Feb 10

Feb 10 Celebrating Art, Culture, and Collective Humanity at the 2025 India Art Fair

Celebrating Collective Humanity

The 2025 edition of the India Art Fair, held in the heart of New Delhi, once again solidified its position as the leading platform for discovering modern and contemporary art from South Asia. Since its inception in 2008, the fair has become a cornerstone of the region’s cultural scene, bringing together galleries, artists, private foundations, arts charities, and national institutions under one roof. This year’s event not only showcased the dynamic creativity of India’s art community but also offered a window into the broader cultural landscapes of South Asia and beyond.

This year’s fair featured 14 international galleries, presenting works by renowned South Asian and diaspora artists alongside internationally acclaimed names. Highlights included Anish Kapoor (represented by Galleria Continua and Lisson Gallery), Khadim Ali (Aicon), Affan Baghpati (Aicon Contemporary), and Shubha Taparia (Unit7./ Prahlad Bubbar). The fair also welcomed global icons such as Ai Weiwei (Galleria Continua) and Ugo Rondinone (Galerie Geek), creating a vibrant dialogue between local and international artistic voices.

One of the standout sections of the fair was the Focus segment, which shone a spotlight on emerging talent from South Asia. This year, the section featured boundary-pushing contemporary artists like Viraj Khanna (Kalakriti Art Gallery), whose innovative embroidery and painting-based works captivated audiences. We will be focusing on the artist for a future article.

This year, the fair’s talks series and exhibitions sparked meaningful conversations about the role of art in shaping a collective humanity. Azu Nwagbogu, Founder and Director of the African Artists' Foundation and LagosPhoto Festival, captured the spirit of the event perfectly:

“I’d like to really thank the India Art Fair for organizing this wonderful talks series and the exhibitions, everything was so incredibly uplifting. This is a real opportunity to start thinking about new connections, new networks; really building more links between Africa, the Middle East, and Asia and thinking about how we can show the world what a collective humanity looks like, moving away from those colonial narratives that we are all trying to sidestep, to really shape a new narrative. It’s been an incredibly positive experience.”

Nwagbogu’s words reflect the fair’s mission to foster cross-cultural collaboration and challenge outdated narratives. By creating a space where artists, curators, and audiences from diverse backgrounds can come together, the India Art Fair is helping to redefine the global art landscape.

As the 2025 edition of the India Art Fair comes to a close, it leaves behind a sense of excitement and possibility. The fair has once again demonstrated the power of art to inspire, connect, and transform. In a world that is increasingly fragmented, events like the India Art Fair remind us of the importance of collective humanity and the role that art can play in building a more inclusive and equitable future.

India Art Fair

Cover: Chemould CoLab courtesy of the India Art Fair