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It couldn't have been a more perfect day for viewing art. Bright skies, golden sunshine warming the back as one walked down to the two halls within which the best of international art is going to be displayed for four days. As one entered the first hall, a sudden onslaught of form, design and colour greeted the eye. One would have thought that two hours would be enough to waltz around the space and get a sense of the art on display. You couldn't have been be more mistaken. I realised after an hour that I had barely covered 30 per cent of the ground at the fair. With 90 booths at the fair, the seventh edition has witnessed an increase in participation from both national and international galleries. But there seem to be a lot more group shows as compared to the solo shows, that had dominated the fair last year. "Solo shows work better sometimes as they are more focused. In group shows, your attention tends to waver," said Anu Bajaj of Gallery Art Positive, who is showing work by two artists in her booth.
As wine flowed readily during the preview, the glasses became entities of their own, making it difficult to negotiate through the space without bumping into a tumbler containing the reds or the whites. The first day was as much about interacting with art as about the interpersonal interactions between the gallerists, artists and the collectors. Long lost friends seemed to be uniting nearly everywhere as screams of recognition were heard erupting like minefields inside the hall. "This is like a social do, with the amount of air kissing that's going on," said one PR person, who was waiting till Saturday to bring her family to the fair when the excitement would have simmered down a little. It was also fascinating to watch artists like Subodh Gupta and Nalini Malani discuss schools and forms of art, other than the ones they practice, while conoisseurs like Shobha Deepak Singh and Amal Allana were seen interacting with art enthusaists. It was also a chance to discover artists who might have been relegated to the background in the past several years. For instance, Delhi-based Dhoomimal Art Gallery had a special segment on Bimal Das Gupta, an artist whose work was considered important in the 1960s and 70s, but who faded away a little in the past two decades or so, only to be rediscovered now.
Here are some of the highlights from Day 1 at the India Art Fair:
-- A huge, bright blue circle and unique lithographs and collage on paper greet the eye as soon as you enter Hall 1 at the fair. These are some of the works in display at Mumbai-based Volte Art Project's booth. It's a great opportunity to view the work of William Kentridge, the South Africa-based artist who has been rated as one of the top international artists for the political content and innovative techniques used in his art. There is also the work by Based Upon, a team of artists and designers from the UK, who is known for using liquid metal in large scale artworks and sculptural furniture.
-- Just a little ahead, at the booth of Galerie Mirchandani, also from Mumbai, one can see three huge works in ink by Buddhadev Mukherjee. From afar, these seem like any other abstract, but if you go closer you can see the canvases teeming with hundreds of thousands of figures engaged in everyday, mundane activities. "This is his first solo show. Mukherjee did his residency in China and one can see influences from the region in the kind of ink and paper that he has used," says Kanan from the gallery. -- For a snapshot of the evolution of Indian art, visit Art Heritage's booth. There you will find classic works by K G Subramanyan and Somnath Hore, the doyens of Modernist art. The vibrant arcylics, oils and reverse paintings by Subramanyan and the often monochromatic watercolours of Hore offer a striking contrast when viewed together. And yet, there is a similarity in the pathos that is reflected in both their work. This is also a rare opportunity to view Kodak C-prints by M F Husain. "When I heard that they are showing M F Husain, I thought that some of his paintings will be displayed," says Bengaluru-based photographer Cop Shiva, who is also showing his "Culture of the Street" series at the booth. "These are the first few photographs taken by Husain and they have a very painting-like quality to them."
-- S H Raza, F N Souza, Krishen Khanna: the best of the Masters can be seen at Dhoomimal Art Gallery's booth. "There is an entire segment devoted to Khanna -- from his early works dating to the '60s to the more later ones," says Uday Jain of the gallery. Then there is a special showcase of the work by Bimal Das Gupta, who Jain says was a very strong artist in the 1960s. But in the 1990s after he and his children passed away, a lot of his paintings were offloaded into the art market, resulting in his work getting underrvalued. "But now, we are seeing a revival of interest in his work," says Jain. For a glimpse of the Masters, also visit the booth of Ahmedabad-based Archer Art Gallery, where one can find huge Raza masterpieces being admired by a throng of art enthusiasts.
-- There are a series of interesting works by contemporary artists that deserve mention. The Silent Wheel by Meera Devidayal at the booth of Mumbai-based Chemould Prescott Road is a must-see. This digital print on canvas with a video component has been receiving a fair share of attention. Then there is the ode to the good ol' handwritten letter by Nandita Kumar who is showing at Lakeeren's booth. A huge replica of the Victoria Terminus by TVS Santhosh, titled "Threshold of a Dream", is also striking with its ticking timers. This is the artist's interpretation memorialises a city that never seems to sleep, while constantly watching over and cherishing people's dreams. The ticking timers lend a sense of impending doom, especially in the context of the 26/11 attack.
