The ninth edition of the India Art Fair began on Friday at the NSIC grounds,Okhla Industrial Area, hosting the largest ever turnout of non-Delhi based and international collectors. This edition has also seen the largest number of collectors from Mumbai since its inception.
The Platform section provides an opportunity for the best of established and emerging South Asian galleries, artists and artist collectives to exhibit on an established international platform while the Speakers’ Forum, which will run until Sunday, has an exciting line-up of artists, curators, critics, administrators, academics, gallerists and collectors.
One highlight of the fair is the exhibition, Kairos, presented by Gallerie Nvya comprising works by artists Paresh Maity, Manu Parekh, Jamini Roy, F N Souza, Sanjay Bhatacharya, Seema Kohli, Viveek Sharma & Lal Bahadur Singh.
The overarching theme of the exhibition appears to be joy. The tender and harsh aspects of life are depicted through the works of Nantu Behari Das, while the female form and energy is celebrated by Seema Kohli. Asked what her inspiration was, she named gallery owner Tript Kalra,who encouraged her to complete her detailed work just in time for the exhibition.
The sense of inticate detail is also present in Paresh Maity's 'The Flame of Hope' or 'Structure' by acclaimed artist Somenath Maity. Lal Bahadur Singh's strong yet sensitive work portrays the nuances of everyday life with amazing simplicity.
The dominating greens on the canvas of Sandeep Jigdung, a well known contemporary face of northeast art, predominantly reflects the captivating beauty of his birthplace, while the works of Manu Parekh celebrate the moods of the city of Benares.
The outer walls of the booth itself draw one to it with the works of Viveek Sharma,a painter of metaphors.Tripat said, "The artists have put in the very best of their energy, effort and talent, and without their cooperation, this extraordinary collection of works would not have been possible."