While art lovers and collectors are thronging in large numbers to the ongoing India Art Fair here, the display of some magnificent artworks in exhibitions ranging from the vernacular and traditions to future and modernity are creating a colourful aura of grandeur.
Armed with a camera and an eye for the interesting, Idris Ahmed shoots photographs across genres. Along with his work as a professional photographer, he teaches photography courses and workshops at various institutes, conducts photo-expeditions and runs Photocommune, a collective of photography enthusiasts. His interesting exhibition displays photographs that have all been captured from a mobile phone.
Titled "Follow your Dreams," the display shows images that impress upon one to trust in their dreams. The images have been clicked by with a Vivo V5 Plus phone.
"I love shooting portraits. I am a travel and portrait photographer. For this project 'Follow your Dreams' I have photographed young aspiring individuals: occasionally crazier yet resolutely coherent. The fact that makes these portraits special is that all of them have been taken by a Vivo V5 Plus phone rather than a professional camera," Idris Ahmed told IANS.
Barely 50 metres away is the solo show of Yaakov Agam Yaakov Agam (1928, Rishon Le Zion, Israel). The exhibition explores the theme of the dimensions of art.
Agam's work is amazingly experimental, open and rich. His revolutionary approach led him to create a unique style including the use of geometry, abstraction, vivid colors, black and white. His wall pieces show a different image depending on the position of the viewer: we see images from the front, the right, the left and a myriad in between.
In a bid to support the fair's endeavor to highlight the region's cultural landscape, the Amrapali Museum unveiled key artifacts and fashion jewellery from the Amrapali Museum for the first time to the public. A ground-breaking step towards enlightening the world of India's diverse heritage, the Amrapali Museum is a curation of the country's tribal history all housed under one roof.
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Aside from tribal jewellery acquisitions, the museum houses historic handicrafts, paandaans, hookahs, hand fans used for Mughal kings to name a few.
Apart from these, a wide range of talks and discussions are happening daily at the art fair.
The 2017 edition of the fair also features both longstanding representatives of Indian art and new exhibitors from around the globe who are keen to develop relationships with the Indian art market, including Kalfayan Galleries (Athens), Grey Noise (Dubai), 1x1 Gallery (Dubai), Sabrina Amrani (Madrid) and Lukas Feichtner Galerie (Vienna).
Founded in 2008, India Art Fair is one of South Asia's leading platforms for modern and contemporary art.
The fair that opened for the public on Friday at NSIC grounds, will conclude on February 5.
--IANS
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