Big across borders

EXPLODING FANTASY

Artists from across the world participated at the India Art Fair 2012.

The fourth edition of the India Art Fair which concluded in the City after successfully drawing hordes of art lovers, took the exhibition to new international heights.

Held at National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) exhibition ground, Okhla, this year, the fair saw participation from galleries and leading artists from all over the world. The state of the art venue was custom built and designed for the fair to display works of artists and hold speakers’ forums.

Right at the entrance, ‘Gallery Krinzinger’ of Austria grabbed eyeballs with Sudarshan Shetty’s work where three black coats were dipped in tubs of milky white liquid. Art curator Thomas Krinzinger explained, “These are typical black suits that a man usually wears. They represent the human body which is dipped in impure water not to be dirtied but to gain whiteness which symbolises purity. It is simple yet complex!”

Radhika Khanna, a visitor and interior designing student said, “It is absolutely amazing to witness artwork from across the globe under one roof. I think India should organise more such exhibitions to make art attractive, which is otherwise considered boring.”

Among the many pieces of photography that caught the senses, was the picture of a deer in a palace, one of the works of Karen Knorr, at ‘Tasveer Gallery’ from Spain. The German photographer takes the picture of a palatial setting and an animal and then combines the two to create her signature work. Karen has been travelling to India since 2008. She first visited Rajasthan and since then has been exploring other parts of the country. Her analogue pictures of palaces are combined with pictures of animals such as a lion rolling on a maharaja bed or a peacock in the palace courtyard through a process described by her as “weaving art.”

However, the comic paintings by Nilofer Suleman ruled the exhibition. The event featured a series of paintings based on a big-eyed South Indian family which travels through rural India and makes a stop by at places such as Padma Laxmi Evergreen Studio and Senorita Beauty Saloon. One of the paintings, in the form of a poster read: “Urgently Photos and… Hand-touching done here”. Another painting depicting a poster for the beauty salon read: “Chinese cutter girls by appoint only”.

A platform for modern and contemporary art, the India Art Fair featured 91 exhibitors from 20 countries, who presented 1,000 modern and contemporary artists across the world. On this tremendous growth of the exhibition, Neha Kirpal, founding director of India Art Fair informed, “The art fair has seen tremendous growth over a short period of time and much of its success can be attributed to its focus on providing a relevant and transparent platform for the Indian art scene.” She added, “It has received unprecedented interest from international museums and private collectors and cultivated a whole breed of new collectors and art enthusiasts within India.”