By IANS,
New Delhi : More than 600 young Indian artists have brought nearly 2,000 art works in an independent display-cum-sale of contemporary art at Pragati Maidan in the capital at the four-day United Art Fair Sept 27-30.
The fair, which began with a preview Thursday, has provided maximum free space to the emerging artists to interface with buyers, collectors, curators and theorists without the interference of galleries. The artists are from the smaller towns around the country.
According to Anurag Sharma, director of United Artlogistics Pvt Ltd, which has conceived the fair, “the showcase is the first venture to bring art into the open and make it accessible to the average citizen”.
“Though art is too subjective to be a universal language, it can be truly appreciated only if it reaches the people and not merely remain confined to exhibitions that attract only a chosen few,” Sharma said.
The art works have been curated from across multi-disciplines – paintings, sculptures, photography, new media and print-making.
Fair curator Johnny ML said the “best work will be awarded a cash prize of Rs 151,000 and the best 100 works will be taken around the country and overseas in travelling exhibitions”.
The fair, divided into segments, has a special section devoted to Raja Deen Dayal, the pioneer of Indian photography. Nearly 30 photographs from the Raja Deen Dayal estate in Hyderabad have been brought to the fair by Priya Singhal, who heads the estate.
A special section, “Mind the Gap”, will feature upcoming artists and masters to explore the chronological evolution of Indian contemporary art and the changing art practises down the decades. A video lounge of 15 artists has fused aesthetics with visual technology.
A Masters’ Corner and Printmaking section have tried to present a holistic picture of Indian art – from the early prints to the avant garde oil compositions by modern masters like M.F. Husain, Akbar Padamsee, Anjolie Ela Menon, Krishan Khanna, J. Swaminathan and Ram Kumar.
Four seminars, “Photography Today”, “Photography Today Presentations”, “Curatorial Practises” and “Arts Administration” supported by the Lalit Kala Akademi will also be held.
Fair director Anurag Sharma said the “prices will be affordable to draw the common buyer”.