India Art Fair

  • April 25, 2022
  • Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
  • Category: DPN Topics
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India Art Fair

Subject: Art & Culture

Context- The India Art Fair (IAF) opens on April 28 in New Delhi after a year’s break owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Concept-

  • It is the biggest event for Indian art and artists, besides the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, which, unlike the fair, is not aimed at commerce.
  • This will be the 13th edition of the fair.
  • The IAF was conceived in 2008 by Neha Kirpal, a graduate in political science from Lady Shri Ram College in New Delhi, who worked in public relations before studying marketing at the University of Arts in London.

Art fairs in history:

  • Religious festivals are seen as the oldest precursors to art fairs.
  • These gatherings, which were often annual, and centred on religion and commerce, saw the representation and display of rare items, often from faraway places.
  • Festivals of this kind were held in the Roman Empire, and under the Greek and Han dynasties.
  • In medieval times, one of the earliest art fairs was hosted in 1460 in the courtyard of the Church of Our Lady in Antwerp, where manuscripts, paintings, sculptures, and illustrations were displayed.
  • The 17th and 18th centuries saw the rise of sample fairs aimed at advertising and promoting new items.
  • The birth of the modern-day art fair is traced to the Cologne Art Market, started in 1967 by two gallery owners based in Cologne, Germany.
    • It was conceived as a trade fair where German galleries set up temporary stalls to exhibit works.
  • In 2015, The European Fine Art Fair Market Report estimated that art fair sales amounted to approximately EUR 9.8 billion in 2014, 40 per cent of total dealer sales.

World’s biggest art fairs

  • The first art fairs opened in Europe and the US, but according to UBS’s Art Market Report, there were almost 300 international art shows in 2018 across every continent, with about 52 per cent of the fairs being held in Europe.
  • While New York’s annual Armory Show has showcased modern and contemporary art since 1994, Art Basel in Switzerland is widely considered to be the biggest contemporary art fair.
    • Art Basel established Art Basel Miami Beach in 2002, and also expanded to Asia, with Art Basel in Hong Kong since 2013.

Important Indian Fairs:

  1. Kumbh Mela
    1. The Kumbh Mela is the world’s largest religious gathering.
    2. The mela (gathering) is conducted in four auspicious Hindu pilgrimage sites on a rotating basis: Allahabad, Haridwar, Nashik-Trimbak, and Ujjain.
    3. The exact dates are decided by the positions of the Sun, Moon, and Jupiter in the zodiac.
  2. Sonepur Mela
    1. It is one of Asia’s major cattle fairs.
    2. The mela takes place at the confluence of the Ganga and the Gandak rivers in Sonepur, Bihar.
  3. Chitra Vichitra Fair
    1. It is Gujarat’s largest tribal fair, attended primarily by the ‘Gharasia’ and ‘Bhil’ tribes.
    2. The tribals dress up in their traditional garb and display their tribal culture.
  4. Pushkar Fair
    1. The Pushkar Mela is an annual fair in Rajasthan that takes place on Kartik Poornima Day and lasts roughly a week.
    2. It is one of the world’s largest camel and cattle fairs. It is a period when Rajasthani farmers buy and sell cattle, but most of the business occurs in the days preceding up to the fair.
  5. Desert Festival
    1. In February, Jaisalmer hosts this three-day spectacle.
    2. The festival celebrates Rajasthan’s colourful culture. It gives visitors a taste of the local culture and highlights many aspects of Rajasthani culture.
    3. Colorful traditional dances, trips to the dunes, tying competitions, camel rides, and other activities are available among Rajasthan’s golden sands.
  6. Surajkund Crafts Fair
    1. This is an annual international crafts show held near Faridabad, Haryana, for a fortnight starting on February 1st. It highlights regional and worldwide crafts and cultural heritage.
  7. Goa Carnival
    1. The Goa Carnival was brought to India by the Portuguese. It takes place 40 days before Lent, a time of fasting and spiritual reflection.
    2. It entails food and merriment. People come out in masks to party in the streets. It is a tribute to Goa’s rich past and culture, with a strong Portuguese influence.
  8. Hemis Gompa Mela
    1. The Hemis Gompa fair is a religious event that is considered one of India’s most auspicious occasions for the Buddhist community.
    2. The world-famous Hemis Gompa, often known as “the world’s largest Buddhist monastery,” is located in Ladakh and hosts a magnificent fair in January/February.
    3. The famed Hemis Gompa is hidden within the Hemis National Park, surrounded by mountain peaks.
  9. Ambubasi Fair
    1. The Ambubasi Fair is one of several religious fairs and festivals held throughout India.
    2. Every year during the monsoon, the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati, Assam, hosts a three-day traditional fair.
    3. For the three-day customary fair, tens of thousands of devotees from all across the country flocked to the Kamakhya Temple.
Arts and culture India Art Fair