The India Art Fair is one of the most awaited art events in the country and has, since its launch in 2008, established itself as South Asia’s leading platform for modern and contemporary art. The upcoming edition – to be held from January 28 to 31 next year – promises to be no different.
According to a press statement released by the Fair organisers, “The Fair is revising its mission and refining its programming to reflect the best of South Asia’s diversity in the visual arts. The Fair’s 2016 edition will mark a new chapter in its evolution. In step with India’s increasing cultural influence, India Art Fair is making a number of enhancements to its organisation, which include significant changes to its partnerships, internal team and gallery programming.”
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The first significant change is the introduction of the BMW Group as presenting partners of the fair. BMW Group has made a significant contribution to culture, initiating over 100 cultural collaborations worldwide, from commissioned works by Gerhard Richter for the BMW Group’s Munich headquarters, to projects with artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Olafur Eliasson and Jeff Koons. In 2013 the BMW Guggenheim Lab – a global initiative of the BMW Group – Solomon R Guggenheim Foundation and the Guggenheim Museum, premiered in India at the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai.
Another noteworthy event is the appointment of Zain Masud as the fair’s International Director. Masud brings her experience in the art scene of the Middle East, South Asia, Russia, China and Africa, alongside her extensive networks within the western art world. Prior to this appointment she served as Assistant Fair Director to Art Dubai for five years.
Also, in this edition the fair will be structured into five main sections: Galleries, the main section, will feature leading Indian and international galleries; Focus will show solo presentations that have been curated by participating galleries or institutions; Institutional will showcase leading international and Indian museums and art foundations presenting elements of their programmes or collaborations commissioned specially for the fair; Platform will represent young emerging artists or collectives from throughout South Asia, open to galleries and foundations within the region; and Projects will show artworks including large scale sculptures or site specific installations at the fair.
India Art Fair director Neha Kirpal has been instrumental in steering the fair’s unprecedented growth over eight years into the premier destination for art in the region. In 2011 Kirpal was joined by new strategic partners; Sandy Angus (chairman of global exhibitions group Montgomery Worldwide) and Will Ramsay (founder of PULSE Art Fairs and Affordable Art Fairs). She was awarded the Naari Shakti Puraskar for her contribution to art and culture by President Pranab Mukherjee on International Women’s Day this year. The award represented the individual achievement fo Kirpal as a female cultural entrepreneur and a leading force in the Indian art community, significantly recognising arts and culture and their place in mainstream Indian society.
(Poonam Goel is a freelance journalist who contributes articles on visual arts for unboxedwriters.com)