With an aim to inject fresh energy into the art scene in the capital, a new initiative titled Delhi Art Week (DAW) has been set in motion. Starting from April 3, this week-long programme will witness curated shows, talks and walkthroughs from 37 galleries and institutions in their own spaces in the city of New Delhi.
The three founders Tariq Allana of Art Heritage Gallery, Sunaina Anand of Art Alive and Reena Lath of Gallery Akar Prakar - speak to The Morning Standard in a joint interview about the launch of the first edition in the pandemic and all the major shows likely to become the talk of the town.
What are the major highlights of the first edition of DAW?
We are excited to showcase a rare coming together of museums, institutions, and galleries in a first-of-its-kind initiative.
Some of the noteworthy highlights involving the institutions include: Text/Matters: DAW at Serendipity Arts Foundation; Hastaantaran In Transmission- an exhibition on the life and works of Nandalal Bose at the National Gallery of Modern Art, Scripting Time · Memory · Ecology at the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Saket, among others.
Tell us about the major exhibitions.
DAW's first edition features a diverse set of practices from India’s modern and contemporary art scene, while capitalising on Delhi’s strength as an important centre for the promotion of visual arts in the subcontinent.
Some of the major exhibitions include: Ways of Seeing: Women Artists | Women as Muse (DAG); Delhi Shilpi Chakra (Dhoomimal Gallery); Still, on the verge: Parul Gupta (Nature Morte); Public Sculptures & Installation: Paresh Maity (Sanskriti Foundation, in association with Art Alive Gallery).
One year into the pandemic, what is the status of arts going forward?
COVID-19 pandemic resulted in evolving innovations in the art world in many different ways the emergence of online exhibitions and virtual art fairs, new audio and video content, as well as a number of informational/ educational sessions on Zoom and similar platforms.
These developments have resulted in better informed collectors and art lovers, and this has led to steady sales. As the pandemic continues, there remains fluidity in the sector, but the importance of physical gallery space has re-emerged.
The general sentiment of visitors is that the online experience is likely to remain a complement to the physical gallery space and not a replacement of it.
Is there a certain theme you encountered that was pushed by many artists during the pandemic?
This is a difficult question to answer. There are 43 participants and over 250 artists in this DAW edition. We will have to research this, and I am sure some years down we will realise the effects of the pandemic in the themes and subjects of the artworks.
I can say that we don’t know much about the themes but they must all eventually be pointing to hope and a better tomorrow. Interestingly, what has emerged is a stronger art market. People were spending more time in their homes, and have had the luxury of spending time with their art and to explore art online.
Social media platforms have been major players in this growing interest in art. Besides, there is an NFT (Non Fungible Tokens) sale, and Beeple is selling his work for over 69 million dollars at Christie’s auction. Art, by nature, is creative, so it will always be in fashion!
Did you come across any challenges owing to the pandemic?
As one worked through the idea of a DAW, we knew it was doable, just as others have done it in India and abroad. So the question that seemed most ominous was 'where does one begin?' The answer that emerged was - 'just begin'.
So we started with a discussion with Tara Lal who had organised Mumbai Gallery Weekend for many years, and heard about the model that Mumbai had adopted - what had worked and what had not - and this discussion was an inspiring one because it made us understand that in fact the biggest obstacle we had to overcome was not a logistical one, but rather one that was purely only in our minds.
What was not an impediment or obstacle was getting participants to be excited and motivated about the initiative. Everyone in the community was motivated.
Given the rising cases in the capital again, what are the precautions and safety measures to be followed with respect to the shows?
We feel that because of DAW's staggered programming-which is spread out across four zones of the city - we will be able to handle visitors to the galleries, museums, and institutions.
By all means, DAW will observe all safety protocols, such as the compulsory wearing of face masks, maintaining social distancing, and the use of sanitisers at all locations, and we will also urge the visitors to follow the safety measures as well.
