Art News: India Art Festival in Bangalore

 

India Art Festival Returns to Bengaluru with its Third Edition, Showcasing an Unprecedented Array of Artistic Talent

The highly anticipated India Art Festival (IAF) returns to Bengaluru for its third edition, from December 14 to 17 at the expansive Palace Ground, Kings Court. This year's edition promises an unparalleled showcase of artistic brilliance, with an unprecedented number of participants, making it the largest and most diverse gathering of artists and galleries to date.

Gurudas Shenoy

Boasting an impressive scale and scope, the 3rd Bengaluru edition of IAF is set to captivate the city with cutting-edge contemporary art, presented by over 25 art galleries and featuring contributions from a staggering 400 artists hailing from 40 different cities across India. The festival is a testament to the thriving art scene in the country, offering a comprehensive exploration of various artistic expressions, including paintings, sculptures, photography, ceramics, and installations.

Opening on December 14, the event will serve as a melting pot of artistic diversity, providing insights into the latest trends in Indian and Asian diaspora art. Founded in 2011 by the publishers of the Indian Contemporary Art Journal, IAF stands as the only annual art fair held in three major metro cities – Mumbai, New Delhi, and Bengaluru – having successfully mounted 25 editions thus far.

With a staggering 3500 pieces of art on display at the Palace Ground, IAF caters to a wide audience, welcoming seasoned art collectors and new buyers alike. The eclectic selection includes oil paintings, acrylics, watercolours, original prints, installations, and drawings in myriad styles, covering landscapes, figurative works, abstracts, cityscapes, seascapes, urban and rural scenarios, portraits, nudes, religious art, traditional paintings, murals, Warli art, and much more.

Prabhu Joshi

Over the last thirteen years, India Art Festival has been a consistent platform for both
emerging talents and established artists, striving to provide an open atmosphere for contemporary art. In its 3rd edition in Bengaluru, the festival strikes a balance between appealing to seasoned art enthusiasts and actively engaging with a younger generation of tech-savvy art buyers, resulting in a diverse and eclectic selection of art.

This year, the festival is proud to feature the imaginative contributions of young talents, injecting refreshing perspectives and radical visual art voices. The Kings Court at the Palace Ground will host 80 booths, showcasing a total of 3500 pieces of art.

Participating art galleries include Akanksha Art Gallery, Charvi Art Gallery, Shiny Colours Art Gallery, H Art Gallery, SM Art Gallery, Sara Arakkal Gallerie (all Bengaluru), ArtDesh Foundation, Artvista, Beyond the Canvas, Bouquet of Art Gallery, Nitya Artists Center, Studio Pankaj Bawdekar, Studio Monica Ghule, Studio Om Thadkar, The Bombay Art Society (Mumbai), ArteHut, Aura Planet, Eminent Art Gallery, Gallery Pioneer, Pastel Tale OPS Art Gallery, Sudha Art Creations & Uchaan (Delhi-NCR), Gnani Arts (Singapore), Arpitam Kala Mandir (Kolkata), M Narayan Studio (Pune), Pichwaiwala - Narendra Arts & Handicrafts (Udaipur), among others.

Thota Vaikuntam

The festival also introduces the Artists’ Pavilion, featuring individual booths by independent artists designed to foster a dialogue between viewers and artists. This multi-level engagement encourages a direct connection between the art market and artists, facilitating open discussions and the purchase of artwork on an open platform. India Art Festival Director, Rajendra, emphasizes the festival's commitment to democratizing 'art viewing and buying,' a movement that has spread across Mumbai, New Delhi, and Bengaluru over the past thirteen years.

This year, the Artists’ Pavilion showcases both unknown talents and established names, with more than 300 independent artists presenting their expressions in the form of paintings and sculptures alongside 100 established artists exhibited by art galleries. The diverse range of subjects explored by these artists encompasses personal experiences to intense narratives.

The 3rd Bengaluru edition of India Art Festival promises not only visual delights but also auditory, visual and cinematic experiences. Eminent artists Ganapati Agnihotri, Kanthraj N, Chintamani G G, Ganesh Doddamani along with musicians Manjunath (Flute), Subramanya Hegde (Sitar), Karthik I S(Mandolin) accompanied by Maruti Prasad (Tabla) will transform the Palace Grounds into a cultural oasis, offering not only a visual feast but also a multitude of fusion shows, live musical performances, mesmerizing live painting demonstrations on 15 to 17 Dec from 3.30 to 5.00pm. A standout feature of the event is the enlightening film "The Eternal Canvas – 12,000 Years Journey through Indian Art," a cinematic exploration of India's rich artistic heritage spanning millennia. This cinematic journey provides a sweeping overview of the evolution of Indian art, from prehistoric times to contemporary expressions. It will be screened from 15 to 17 Dec, from 5.30 t0 7.00pm.   

Durga Bai Vyam

The Artists Pavilion, with its fresh face and diverse talent, adds a new layer to the India Art Festival experience in the Garden City. With its mammoth collection of art under one roof, IAF serves as a one-stop mega art jamboree for art enthusiasts, providing a unique opportunity to enjoy art without the need to hop around various art spaces in the city.

India Art Festival will run from December 14 to 17, 2023, at Kings Court, Palace Ground, Gate No.5, Bellary Road, Near Mekhri Circle, Bengaluru, from 11 am to 8:00 pm on all days. The tickets for India Art Festival, priced at Rs.299, are available on BookMyShow.com and at the venue, ensuring a captivating cultural experience for art enthusiasts.

For further details, contact 9820737692

Don't miss the chance to immerse yourself in the vibrant world of contemporary art at this year's India Art Festival in the Garden City!

Excerpted from the press release

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Art News: India Art Festival in Bangalore

India Art Festival attracts over 30 galleries and 400 artists for its second edition in the city

The 2nd Edition of India Art Festival (IAF) in the city starting from December 08 – 11 at the Palace Ground, Kings Court, Gate No. 5, Bellary Road, has grown in scale and size this year, bringing cutting-edge contemporary art to the city, presented by over 30 Art Galleries and 400 artists, coming from 40 different cities across India, Singapore and USA.

Opening on December 08, the 2nd Bengaluru edition of IAF will bring all forms of artistic expressions in the art fair including painting, sculptures, photography, ceramics, installations, offering insights into current art trends in India and Asian diaspora.

Aditiraje Bhonsle

Founded in 2011 by the publishers of Indian Contemporary Art Journal, IAF is the only art fair held annually in three metro cities and which has mounted 22 editions so far at Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru.

Whether, it is a seasoned art collector, or a new art buyer who want to acquire the first piece of art, the India Art Festival with 4000 pieces of art across 100 booths, on display at the Palace Ground is a perfect place to fall in love with art. At IAF, the art collectors are spoilt for choices to choose from many mediums and styles - oil paintings, acrylics, water colour, original prints, installations, drawings in myriad styles dealing with varied subjects including landscapes, figurative, abstracts, cityscapes, seascapes, urban and rural scenarios, portraits, nudes, semi-nudes, religious art, traditional paintings, murals, warli art and many more.

The master artists displayed by the galleries include Sakti Burman, Yusuf Arakkal, Lalu Prasad Shaw, S G Vasudev, Laxman Aelay, Gurudas Shenoy, Laxma Goud, Jatin Das, Jogen Chowdhury, Manu Parekh, N S Harsha, P Gnana, Seema Kohli and many others.

Yusuf Arakkal

The Artists’ Pavilion with individual booths by independent artists is so designed as to create a dialogue between the viewers and the art maker, and the artist. It also encourages dialogue between the art market and the artists directly. Here the sale and purchase of the artwork is on an open platform and the buyer or collector can approach an artist and the choices are numerous.

Vinita Dasgupta

This kind of freedom is rarely possible as both the artist and the buyers benefit from this arrangement. India Art Festival Director Rajendra says, "the process of democratizing ‘art viewing and buying’ initiated twelve years ago in Mumbai sort of became a movement; the growing interest in Indian contemporary art slowly made this movement spread to New Delhi and Bengaluru covering significant length and breaths of our country."

Apart from 200 established artists exhibited by art galleries, more than 200 independent artists are displaying in the ‘Artists’ pavilion’ at the art festival. The subjects broached by the artists vary from personal experiences to intense narratives.

Dhyana Das

 'Tripurasundari’, a feminine mystique of the goddess by artist Dhyana Das and Kalyani Ravishankar’s ‘Radha-Krishna’, both blend the nuances of classical paintings and contextualize them within Indian religious sensibilities. 

In another instance, artist Karthik Kamath, Sonali Surana and Tejaswi depicts embodiment of renunciation, Buddha, the enlightened one in his splendid aura with wavy hair curls & the monastic robe covering both shoulders and arranged in heavy classical folds. 

Sunitha Krishna, Smita BP, Kalyani Sinha and Tripti Pandey indulge in an artistic imagery using religious images, cultural symbols and motifs that touches the spiritual chord of the viewers.

Artists Gaurav Dagar, Jyothi Prakash and Prakash Bal Joshi beguile the viewers with their abstract composition using pure forms & colours, whereas artist Muthukrishnan Ramalingam and Rajitha Bonthala chose the middle path of semi-abstract idiom to present their visual stories.

Wildlife, animal and bird paintings is one of the oldest art forms found since ancient times in the cave art. Animal and bird art have come a long way since then in technique and imagination and occupies major part of the contemporary art space in India. Artist Isha Valentine’s symbolic deer with antlers, Priyanka Sehgal’s Sunbird, big cats and elephant by artist Apurba Das, Shakila Ananth and Sudha Anandampillai displayed in the art festival is a fusion of art elements found in Bundi style of traditional art with contemporary times.

Akshata Shetty

The black and white paintings displayed in the art festival by Akshata Shetty, Beena Surana, Om Thadkar, Preeti Baliga, and Priyanka Maurya prove that the paintings need not have to be always done in striking colours to create visual splendour! Viewers are bound to be mesmerize by the unfolding visual drama of muted blacks, ash greys, dark flashes, starry whites with harsh shadows employed in the work of Om Tadkar in his galloping white stallion, whereas Priyanka Mauraya’s dreamy flowery land and symbolic portraits of all sorts by Akshata Shetty and Preeti Baliga creates powerful viewing; these paintings can go with entire range of minimalist modern décor & interior to create aesthetic ambience around living spaces. 

Since ancient times to modern times, from fertility goddess to modern-day multitasker, artists have always enjoyed exploring the subject matter of women folk in art. But when the subject is explored by female artists herself, it assumes different significance like artist Geeta Yerra, Parul Sharma and Swati Burde who are exhibiting in the art festival. 

P Gnana

The figurative works by Ravi Verma and Vanita Gupta along with Atul Todi and Jayaram Krishna’s figures emerging through geometric patterns on closer look is an added in attraction for viewers. 

The notion of beautiful and sublime with sharp contrasts of light and shadow is exemplified in the landscapes by Poornima Deepak and Reema Ravindran whereas Deepshikha Bishoyi, Mridul Garg, Pooja Muthuraj, Shankari Kundu, T V Sairam and Vidhu Pillai prefers suggestive style of abstract landscape which focuses more on expressing emotion while still capturing the essence of a landscape. Seena Mani’s cityscape, Aditiraje Bhonsle, and Kasturi Dutta’s flowerscape are different genre in landscape painting in the art festival that would leave a lasting impression on the viewers. 

Among several others noticeable works by master artists, the artists pavilion present a fresh face of India Art Festival at the Garden city. India Art Festival, with mammoth art collection of all sorts of art under one roof is a one stop mega art jamboree for art enthusiasts in this week to enjoy art without getting tired in hopping around art paces in city!

The participating art galleries include Akanksha Art Gallery, Charvi Art Gallery, Green Footprint

Laxman Aelay

Art Gallery, H Art Gallery, Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Sara Arakkal Gallerie (all Bengaluru), ArtDesh Foundation, Artvista, House of Emerge, Nitya Artists Center, Studio Pankaj Bawdekar, Studio Rustgrey, Studio3 Art Gallery, The Bombay Art Society, thecurators.art (Mumbai) , ArteHut, Eminent Art Gallery, Gallery Pioneer, Nifa Art Gallery, Gallery Vision Art (New Delhi), Pastel Tale & Uchaan (Gurgaon), Gnani Arts (Singapore), Kalabhawan (Agartala), M Narayan Studio (Pune), Pichwai by Beyond Square (Udaipur) and Subodh Fine Art Studio (California, USA) among others.

India Art Festival will be on from 08 to 11 Dec 2022 at Kings Court, Palace Ground, Gate No.5, Bellary Road, Near Mekhri Circle, Bengaluru from 11 am- 8.30pm on all days.

For further details contact: 9820737692

Excerpted from the press release

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


To contribute articles, please get in touch at artsceneinfo@gmail.com

Also read,

• Art Scene India presents Convergence
• Art News (Bangalore) - Reimagining: (Un)Reality and Space
• 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
• 5 Reasons a Good Catalogue Text is Essential for Your Art

Timeless Narratives by Veteran Artists

Veterans’ Vision, as the name suggests, presents paintings by three senior artists from Bangalore. The collection featuring recent works by CS Krishna Setty, Chandranath Acharya and U Bhaskar Rao, encapsulates their unique visual vocabulary and individual voices, ranging from intimate and societal fantasies and apprehensions to vignettes from mythology and tradition. 

Krishna Setty’s metaphorical visuals interlace complex narratives around contemporary concerns. The forceful surrealistic imagery from his previous series has undergone transformation and depicts a perceptible shift towards abstraction. The hybrid creatures have receded and the recurring motifs and symbols have acquired ambiguous connotations, and are often hieroglyphic.

The mix-media works display significant textures and patterns, employed as an aesthetic device, and are remnants of the artist’s printmaking practice. The ambiguity of the hieroglyphs allows multiple readings into humanistic and existential angst, at the individual and a larger societal level. Fossilized remains or perhaps birthing grounds of indistinct forms, represent dreams or desires to form crucibles of compound visuals and narratives. The intense landscape generated, eerie and ethereal is disquieting, an infinite cauldron of life and consciousness with its associated anxieties.

Chandranath Acharya’s satirical commentary on the present political, social and psychological spectrum is situated at the threshold of fantasy and reality. His visual idiom combines a rare witticism with playfulness and surrealistic imagery. Royal figures, resplendent and clad in jewels and finery, indulge in ordinariness, a juxtaposition of opulence with the mundane, with undercurrents of satire and humour. 

Larger than life figures, surrounded by fantastical objects and creatures, form imposing portraits filled with pomposity, absurdity and grandeur. Decadence and mortality come together in a single frame with incongruous imagery, in incredibly sumptuous detail. Human conditions and emotions in all its exuberance, transience and intricacies, are portrayed adeptly with an underlying sense of mischief and tenderness. His extensive work in illustration and printmaking are clearly evident in the paintings.

Bhaskar Rao’s protagonists are primarily derived from mythology and visual and performing culture. These often narrate specific and recognizable instances and episodes, chronicling fragments of oral traditions and culture. Rooted in realism, with stylised and illustrative forms, vignettes from native landscapes, myths and mythology and traditions and rituals, etched in memory through time, are represented on the canvas.

The puppets form a popular leitmotif in his narration, a juxtaposition of the inanimate with the sentient and as an instrument of storytelling. Performance as an expression of human nature, culture and experience, and its associated connotations with social, philosophical and spiritual perspectives acts as a symbol of representation. 

The exhibition continues till September 22 at Fidelitus Art Gallery, Bangalore

All images courtesy the artists and gallery

Excerpted from the catalogue text by Nalini Malaviya

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