Renowned Chinese artist Ai Weiwei expressed admiration for the Indian Art Fair, noting its “special quality” driven by local artists and their deep understanding of tradition, despite his personal reluctance to attend such events. The comment emerged during a conversation on February 6 at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) in Saket, where Ai, in dialogue with Chief Curator Roobina Karode and Guggenheim’s Alexandra Munroe, explored his practice’s resistance to closure, and shared anecdotes regarding his creative process.
The 17th edition of India Art Fair has opened at the NSIC Exhibition Grounds with a scale and ambition that clearly signal a new phase for South Asian art. Returning from 5–8 February 2026, the fair convenes a record exhibitor list of more than 130 participants, including 94 galleries, alongside institutions, foundations and design studios, making this the broadest showcase in its history.
Fair director Jaya Asokan frames this edition as a turning point. She describes the 17th edition as “an important step in building new bridges for South Asian art, taking its talent to the world” and speaks of the region entering “a new moment of possibility”. She added that “bringing together leading galleries, alongside an expansive programme of talks, commissions and institutional collaborations, the fair continues to strengthen its role as the definitive meeting point for South Asia’s art ecosystem.”
Speaking ahead of the fair, Kozhi Muziris Biennale Founder Bose Krishnamachari remarked that he is excited and looking forward to new revelations and artists at the fair. He also praised the IAF team and called them wonderful.
On the ground, that ambition is visible in the mix of modernists, contemporary artists and cross-disciplinary practices. Historical figures such as M.F. Husain, S.H. Raza and Tyeb Mehta sit in dialogue with international names including Ai Weiwei, Yayoi Kusama and Michelangelo Pistoletto, brought in by galleries from Europe, East Asia, Africa and the United States. The result is a layered, sometimes unruly conversation rather than a neatly packaged “India story”, and it is precisely in this friction that the fair finds its energy.
Gallerists, too, are reading the fair as a space to stretch their narratives. “In the Galleries section, our focus is on multidisciplinary artistic practices,” says Sunaina Anand, founder-director of Art Alive Gallery. ‘Impermeable’, Jayasri Burman’s solo project in the Focus section, explores her engagement with discourses on gender, ecology and global concerns.
For Roshini Vadehra of Vadehra Art Gallery, the fair is an opportunity to choreograph a controlled overload. “Our curation will include a range of mediums,” she notes. “Special highlights include a mechanical, painted rolling shutter by Atul Dodiya, concealing a second painting within it; a large-scale embroidered textile work by Shilpa Gupta; NS Harsha’s new oil on canvas featuring his iterative pattern of eating figures; a large-scale layered textile work by Anju Dodiya and much more.” The list itself reads like a condensed map of contemporary Indian practice, moving from painting and textiles to kinetic and conceptual work.
If galleries and artists are the visible protagonists, long-term partners like BMW Group India provide an important backstory of patronage. “BMW Group India’s decade-long partnership with India Art Fair reflects our unwavering belief that culture, creativity, and innovation are inseparable pillars of progress,” says Hardeep Singh Brar, President and CEO, BMW Group India. “Through ‘The Future is Born of Art’ Commission and our presence at this vibrant platform, we celebrate the power of artistic expression to shape a sustainable and inclusive future.” His words position the fair firmly at the intersection of culture, design and technology, echoed by BMW’s commissioning of Afrah Shafiq’s large-scale façade work and the presentation of the BMW Concept Speedtop at the collectors’ lounge.
Beyond sales and sponsorships, the 2026 fair leans heavily on discourse. The talks programme, “What Makes Art Happen? – Rising to Challenge”, curated by Shaleen Wadhwana and supported by JSW, brings together museum directors like Dr Tristram Hunt and Dr Alexandra Munroe with artists and grassroots practitioners, while a parallel performance and outdoor programme extends conversations into questions of ecology, care and public space. As Delhi’s museums, heritage venues and galleries plug into the Parallel Programme, the city itself begins to feel like an extended pavilion.
Athmaja Biju is the Editor at Abir Pothi. She is a Translator and Writer working on Visual Culture.
