Balancing act

There was no eye-popping public art and no performances to shock or entertain viewers this time around. However, the India Art Fair (IAF), in its eighth edition, looked less cluttered with bigger aisles, a better layout and certainly an improved quality of the artworks. With a few exceptions, of course.

It appears that the curatorial team comprising Neha Kirpal, Zain Masud, Sandy Angus and the other nameless people working behind the scenes have all pulled up their socks, and the results were there for all to see. The kitschy images of the Prime Minister freeing doves and the endless rows of decorative art that marked the rather over-packed fair in 2015 were gone. It was replaced by a fine collection from across South Asia that brought the viewer up to speed with our shared histories and contemporary conflicts.

Sales pitch

Missing this year were several blue chip galleries like Chatterjee and Lal, Galerie Maskara and Zaveri Contemporary from Mumbai, and District XII, Latitude 28 and many others from Delhi. Fewer galleries meant there was more room and viewership for the 70 that did participate. “Logically, when there are fewer galleries, there are better sale opportunities for those who have chosen to participate,” says gallery owner Rasika Kajaria of Exhibit 320. Showcasing artists like Vibha Galhotra and Sumakshi Singh, 320 reported brisk sales. “This is actually the best sales that Nature Morte has ever had at the IAF, although a lot of it has to do with the marketing strategies that my partner Aparajita Jain has been personally undertaking,” says the gallery’s founder Peter Nagy.

Pan-Asia

Visitors flocked to booths that represented critical artwork from South Asia. From Nepal it was the Nepal Art Council, showcasing seven young artists including Hit Man Gurung, Sheelasha Rajbhandari, Manish Harijan and Asha Dangol. Sagar Rana, vice-president of the Nepal Art Council, a public-private partnership, says, “It is our first time in India and we are excited to present seven young contemporary artists from Nepal. We are known for our traditional arts but this platform has allowed us to display our growing contemporary art scene before a wide international audience.” From Sri Lanka, the Colombo art collective Theertha showcased playful imaginary maps by Pala Pothipithiya, performance photographs by Jagath Weerasinghe and subversive studio portraits by Anoli Perera. Pakistan’s Taseer Art Gallery had artists like Lala Rukh, Saba Khan, Mohsin Shafi and Humaira Abid. The Bengal Art Lounge showcased the evocative works of Dali Al Mamoon from Bangladesh.

Overseas interest

The accent on the global was notable with a subtle yet interesting international presence this year. German artist Alke Rech, represented by Lakeeren Art Gallery (Mumbai), displayed a selection of her architecturally evocative fabric works. Gallery Continua from Italy featured Michelangelo Pistoletto’s bowls of pulses arranged in the shape of the infinity sign. These works were intriguing, as was Cesar Manrique’s brightly painted BMW Art Car, which had a special enclosure outside the main hall. Julian Segard’s works spoke of the clash between nature and urbanity. Iranian artist Azadeh Akhlaghi’s stunning staged photograph ‘By an Eye Witness’ featured 13 women trying to identify the disfigured cadaver of a slain civilian man. Wim Delvoye’s shiny miniature cathedral drew many appreciative gazes from laypersons, while artists and collectors muttered that it was too ‘decorative’.

The Delfina Foundation’s enclosure of thorny, dried plants had people wondering why no one was watering them. It apparently symbolised the 1840-70 Salt and Sugar Hedge that formed a customs barrier to collect taxes for the British colonial rulers of the time. Unfortunately, while the text was really interesting, the visuals failed to convey the underlying message.

The team from the Museum Of Modern Art made several notes in their little black book. “The highlight for us was Ram Rahman’s booth, which showcased not just paintings but also architecture in the city through his photo-montage works,” says Stuart Comer, chief curator of media and performance art.

Angus, director of the Hong Kong Art Fair and partner of IAF, was the first to scoop up Rohit Chawla’s image of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, for an undisclosed sum.

The sleeping giant that is the international art market might be stirring again and looking with kindly eyes on the Indian art market. Anders Petterson went on record to say, “The Chinese contemporary market is coming off the boil and collectors are looking for new opportunities in Asia.” Petterson is the front man for ArtTactic, a regular performance report on markets in Dubai, London and elsewhere, considered one of the most reliable indices used to measure the global art scene.

Over 80,000 attended the IAF this year. The food stalls, films and talks added to the enjoyable experience, though some visitors were disappointed by the lack of cutting-edge art. The smiles on gallery owners’ faces as they took home tidy earnings told another story.

Georgina Maddoxis a Delhi-based arts writer

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