The 16th edition of the India Art Fair returns to New Delhi this week, open to the public through February 9. From the NSIC Exhibition Grounds, the presentation, themed “Ecocentrism,” welcomes visitors from around the globe to an exceptional showcase of modern and contemporary art from India and South Asia.
Led in partnership with BMW India, the fair convenes presents 118 exhibitors, including 78 galleries and 24 first-time exhibitors, alongside regional and international art institutions. In addition, six new design studios are seen in its expanded “Design” section, featuring 11 design studios from India and beyond.
Special for the fair is Growing Focus—the fair’s talk series, supported by JSW, with speakers including Tarini Malik, Azu Nwagbogu, Emiko Usui, Jasmine Wahi, Meneesha Kellay, Ferran Barenblit, and Ute Meta Bauer, and more; works by Huma Bhabha and Oscar Murillo by David Zwirner; an outdoor art project by the conceptual artist Claire Fontaine; and city-wide activations during the week, including Gulammohammed Sheikh’s retrospective at The Kiran Nadar Museum of Art and a solo exhibition by Shilpa Gupta at Bikaner House.
Whitewall spoke with Jaya Asokan, the Director of the India Art Fair, about aligning her values with the fair’s and what she’s looking forward to seeing and experiencing this week.
The 2025 Edition of the India Art Fair
Jaya Asokan, portrait courtesy of India Art Fair.
Artwork by Ram Singh Urveti, courtesy of the artist and Ojas Art.
WHITEWALL: As the Fair Director, how do you align your personal vision and passion for art—and interest in important topics like ecotourism—with the broader goals of the India Art Fair?
JAYA ASOKAN: One of the biggest pleasures of leading India Art Fair is to see the fair bring transformative moments with art for so many of our visitors, team, and partners. It is a rare venue where thousands of artists, galleries, art lovers come together to form connections over their love for the arts. Every year, I and the team love to see our home city of Delhi come alive during India Art Fair week, hosting national and international visitors, dynamic exhibitions, events, and fundraisers, each contributing to a deeper appreciation of India’s artistic and cultural heritage.
This year, the noteworthy parallel events include a landmark retrospective of veteran artist Gulammohammed Sheikh at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, artist Shilpa Gupta’s solo exhibition at Bikaner House, Khoj International Artists’ Association’s celebration of 20 years of its Peers Residency Programme, and more.
“Every year, I and the team love to see our home city of Delhi come alive during India Art Fair week,”
Jaya Asokan
The Young Collectors’ Programme, now in its sixth year, is particularly close to my heart as it builds a bridge to the next generation of art patrons. This year, the program partners with STIR to present The Panorama Beyond the Colour Line, an exhibition curated by Prabhakar Kamble, George Varley, and Shamooda Amrelia for Strangers House Gallery. By spotlighting emerging artists from beyond India’s urban centers, it encourages young collectors to engage with fresh voices and perspectives, fostering inclusivity and sustainable growth in the Indian art market.
For me, aligning personal passion with the fair’s goals means creating a platform where art can inspire, challenge, and connect us to each other—and to the wider world—while always looking toward the future.
Avantika Bawa, GB Study, 2023, courtesy of the artist and Blueprint 12.
WW: You mentioned that this year, the 16th edition of India Art Fair Delhi is due to be the “most ambitious showcase of modern and contemporary art and design yet.” Why?
JA: The fair’s 16th edition will see a strong contingent of international exhibitors. This year the fair is presenting a record number of 118 exhibitors, including 78 galleries, 26 institutions, 11 design studios and 1 curated showcase of young Indian designers. Two corporate supporters are platforming process-led unique outdoor projects. The fair will welcome 23 international exhibitors, including 14 galleries and 9 institutional participants. International galleries include some of the largest and most prestigious galleries in the world, including Carpenters Workshop Gallery, Galleria Continua, Lisson Gallery and David Zwirner — all of whom we are proud to count among the India Art Fair family. There will also be stellar presentations by our top Indian galleries including Nature Morte, Chemould Prescott Road, Experimenter, GALLERYSKE, DAG, Vadehra Art Gallery, and Jhaveri Contemporary.
The fair will also host large institutional quality outdoor art projects, including the large-scale tent facade designed by artist Ayesha Singh and supported by MASH (New Delhi). 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 in collaboration with Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA), Khoj International Artists’ Association (KHOJ), and the 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 generously supported by Jaiveer Johal, through the Avtar Foundation for the Arts.
The India Art Fair’s “Focus” and “Design” Sections
Courtesy of Jaipur Rugs.
Courtesy of Vikram Goyal Studio.
WW: The “Focus” section shows solo presentations by emerging and mid-career artists like Teja Gavankar (Sakshi Gallery), Anindita Bhattacharya (Threshold Art Gallery), Arjun Das (Dhi Contemporary), Natasha Das (Marc Straus), Viraj Khanna (Kalakriti Art Gallery), Vipul Prajapati (079 | Stories Art Gallery) and Sandilya Theuerkauf (KYNKYNY Art Gallery). Can you share why these names are spotlit—or what you’d specifically like to highlight about one or two practices?
JA: The “Focus” section spotlights compelling voices shaping the contemporary art landscape. Each artist brings a unique narrative: Teja Gavankar’s work interrogates urban architecture and human interaction, while Anindita Bhattacharya’s miniature-inspired canvases beautifully reimagine traditional forms with an ecological lens. These artists, among others, reflect the diversity and ingenuity of South Asian practices, offering both global relevance and deeply personal storytelling.
WW: Last year, India Art Fair Delhi debuted its “Design” section, which makes a return this year with 11 design studios. Why is design an important category for you to continue to highlight? How would you describe the design work that is emerging in Delhi right now?
JA: Following last year’s success, the “Design” section returns with a stronger focus on craft-led innovations and will incorporate disciplines such as furniture, textiles, and product design, bridging the gap between art and design to create a multidimensional platform. This year, we are thrilled to bring an expanded Design section with limited edition and hand-made collectible design by 11 pioneering studios, exemplifying the thriving design scene in South Asia, and a special showcase featuring emerging Indian designers, curated by Alaiia Gujral. Joining some of our returning Design studios such as Vikram Goyal and ROOSHADSHROFF are new participants such as Jaipur Rugs, Studio Nyn, and Studio Raw Material, all showing incredibly thoughtful and conceptual design practices.
We at India Art Fair firmly believe that there are no boundaries between creative fields, and artists of all kinds have always been in dialogue to broaden their practices and generate new ideas. The returning collectible Design section at India Art Fair is built upon this concept, and seeks to open up art and culture to promote even greater cross-pollination among creative disciplines and increase our offering to collectors.
South Asia is quickly becoming a global design destination, with design studios from the region being shown around the world. India Art Fair’s Design section will showcase some of these pioneers, who pay homage to South Asia’s long history of craft while making contemporary interventions and defining a new South Asian aesthetic.
There are no boundaries between creative fields
Jaya Asokan
The 2025 Artists in Residence
Courtesy of the India Art Fair.
WW: Each year, the fair also champions the diversity of emerging artistic practices through its Artists in Residence program. Can you share more details about this year’s resident artists— Imon Chetia Phukan, liactuallee, and Umesh S.—and the work they’re making that aligns with the fair’s overall messaging?
JA: Each year, the fair champions a diversity of young artistic practices and boundary-breaking voices through its Artists In Residence program. This year’s resident artists include: Textile and mixed-media artist, Imon Chetia Phukan from Guwahati, Assam, will present a brand-new hand-stitched textile installation titled The Forest that I return to presented in partnership with the Royal College of Art. Presenting a fresh, new series of large-scale works on textile and canvas that explore Imon’s imagined forests where woman, man and animals move fluidly through the landscape. Contemporary visual artist, Liactuallee, will bring a large-scale soft sculpture titled Transmutations, supported by SoulTree. Transmutations is an outdoor installation that weaves overlooked materials and the tactile practice of crochet to reflect on the transformative power of imagination, and the ecological future of our planet. Following its premiere at India Art Fair 2025, Liactuallee’s work will travel to Museo – The Children’s Museum, providing an extended opportunity for engagement. Interdisciplinary artist Umesh Singh, with roots in Bhojpur, Bihar, will showcase his ongoing observations of agrarian life through a large-scale installation of found, reclaimed, and repurposed farming tools from across diverse Indian farming communities and histories titled My village is going Abandon (परती हो रहल बा हमर गाँव).
The fair champions a diversity of young artistic practices and boundary-breaking voices
Jaya Asokan
Outdoor Art at the India Art Fair
Sudhir Patwardhan, View from the Tea Shop, 2023, courtesy the artist and Vadehra Art Gallery.
WW: The fair’s “Outdoor Art Projects” section features a large-scale tent façade designed by tattoo artist Ayesha Singh and supported by MASH from New Delhi. Inside, conceptual artist duo CLAIREFONTAINE will create an LED installation that builds upon their work in the “Foreigners Everywhere” Venice Biennale show last year. How does working with unassuming art practices, like tattoo and light, enhance what’s seen inside—video installations, interactive performances, moving works, etc.?
JA: Contemporary artists always respond to their contexts, using materials, mediums and ideas from their surroundings to use in their practices. Artists like Ayesha Singh, who employs architectural forms and materials, or CLAIREFONTAINE, whose LED installations interrogate cultural narratives, utilize their mediums as conduits for reflection and dialogue. These practices are deeply rooted in the everyday—architecture, light, movement—making them accessible yet layered with meaning.
For instance, Ayesha’s facade draws on architectural language to remember erased and forgotten spatial histories and identities, creating a dynamic entryway that situates the fair within a broader socio-cultural dialogue. Similarly, Claire Fontaine’s LED work expands on the conceptual terrain of “Foreigners Everywhere,” using light as both a metaphor and medium to interrogate belonging and displacement. These outdoor installations invite viewers to engage with art at a scale and immediacy that traditional indoor spaces might not facilitate.
Commissioned Artwork at Art India
Munem Wasif, Onabadi (Uncultivated) 8, 2023-2024, courtesy of the artist and Project 88.
Courtesy of Gunjan Gupta.
WW: Other outdoor projects specifically commissioned for the fair include works by Asim Waqif and Mohd. Intiyaz and Yogesh Barve. Can you tell us more about those public works?
JA: Inspired by James Baldwin’s works, Yogesh’s installation I Am Not Your Dalit uses Ambedkar’s writings to confront ongoing social issues. Reimagining everyday objects like LED tickers from railway stations, the work calls attention to how important social and historical texts have faded from public consciousness. It further offers a platform for reflection on the intersection of anti-caste activism, technology, and future societal dynamics, thereby highlighting issues of access to education, technology and marginalised histories. The project is supported by Mumbai-based gallery Art and Charlie.
Drawing from personal experiences, Intiyaz recreates his childhood memories in his outdoor installation titled Dar-Badar 2.0, which is made of waste metal pipes. Entangled in a maze of water pots, the artist and his siblings spent many a day trekking between taps, burdened by the uncertainty of when their water shortages would end. The pipes signify resourcefulness, and the fiber-cast figures burdened by the responsibility of the heavy pots embody resilience. The project is supported by Method and the Living Waters Museum.
Asim Waqif’s outdoor installation MAKE-SHIFT, produced by Laxcon Steels Limited uses a second-hand cement truck from a chassis fabricator and metal scrap collected over the past 7 months from Laxcon’s facility in Ahmedabad, Asim uses improvisation to harness the rawness of metal and the energy of chance to create this monumental mobile artwork. The meaning behind this is left to the viewer with these words: What is this monster before you? Explore, but be careful. There are many sharp and rusted edges.
Courtesy of Studio Renn.
WW: What impact do you hope the initiatives of the artists presenting in this year’s edition will have on the next generation of Indian artists and designers?
JA: The initiatives presented by artists in this year’s edition aim to inspire the next generation of Indian artists and designers by showcasing the breadth of possibilities within contemporary creative practices. Through their work, these artists challenge conventional boundaries, address pressing social and environmental issues, and explore innovative forms of storytelling that draw from both local traditions and global discourses.
By spotlighting diverse mediums—from painting and sculpture to performance, design, and experimental forms—we hope to encourage younger practitioners to embrace interdisciplinary approaches, take risks, and develop their own unique voices. Moreover, the fair’s emphasis on themes like ecocentrism and sustainability underscores the role of art and design in creating a more conscious and equitable world.
Ultimately, these initiatives aim to foster a vibrant and inclusive art ecosystem where emerging talent is nurtured, diverse narratives are celebrated, and Indian art and design continue to evolve and make waves on the global stage.
India Art Fair’s Partnership with BMW
Ngozi Omeje Ezema, This too shall also pass II, 2022, courtesy of the artist and kó.
WW: This year marks a milestone in the longstanding partnership between the India Art Fair and BMW India, as you’re celebrating nine years of collaboration with the expanded The Future is Born of Art Commission. Can you tell us more about this program?
JA: One of the largest artist commissions in India, the initiative continues to support promising young Indian artists on a global stage. For the 2025 edition, the commission has been awarded to the artist duo NON-LINEAR X CURSORAMA for their extraordinary project, Biolume.
Biolume will be an immersive installation inspired by the natural wonder of bioluminescence and brought to life through cutting-edge generative art. By weaving together light, motion, and sound, the work will create a dynamic space for audiences to reflect on the fragile equilibrium of our ecosystems and humanity’s role in fostering sustainable living. Integral to the narrative are the BMW iX1, MINI Countryman Electric, and Motorrad CE 02 and CE 04, seamlessly blending art, design and technology.
WW: This spring, what are you excited about seeing, doing, or experiencing?
JA: In 2025, I’m particularly excited about the continued ascent of South Asian art on the global stage. With South Asian artists gaining representation at marquee events like the Venice Biennale and Indian galleries increasing their footprint at international fairs, it’s an exciting time to witness this momentum firsthand. The growing recognition of South Asian voices promises a year filled with meaningful dialogues and collective thinking.
“Artists are challenging traditional boundaries and reimagining what contemporary art can achieve,”
Jaya Asokan
This year, I’m particularly eager to see how transdisciplinarity in the arts will unfold. I’m inspired by unlikely collaborations emerging in the art world, where artists are challenging traditional boundaries and reimagining what contemporary art can achieve. Initiatives like the Focus sections at India Art Fair, which spotlight these practices, will undoubtedly lead to groundbreaking works and encourage emerging artists and designers to bring fresh perspectives and experimental approaches to the forefront. Their voices are shaping the future of the art world in exciting ways. I’m also keeping a close eye on emerging art hubs like Hampi Art Labs and the Jaipur Centre for Art, as they represent a significant decentralization of India’s art ecosystem and are opening up new opportunities for collectors and artists alike.
This spring, I plan to immerse myself in these developments, attending exhibitions and engaging with the dynamic art markets both in India and internationally. The season promises to be a time of exploration, inspiration, and collaboration, setting the tone for an extraordinary year ahead.
