partners Goethe Institut, Critical Collective and Pro Helvetia.

India Art Fair is a trademarked event property owned by Seventh Plane Networks. Its Founding Director Neha Kirpal launched the fair in 2008, and has been instrumental in steering the fair’s unprecedented growth over 6 years into becoming the premier destination for art in the region. In 2011, Neha Kirpal divested a stake in India Art Fair to two new strategic partners; Sandy Angus (Chairman of global exhibitions group Montgomery Worldwide which has launched several art fairs around the world) and Will Ramsay (Founder of PULSE Art Fairs, and Affordable Art Fairs). Mr. Angus and Mr. Ramsay are also co-founders of the Hong Kong International Art Fair and bring in their global expertise in exhibitions and events, and the support of a truly global network to India Art. For the 6th edition, YES Bank will be Presenting Partner. YES Bank's association with India Art Fair is part of the Bank's Retail and Wealth Management initiative. India Art Fair is also supported by ABSOLUT as Associate Partner, and other partners are Panerai, Le Meridian and Conde Nast India.