Delhi beyond the fairgrounds: A look at the Parallel Programmes of India Art Fair 2024

India Art Fair’s upcoming 15th edition (February 1 – 4, 2024) sees the recurring South Asian art fair at the heart of an extensive month-long Parallel Programme in New Delhi, India. Several local galleries and institutions in the city’s thriving Indian art ecosystem present an eclectic offering of exhibitions, stretching across creative disciplines. While the exhibitors may be Delhi-based, the practices on display hail from all over India, and include South Asian artists, and artists from the rest of the world as well. The Parallel Programme for the art festival joins the series of talks, workshops and performances at India Art Fair (IAF) 2024, and expands IAF’s showcase far beyond what is on display at its venue, at NSIC Exhibition Grounds, Okhla. The festivalgoers, especially the international visitors, will be keen to witness the extended programmes as they offer a once-in-a-year opportunity to soak in the wider South Asian art discourse that New Delhi has to offer.

Photography highlights from IAF 2024’s Parallel Programme include a look at the archives of India’s first Magnum photographer Raghu Rai, courtesy of the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA), works by Iranian photographer Zahra Yazdani, presented by LATITUDE 28, and never-before-seen photographs by Sunil Gupta at Vadhera Art Gallery. Re: Public’s selection of works from the Alkazi Theatre Archives and Alkazi Collection of Photography are also noteworthy, as they focus on Homai Vyarawalla, who was India’s first lady photojournalist.

Besides these photography exhibitions, there is also an expansive presentation of rare works by Indian modernist F.N. Souza, currently on display at Dhoomimal Gallery, along with a look into the archives of his contemporary Indian artist Jyoti Bhatt, at the aforementioned Vadhera Art Gallery. Polish artist Alicja Kwade is showing in India for the first time at Nature Morte and Shrine Empire is presenting surreal works by Anoli Perera, who hails from Colombo. Meanwhile, Anant Art Gallery has a group show by nine women artists.

These highlights are but a small taste of the Delhi-based art exhibition series running in parallel to India Art Fair 2024. There are also several exciting art exhibitions and events on view at the STIR Gallery, 2, North Dr, Block C, Westend DLF Chattarpur Farms, which were unveiled to mark the start of IAF’s Young Collectors’ Programme (YCP), on display from January 27 – February 4. These included ‘Lateral B(/)inds’, a group exhibition by IMMERSE, undertaken in response to contemporary biopolitics, The Politics of Colour by The Voice of Fashion, which explores the intersection of India’s current geopolitical moment and the nation’s rich colour palette, and Photo-chemical Rasoi, a durational performance piece by Harkat studios that brings elements of filmmaking into a garden. There is also the art installation Future Fables by conceptual artist Vibha Galhotra undertaken with the support of Nature Morte explores the transformations of urban environments through construction waste. The Augmented Reality (AR) exhibition fAr out, presented by PlucTV and Snap India, and Memorial to Socialist Modernity by architect Rohit Raj Mehndiratta, which addresses public consciousness through the destruction of three urban spaces in India. Finally, on January 27, the STIR Gallery also hosted Are you seeing what I’m seeing, a film performance by the aforementioned Harkat Studio and a live music set presented by Boxout.fm and MadStarBase.

The Voice of Fashion will present The Politics of Non-Colour at A&T on February 3, a day before the closing of the YCP at the STIR Gallery. The art event will feature David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore of the fashion brand Abraham & Thakore (A&T), discussing what black and white means to the brand. Lastly, the STIR Gallery will host The Hidden Flavours of Delhi’s Food Culture by GOYA, which will place a spotlight on New Delhi’s complex food culture, built through the contributions of immigrant communities. With such a wealth of arts and culture events to pick from at IAF 2024, the visitors will undoubtedly have plenty to keep them busy as they explore Delhi’s thriving art scene at the fairgrounds and beyond.