The annual art jamboree that is the India Art Fair opened today here in Delhi, on a gorgeous, sunny day.
We got there by about 3.30pm, a couple of hours after it had opened, and ended up walking the last stretch, since the traffic was its usual bonkers self.
The joy of being lucky enough to get a pass for the opening day is that the venue wasn’t jam-packed, and there was ample space to view the art on show.
There was also fab people-watching.
I always forget how stylish the art fraternity can be when it so chooses, so there were lots of gorgeous people, draped in all kinds of gorgeous outfits, wafting around.
Huge fun.
The art itself was, to my untutored eye, less “weird” than on many other occasions. There have been years when I’ve wandered round, trying not to roll my eyes at some of the pretentious rubbish pretending to be art.
This year there was far less need to roll my eyes.
We wandered happily through the not-too-crowded halls, meeting friends, and stopping to admire what caught our eye. All delightfully relaxed, unlike some years where it’s been a bit of a scrum.
So here, in no particular order, are some of the pieces that caught my eye this afternoon.
(I have no idea what the title means, by the way)
The painting, below, is “Coral Greed”by Antonio Santin:
Here’s a detail from “Coral Greed”:
Love the colours.
Remember I said that going early meant it wasn’t too crowded?
Like so:
Such a joy to have room to stand and admire.
Trust me, you don’t want to know.
But it does come with its own designer stand.
But it is very, very expensive. It is also very, very beautiful.
There were moon landing prints for sale, signed by Buzz Aldrin himself.
The photos don’t do this painting credit at all – the light was absolutely stunning, and it was the luminosity that drew us towards the canvas, from across the gallery.
So, so skilled…
Gosh, this paining (above) really is technically so very clever. Whew!
Every year at the India Art fair, I play a little game with myself, trying to answer my own question “If you were allowed to take one piece home with you, which one would it be?”
This year, it would be these.
If I could be greedy and ask for the 3 ceramics + the wall-hangings, that would be wonderful.
But if I had to choose – these 3 gorgeous pieces would be mine:
The artist behind these gorgeous pieces is Rachi Koraïchi, and they are from the series “Les Sept Stations Célestes”.
Absolutely love them.
A fun afternoon, with plenty of interesting and eye-catching art, including works from many of India’s top artists on display (like Husain) alongside new, young artists.
It’s at the NSIC until Sunday 2 February.
Recommended.
We were invited, but not because I blog. No-one knew that.
That was quick. I just got back from there 🙂
Oooh, missed it this year