3 years ago in January 2020, when we last strolled round the India Art Fair, who knew what was looming on the horizon?
I just reread my 3 year-old blog post, and it all sounds so carefree.
So damned carefree.
3 years later, we headed back to the same venue, through the same bonkers traffic, on the same opening day…but unlike our visit of 2020, it was PACKED yesterday!
Ostensibly, we arrived a mere 30 minutes after the Fair had opened, VIP passes in hand, but the venue was already really, really busy.
Which is great. Means lots of people wanted to be out and about and checking out the art.
(And seeing and being seen, let’s be honest 😛 )
We met lots of friends, most of them not seen since pre-Covid, so it was a wonderful experience on so many levels.
“Yes, yes, but what about The Art?” do I hear you ask?
Hmmm.
Lots of funky stuff.
Lots of “Untitled”s which, irrationally, always puts me off a work of art. Call me a philistine, but I feel if the artist doesn’t know what to name their creation, well…
There were a couple of paintings that I liked a lot, and both times they were by artists I had remembered and recognised from earlier shows. In all honesty, I can’t claim to have remembered their names after several years, but definitely their very distinctive styles:
And then there was this beauty:
I had remembered the incredible skill and workmanship of this artist, Antonio Santin, who also featured in my 2020 blog, but even so, we all peered closely at the painting, blown away by the amazing skill – the fringe looked as though you could touch it, and that it would be made of fabric.
Amazing.
These 2 were amongst my faves.
Also loved this jolly fella:
This impressive piece (below) called “Shakti” looked from a distance like a huge woven basket – the sort of wonderful pieces we bought when we lived in Africa – and that’s what initially drew me to it.
On close examination, we saw that it was made of “rudraksha” – lovely.
A small, stunning piece by Ai Wei Wei (below):
And this stunning piece (below) by Anish Kapoor, which was so beautiful to look at, but sadly the jewel-like colours haven’t come out in the photo as brilliantly as I’d’ve liked.
Plus, of course, we all took our own photos, thereby spoiling the “feel” of this glowing installation 🙂
Verdict?
Thoroughly enjoyed the art, the atmosphere, the hugs, the friends.
Art-wise, if I could chose something to take home, it would actually be the very first thing I saw, on the approach road to the exhibition – this trio of gorgeous lantana vine elephants:
Aren’t they just fab?
The India Art Fair is on until the 12th February, so this weekend it is, dear reader!
It’s at the NSIC grounds in Okhla. There’s paid parking.
And, as I said in my 2020 blog, even though I swanned in on a VIP pass, no-one there knows I blog. This is 100% from the heart.