A week-long celebration of art in the capital

The second edition of the independent and inclusive non-profit initiative Delhi Art Week (DAW) starts on August 24 and continues until August 31. The initiative which debuted in April 2021, aims to bring together private and public art institutions to raise awareness, educate, and focus attention on modern and contemporary art in Delhi. The key goal of this collaborative initiative is to strengthen ties between art organisations and art lovers and encourage patronage.

The second edition this year is a hybrid event, which adds a new distinctive element. Not only will galleries and institutions showcase their programming physically in their own spaces, but DAW 2022 will also be online on the internationally recognised platform, Artsy—the largest global online marketplace for discovering, buying, and selling fine art by leading artists. This virtual presence will provide the global audience with a sense of the rich diversity of Indian contemporary and modern art available in the capital city. DAW exhibits will be virtually on view on Artsy till September 14.

Tariq Allana, Associate Director, Art Heritage; Sunaina Anand, Director, Art Alive Gallery and Reena Lath, Director, AkarPrakar share, “Thanks to the enthusiasm and excitement generated by the inaugural edition of Delhi Art Week (DAW), we have the unique opportunity to move forward with the second edition of DAW. This second edition builds on the momentum generated from the participating galleries and institutions and the overwhelming public response from our event last year, and we’re grateful to everyone who have supported the event in the past. This edition of DAW takes into account the accepted reality of a pandemic world and the monumental changes and shifts that have taken place in the global arts business – that physical events must be complemented by a presence online.”

Delhi Art Week was conceived of as a result of the dramatic changes brought about in the art world because of the Covid-19 pandemic, one of which was the cancellation of many art fairs, including the India Art Fair in 2021, and the identification by many galleries that working together rather than in isolation was the call of the times. The first edition of DAW brought together a variety of art programs from 37 participating galleries and four institutions, including two museums.

Bhavna Kakkar, Director, Gallery Latitude 28, says, “The gallery is an interactive incubation space, where ideas have been generated through curatorial projects within art history and socio-political contexts, site-specific artworks, artist talks and interactions and curated walks for outreach to varied publics, therefore DAW is an important addition to our programming calendar.” The gallery will host a solo show by Jahangir Asgar Jani, titled ‘Pareidolia: Songs of (Dis)Belief’.

Participating gallery, Art Alive, will host twin solo shows by legendary artist couple, Sakti Burman and Maite Delteil, titled ‘Life is a Theatre’ and ‘The Garden of My Soul’, respectively. Established in 1989 by Renu Modi with the encouragement of the famous MF Husain, Gallery Espace, will host a special exhibition on Gandhi and his relevance in today’s India by artists Anuj Ambalal, Ashok Ahuja and Sharad Sonkusale. Apparao Galleries, founded as a space that houses many forms of modern art, will host a solo show by Gurgaon-based anonymous performance artist Princess Pea who not very long ago collaborated with women in Bihar to raise awareness about dignified healthcare. Dhoomimal Art Centre, the first private art gallery of India established in 1936, will participate at DAW with a group show by Bal Krishna Patel, Sudhi Ranjan Bhushan, PN Choyal, Gopal S Adiverkar, Bimal Das Gupta and Shail Choyal.

The Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) will put forth a solo exhibition titled ‘The Elusive Self: Between Vows and Words’ by Anupam Sud. Director and Chief Curator Roobina Karode says, “Delhi Art Week is an initiative which brings together the art community on an inclusive platform to spread awareness of art and artistic practices not only locally through exhibitions but globally through their collaborations with online partners.”

Anahita Taneja and Shefali Somany, Directors, Shrine Empire, say, “We believe that art is about bringing people together. Delhi Art Week provides us with the opportunity to strengthen our bonds within the community, expand our reach to audiences from different walks of life and explore critical and contemplative dialogues with various artistic practices.” The gallery will put up a group show titled ‘The Forestial Flock’ with participating artists Amina Ahmed, Arshi Ahmadzai, Baaraan Ijlal, Mithra Kamalam, Omer Wasim, Priyanka D’Souza and Khairani Barokka.

DAG, an art company that spans a gamut of verticals that includes museums, art galleries, exhibitions, publishing, archives, knowledge-based lineups, as well as programmes for the specially-abled and sight-impaired, will put up a group exhibition titled ‘Tipu Sultan: Image and Distance’ by  Edward Orme, Henry Singleton, Robert Ker Porter, Alexander Allan, Francis Swain Ward, unknown Thanjavur Artist, and others. Ashish Anand, Director, DAG, says, “Delhi Art Week is now an established brand in the capital’s art scenario. The art industry needs to hold hands and come together under platforms such as this to ensure that it is able to reach the widest audiences and ensure that art is seen by the people for whom it is created.”

Following the practice of the first edition, DAW 2022 will also organise the city into four distinct ‘art zones’, thereby providing easy access and navigation through the capital’s gallery and museum network.