"This year you can expect the quality of the works to be better besides an expansion of the Art Fair programme,” is the first thing Jagdip Jagpal, director of India Art Fair, tells you on a sunny wintry afternoon. The much-celebrated Art Fair promises workshops, talks, artists in residence and various other activities this time. Jagpal took over the reins of the event in August 2017 and starting with her first outing in 2018, tweaked the blueprint, turning the spotlight on South Asian galleries. Thanks to her efforts, today the India Art Fair has become one of the most engaging platforms to discover modern and contemporary art from South Asia.
Jagpal also began the trend of encouraging Indian galleries to bring in at least one new artist, who hadn’t shown at the fair earlier. “We are looking at extending the breadth of the fair, adding more diversity, but keeping quality high. Also, this year we have a lot more young artists coming in, besides some talent that we nurtured earlier,” says the director, who admits that if she hadn’t taken up the India Art Fair project, she would have probably set up her own art fair in India, “but at a smaller scale.”
The fair is an inimitable hub for art aficionados and Jagpal believes it is important to create the right experience for visitors. “To fulfil that goal, we have workshops by artists such as Manisha Parekh on artwork with waste paper; Gagan Singh taking a workshop on drawing; and Renuka Rajiv undertaking one on collage. Besides, we will also have exclusive children’s workshops and inclusivity workshops,” she says.
Under her, the India Art Fair team is also working on its book shop as Jagpal believes it is extremely difficult in India to come across good art books. This annual event reflects the country’s fast-developing art scene that is building its own vocabulary and offers curated insights into the cultural landscapes.