KOCHI: There are a festival shoppers, the ones who lie dormant through most part of the year, and miraculously come alive every time there’s a cause for celebration. And there’s no dearth of auspicious occasions in our country anyway! With announcements of shopping fairs and discount sales pounding them from every direction, the frenzy sets in well before the designated date, slowly taking the shape of a holy pilgrimage one needs to undertake, lest one invites the wrath of forgotten ancestors.
Fellow shoppers must all be at the mercy of kindred ancestral pressures too. There is then, the other extreme — the Shopaholic. No reason to shop is needed here. Every day is a festival season. Their sanity precariously balances on spending sprees. The ‘One- Upper’ shoppers are the strangest breed on this list though. Embracing the motto ‘Outshine thy neighbour’s possessions’ as their life’s goal, they itch to shop whenever an acquaintance flaunts a new purchase.
Now what has all this got to do with art, you may wonder. As much as artists may seem like an alien species, the ones who abandoned ‘normal’ jobs and disappeared into rocky terrains, we too have our share of fairs and the like. The biggest of them all — the India Art Fair, is happening right now. Held in Delhi every year, for over four days, the 2022 edition happens to be the 13th one. For the curious amongst you, this is how it works. The huge exhibition venue is compartmentalised into booths, with art galleries having to apply for them on a rental basis. The galleries then become the absolute monarchs, with the power to decide whose art would be on display in their respective spaces.
Unlike a conventional shopping expo, the art fair does not necessarily entice only shoppers. Here too, there are several categories of visitors. Other than serious buyers, many come by to be seen at the right place, at the right time and in the right attire, to provide undebatable evidence of their self-proclaimed intellectualism.
Many drop in to meet and greet, renew friendships and forge new ‘useful’ bonds. And then there are those who truly visit for the art. Where else is it possible to encounter the country’s finest creations, all under one roof? Not to mention the splattering of international art too.
So, head for this art bonanza, if you can. It may not be your regular consumer exhibition, but there definitely will be a lot you can shop for — a piece of someone’s soul on a canvas, a slice of another’s deepest thoughts on wood, beauty, hope, calm, the offerings are so many. You may go in without your credit card or wallet, but it is impossible to return empty-handed. A zillion ideas, fresh perspectives and a deeper understanding of the world around will accompany you back, filling that shopping cart in your head forever.
SOCIALISE OVER ART
Many drop in to meet and greet, renew friendships and forge new ‘useful’ bonds. And then there are those who truly visit for the art. Where else is it possible to encounter the country’s finest creations, all under one roof?