The Wall Feb 2014 | Page 6

cover story Glimpses from the India Art Fair 2014 same art, nothing new 1. 1.Deebjyoti Kalita’s work at Latitude 28 2. ’Aura’ by Subodh Gupta, presented by GALLERYSKE 3. ’The Last Supper’ as envisioned by Raseel Gujral 2. BY T H E WALL EDITO RIAL T EAM 7. Cluttered Claustrophobic ...are words that flashed across our minds as we made our rounds of the 6th edition of India Art Fair. Everything was the same old same old, with nothing to hold the viewer’s attention. When the India Art Fair moved to its current location at NSIC grounds in 2012, they raised the bar by putting up a fair of international standards. However, stagnation seems to have set in since then. Innovation is lacking in terms of the layout; it was very claustrophobic. Even on the day of the VIP preview, people were jostling with each other, negotiating their way among a labyrinth created by the many unnecessary walls. There were simply no memorable works at the fair and it was missing some cutting – edge contemporary art. Many collectors experienced déjà vu and we know of a few who exited the fair in 30 minutes. Conversely, there were a few elements like an interior designer’s booth and jewellery’s designer’s collection which was unveiled on the VIP preview day which had nothing to do with the art fair. 8. 3. 9. 4. 7.Anjali Sultania at Pallette Art 8. Work by Chris Bracey at SCREAM London 9. Atul Dodiya for Vadhera Art Gallery Don’t get us wrong. 4. Valay Shende’s metallic clothesline at Sakshi Gallery 5.Jitish Kallat at Nature Morte 6. Valay Shende at Sakshi Gallery We’re not criticizing but we feel that this part could have been balanced only if these too spoke a contemporary language or, even better, if the organisers flew down the 6. 5.