When Words Fail: Art Comes Alive at the India Art Fair 2016

The Quint brings you some interesting pieces on display at the India Art Fair 2016.

Out of the galleries and onto the streets, art came alive at the NSIC Grounds in Okhla, Delhi, with the India Art Fair 2016, a three-day affair being held from January 28-31. The IAF is currently in its eight season and is the largest contemporary art event in South Asia.

Here are some glimpses from Day 1 of the fair.

Was it Beef or Mutton is the Question?

This installation by artist Anita Dube, titled Beef or Mutton is a strong visual reminder of the Dadri lynching. It is made up of PvC tubes, screws, putty, velvet and enameled eyes.

When Books Get Bloody

Anita Dube’s Portrait shows a blood-stained Annhilation of Caste by BR Ambedkar. This particular art piece, Dube tells us, was made after Rohith Vemula’s suicide, to draw attention to the caste issue.

With Love, from Nepal

This is My Home, My Land and My Country is a work by Nepalese artist Hitman Gurung, which deals with the questions of identity and the turmoil that ensued over the new constitution in Nepal.

Grainy Picture

This work by Michelangelo Pistoletto is titled Terzo Paradise, or the Third Paradise. Represented through the infinity sign, it signifies the two big polarities of today — nature and humanity. You see, nature is in the grains while the bowls are man-made.

I See a Cobbler

This untitled work by Subodh Gupta created in 2015 has a simple message: we’ve all been to cobblers, but we seldom bother to look at their faces. And so, through a cobbler’s tools, Gupta attempts to give a face, and even an identity, to those faceless men.

Love Without Borders

Artist Shilpa Gupta created an artwork that, from a distance, is a heart-wrenching story about love and the boundaries that it often gets tangled in. But up close, one sees the underlying optimistic message of Gupta’s work – There is no border here.

Shutter Me Not

This work by artist Atul Dodiya is a throwback to his shutter series. Years ago when he was showcasing a solo at Vadehras, Atul Dodiya quoted Gujrati poet Labshanker Thaker:

I am a rolling shutter
Pierce me or scratch me
Sandpaper me or hammer me
I will stand here
Separating the kohl black and bright light
I remain the rolling shutter

How Many Miles Must a Man (or Woman) Walk?

This piece by Tayeba Begum Lipi is aptly titled Miles after Miles, for all the men and women out there who have been walking towards that something for years and years now.