Art News: India Art Fair 2020

All Roads Lead To Delhi For The India Art Fair

The India Art fair 2020 combines cutting-edge contemporary visual art with modern masters, vernacular artistic traditions, and an expanded performance and talks programme 

Ai Weiwei 

Ai Weiwei, Martin

Cast iron, 230.5 x 352 x 238 cm / 90 3/4 x 138 1/2 x 93 5/8 in. © Ai Weiwei Courtesy of Lisson Gallery 

and neugerremschneider Berlin 

The India Art Fair previews on 30th January in New Delhi with 81 exhibitors spanning 20 different global cities. In its 12th edition, the fair has evolved into a significant exhibition of modern and contemporary art in the country, combining cutting-edge contemporary visual art with modern masters, vernacular artistic traditions, and an expanded performance and talks programme. 

Fair Director Jagdip Jagpal elaborates, “The fair’s programme draws together galleries and artists, private foundations and arts charities, artists’ collectives, national institutions, cultural events and festivals. This enables international audiences to engage in innovative ways with the cultural history and development of the region. Each year, we introduce new elements to the fair that invite and interest audiences of all ages and backgrounds.”

B.Prabha. Fisherwoman 1979. Courtesy of Dhoomimal Gallery

The IAF Selection committee evaluates applications and makes selections based on quality of proposals. Jagpal explains, “2020 will see a diversity of international blue chips, with Indian galleries still in the majority – a defined 70% India, 30% international split – with international galleries showing works not previously shown to Indian audiences. IAF is committed to work closely with galleries to develop India Art Fair’s on-site experience, ensuring the fair is the first place to see and discover artists from the region."

The idea is to develop a stronger and expanded public programme, to create a truly distinct cultural experience that reflects and is inspired by India’s cultural heritage, and constantly - developing modern-day identity. And, continue to place the artist’s voice at the centre of the programme.

Olafur Eliasson. Dew Reflector 2019. Partially silvered glass spheres paint black yellow stainless steel ©Studio Olafur Eliasson. Courtesy the artist and neugerriemschneider Berlin

In this edition, new entrants include Art Explore, Arts of the Earth, Gallery White, Pichvai Tradition & Beyond from India and 4 new international participants - Saskia Fernando Gallery (Colombo), Gallery Tableau (Seoul), PSM (Berlin), Marc Straus (New York).

BMW Group India continues its association with the IAF and will showcase the BMW Art Car by Andy Warhol – one of the nineteen prominent artists from across the world to have created Art Cars using contemporary BMW automobiles of their times, all offering a wide range of artistic interpretations. This will be complimented by The Warhol Talk.

Andy Warhol's BMW Art Car, 1979. Courtesy of BMW Group India

The Performance Art Programme has been successful in bringing new audiences, and this year will present a strong line-up of leading artists including -Maya Krishna Rao, national-award winning theatre performer and social activist; Lagos based multimedia artist Jelili Atiku whose works address political concerns for human rights and justice; multi-disciplinary artist Piyali Ghosh following from her recent exhibition at the Venice Biennale; and Raisa Kabir, an interdisciplinary artist exploring the politics and cultural anxieties around globalised neo-colonial textile production and nationhood.

Priyantha Udagedara Orientalism XII 2019 Mixed Media on Canvas 122cm x 183cm Courtesy of Saskia Fernando Gallery

6 large-scale installations by high profile Indian and international artists will be showcased as Outdoor Art Projects and will include pieces by Anita Dube, Farah Mulla, Martin Parr, Rathin Burman, Sameer Kulavoor and Vijay Pichumani.

Idris Khan. The Old Tune 2019. Digital C print mounted on aluminium.

Courtesy of Galerie Isa

Jagpal reiterates, “India has some of the world’s strongest curatorial exhibitions, whether it is Kochi Muziris Biennale, Serendipity Arts Festival or Chennai Photo Biennale, which have a significant profile internationally, especially within the arts scene. While issues relating to display and curation may be similar, the challenges of organising a 4-day exhibition across a 12,000 square meter venue are unique. The biggest challenge, however, is to build and de-install temporary exhibition tents in order to give our exhibitors and visitors the best possible on-site experience.”

The fair ensures accessibility for all and will include tactile artworks, braille signages and fair guides, offering personalised accessibility tours for visitors.


India Art Fair: NSIC Grounds, Delhi, India Fair Dates: 31 January – 2 February 2020 Preview: Thursday 30 January 2020

All images courtesy India Art Fair

Please share this article using the social media widgets at the bottom and do subscribe to receive regular updates from Art Scene India.


For interviews, profiles, sponsored posts, and to contribute articles, contact artsceneinfo@gmail.com

Also read,

• Art News: apexart International Open Call 2020-21
• Art News: Juxtaposed by Vaman Pai and Gomathi Suresh
• Art Cars: Vehicles of Personal Artistic Expression
• Interview: Kiran Nadar on #chalomuseum
• 5 Reasons a Good Catalogue Text is Essential for Your Art
• How To Write An Artist Statement
• 6 Tips On How To Approach An Art Gallery And Find Gallery Representation
• Exhibiting Art in Non-Gallery Spaces
• Guide To Exhibiting Your Artworks

Art Cars: Vehicles of Personal Artistic Expression

Some of you might be aware that I used to write a weekly column on art for Bangalore Mirror for a few years. Recently, while organizing my articles, I came across this one which was written on art cars.  In fact, this was soon after I had written the catalogue essay for artist Yusuf Arakkal, when he was exhibiting his modified 1956 Italian Fiat Millecento. Although, this article was written and published in 2009, I think you may still find it relevant!

Art Car

Last week, I was conducting some research on an art car and came across so much material that I felt the concept would appeal to a larger audience. The term is used to refer to an automobile that has been modified in order to alter its physical appearance. People use paint – poster colours or oil paints – to create their own designs and patterns on the body of the vehicle. Some use additional material to alter the appearance drastically and convert them into sculptural works. The idea behind this concept is to give vent to ones artistic expression or to personalize the vehicle and make it appear individualistic. This, incidentally, is not the same as customizing your car according to specific needs.

In fact, some of it even stems from a rebellious approach to a factory made or mass produced object. The desire is to create something distinctive that would stand out in a crowd. Although, there are a few professional artists who design art cars, there are many more who are amateurs. Sometimes the term ‘cartists’ are used to refer to them. Amongst professional artists, Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein designed and painted BMW racing cars. Warhol in fact painted his car in approximately 23 minutes while Lichtenstein designed the painting taking into consideration the principles of aerodynamics. The car was painted in such a way that it reflected the passing scenery – flashes of green and yellow from the surrounding landscape.

While some owners just paint their cars to reflect their belief or ideology and ensure that the car remains in a functional state, there are others who modify it to the extent where they become exhibits. The utilitarian value of the automobile is lost and these are transported from one place to another as display pieces. With time, art car has grown hugely in popularity – mainly in the US – and there are dedicated events, groups, road shows and museums for this purpose.

Although, abroad the concept of an art car has been around for years, and has seen exception popularity especially in the US, it is still not a very common practice in India. However, in the late 1960s M F Husain is known to have painted his car.

If you enjoyed reading this article, do share it using the social media widgets at the top and subscribe to receive regular updates from Art Scene India