The 12th edition of India Art Festival is back in Mumbai with a wide art collection

This year India Art Festival is offering not only a visual feast but also a multitude of fusion shows, live music performances, mesmerising live painting demonstrations, and captivating film screenings. (Painting by Asha Shetty (Left)/Kanishka Mehra (Right))

Mumbai is all set to welcome 45 art galleries and 550 artists for the 12th edition of the India Art Festival hosted at the Nehru Centre in Worli from February 8-11. After a successful show in Delhi and Bengaluru, the upcoming edition of the India Art Festival in Mumbai presents city art lovers with wide choices of over 5000 artworks in various styles, different mediums, and myriad subjects. For art enthusiasts and collectors alike, the India Art Festival 2024 is a celebration of diversity, creativity, and the timeless allure of artistic expression.

This year India Art Festival is offering not only a visual feast but also a multitude of fusion shows, live music performances, mesmerising live painting demonstrations, and captivating film screenings. A standout feature of the event is the enlightening film "The Eternal Canvas - 12,000 Years Journey through Indian Art," a cinematic exploration of India's rich artistic heritage spanning millennia. This cinematic journey provides a sweeping overview of the evolution of Indian art, from prehistoric times to contemporary expressions.

Rajendra Patil, the founder and director of India Art Festival, also serves as the President of the Bombay Art Society, one of the oldest Indian art institutions founded in 1888, and Editor & Publisher of the Indian Contemporary Art Journal, a quarterly art magazine, says, "The primary inspiration behind initiating the India Art Festival back in 2011 was to create a platform that showcases and promotes contemporary art in India, with a particular focus on young emerging artists and mid-level art galleries, as it is often challenging for them to access such platforms or enter the art fair circuit due to huge cost factor."

This year quite a few galleries are showcasing on the second floor along with many independent artists showcasing their creative genes while also becoming the platform for art collectors and buyers to directly initiate a dialogue with the emerging pool of artistic talents.

Seascapes, landscapes, rural and urban scenarios, and abstracts are seen in abundance in the Artists Pavilion with names like Nandini Bajekal, Palak Doshi, Shankar Sharma, Ria Das, Suresh Gosavi, Deepika Shah, Sunandini Balan, Sumatilal Bagde, Kanchan Mahate, Neh Jhunjhuwala, Ridhi Parekh Sandhya Singh, Sapna Agarwal, Arti Bhandari, Ashwin Kumar, Yuvraj Patil Uma Krishnamoorthy, Anushika Dhoot, Pinky Bhatt, Saket Arbhi, Ishita Chowdhury, Asha Shetty, Rashmi Pote, Falguni Mehta, Sharu Anjirbag, Vidita Singh, Madhvi Bhaskar, Susmita Mandal, Geetu Kalani, most of whom are presenting their solo shows.

The solo projects by more than 30 artists on the second floor are a revelation of artistic brilliance, hosting works by over 200 individual artists in group shows, and providing them with a unique opportunity to get discovered alongside master artists. Shashwati Devsharma's abstract works, characterised by vivid colour swathes, and Swara Inamdar's art pieces that approach colour field paintings, are captivating highlights.

A myriad of artistic expressions unfolds with Janhavi Bhide, Abhijit Bose, Anisha Kotibhaskar, and Hema Parekh delving into a semi-abstract idiom, offering multiple possible interpretations. Dipti Kadrekar, Nayana Das, and Neerja Kujur present animal-themed artworks, featuring bulls, dogs, stags, and symbolic bird paintings by Mukta Kulkarni.

Exhibition: India Art Festival
Venue: Nehru Centre, Worli, Mumbai
Date: February 8 to 11, 2024
Time: 11.00 to 8.00 pm daily