The state of art: Good

India’s leading art fair, in its 16th year now, is at its largest size ever, with 120 exhibitors, including 78 galleries, 28 institutions, 11 design studios and 1 curated showcase of young Indian designers. “This year marks the India Art Fair’s largest edition yet, a testament to 16 years of steady growth and a deep commitment to nurturing India’s thriving arts ecosystem,” points out Jaya Asokan, Fair Director, India Art Fair. “The addition of new exhibitors signals the growing allure and influence of the fair, as well as the increasing interest in the region as a whole.”

Participants include 22 international exhibitors, including 13 galleries, seven institutional participants and two outdoor projects. While IAF regulars have been familiar with the works brought by names such as Galleria Continua and Carpenters Workshop Gallery, there are returning international powerhouses such as David Zwirner and Lisson Gallery, which are surfacing after years. There are also debuts including kó (Lagos) and Unit 7./ Prahlad Bubbar (London) and galleries from Tier II and Tier III cities, highlighting India’s decentralised art market growth.

IAF has evolved since it began its remarkable journey, with changes in venue, ownership and even its form and extent. “India Art Fair’s mission remains to prioritise the needs of galleries and artists from the region to ensure that we continue leading the way in supporting the growth of the South Asian arts ecosystem,” underscores Asokan. “We believe the best way to do this is to work on developing meaningful initiatives in collaboration with local cultural institutions to complement existing programming and strengthen the market in Delhi, Mumbai and the diverse span of art hubs across India. This is reflected in the fact that the fair has evolved into being a year-round endeavour. We operate 365 days a year to bring the arts closer to people and foster deeper engagement with culture.”

Indeed, IAF has been making moves to expand its home base of Delhi. “Moving forward, we are particularly focussed on developing meaningful initiatives in collaboration with key local stakeholders to complement existing programming and strengthen the market,” says Asokan. “We continuously consult with our exhibitors and stakeholders and believe the best way to further support the local market is to work on developing a meaningful programme of collaborations with cultural institutions to complement existing programming, strengthening the market in Mumbai and Delhi, but also expanding the scope more broadly across India, to incorporate its many diverse art centres. India Art Fair has been embedded in the wider Indian art scene for many years and we look forward to continuing our ongoing work with cultural institutions in Mumbai and across the country to foster and support emerging art scenes through a new year-round programme of events and activations for 2025 that complements existing programming.”

Great contemporary trends

While IAF no longer reveals the number of attendees, even cursory evidence suggests the halls are packed, gallery owners return annually, their sold-out stickers overtly visible everywhere. It’s a place to be seen at for the city’s elite. For those interested in the art, IAF offers a great dipstick of contemporary trends. Budding creators can be inspired by the sheer array of artworks on display. Entry prices this year start from Rs1,500 to Rs9,000 (Rs800 for students) – still a steal for the range of artworks on display. Could it extend beyond its commercial cocoon and reflect the tensions of our times? The art works are left to do that. Meanwhile, salivate and hopefully get inspired by the works of global greats such as Ai Weiwei, Yayoi Kusama and Dan Flavin. Along with just about every leading Indian artist – modern and contemporary. 

Box 1

Beyond the booths

The fair will host large institutional quality outdoor art projects, including the large-scale tent facade designed by artist Ayesha Singh and supported by MASH (New Delhi).

• Sculptural artist M. Pravat brings a multi-layered experience, supported by Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA).

• Conceptual artist-duo CLAIREFONTAINE will create an LED installation, building upon their celebrated work Foreigners Everywhere at the 2024 Venice Biennale, and supported by the Italian Embassy Cultural Centre. Inspired by the diverse multilingualism of the country, the phrase ‘Foreigners Everywhere’ will be re-imagined in different Indian languages as part of a series of city-wide interventions including at KNMA, Khoj International Artists’ Association, Italian Embassy Cultural Centre and Sunder Nursery of Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) during the week of India Art Fair.

• Hylozoic/Desires (Himali Singh Soin and David Soin Tappeser) will present a moving image work, The Hedge of Halomancy, with synchronous installations at Sharjah Biennale, Tate Britain, India Art Fair and Somerset House, the presentation at India Art Fair 2025 is supported by Jaiveer Johal, through the Avtar Foundation for the Arts.

• Other outdoor projects, specially commissioned for the fair, include works by artist Asim Waqif, supported by Laxcon Steels (Ahmedabad) and work by emerging artists Mohd. Intiyaz, supported by METHOD (Mumbai/New Delhi) and the Living Waters Museum (Pune) and Yogesh Barve, supported by Art & Charlie (Mumbai).

• Comprising solo presentations curated by participating galleries, the Focus section showcases mixed media works by emerging and mid-career artists curated by participating galleries or institutions. In 2025, the featured artists include Anindita Bhattacharya, Threshold Art Gallery (New Delhi), Sandilya Theuerkauf, KYNKYNY Art Gallery (Bengaluru) and Teja Gavankar, Sakshi Gallery (Mumbai), to name a few. 

Box 2

Design art

India Art Fair 2025 will see the return of an expanded Design section, featuring 11 eminent design studios from India and beyond platforming process-led unique and collectible works. These include studios from across the country and with a diverse array of practices including Ashiesh Shah (Mumbai), DeMuro Das (New Delhi/New York), Gunjan Gupta (New Delhi), Studio Nyn (Mumbai), Studio Raw Material (Makrana/Jaipur) and Vikram Goyal (New Delhi), among others.

The 2025 edition of the fair also presents a selection of emerging Indian designers curated by Alaiia Gujral in a section titled ‘Shifting Horizons’. An established curator who has directed projects at the London Design Biennale, Alaiia Gujral’s selection will prioritise practitioners juxtaposing India’s craftsmanship traditions with contemporary design sensibilities in their work and showcase the future of India’s unique design identity.