India Art Fair 2026: A Vibrant Showcase of South Asian Art and Global Innovation

The India Art Fair 2026, in its 17th edition, transformed New Delhi into a hub of artistic energy. Held from February 5 to 8 at the NSIC Exhibition Grounds in Okhla, this year's fair was the largest to date, featuring a record 135 exhibitors across galleries, institutions, foundations, and design studios. It brought together established names and emerging talents, reflecting the evolving landscape of South Asian art while drawing international attention, and closed with robust sales and strong attendance.

Founded in 2008, the India Art Fair has grown from a regional event into a key player on the global art calendar. Spread across 20,000 square meters, it combined commercial galleries with museum-scale installations, performances, and discussions, making it a cultural nexus that went beyond mere transactions. This edition emphasised themes like ecological regeneration, indigenous traditions, women's labour and sustainability, aligning with broader contemporary concerns.

With 94 galleries participating, 27 of them new to the fair, the event highlighted Indian modernism through works by icons like M.F. Husain, S.H. Raza, B. Prabha, and Meera Mukherjee, alongside cutting-edge contemporary pieces. International galleries such as David Zwirner, Galleria Continua, Neugerriemschneider and Carpenters Workshop Gallery added a global flavour, showcasing artists whose work has rarely been seen in India. South Asian artists with international careers shared space with major global figures, underscoring the fair's role in fostering cross-cultural dialogue. The fair was divided into sections like Galleries (wide-ranging artist presentations), Focus (in-depth solo explorations), Institutions, Future (emerging galleries), and Design (collectable pieces from 14 studios and 2 galleries).

OUTDOOR ART PROJECTS AND SPECIAL COMMISSIONS

One of the fair's highlights was its Outdoor Art Projects, turning the grounds into an open-air gallery with 12 large-scale installations. These included Paresh Maity's Recycle of Life (charred wood and recycled metal exploring life's cycles), Deepak Kumar's Breathing Space (examining nature's reclamation of abandoned sites), Kulpreet Singh's Extinction Archive (documenting 900 threatened species from the IUCN Red List), and Aku Zeliang's Huh Tu Vessels (woven surahi inspired by Nagaland tattoos). Supported by partners like Art Alive Gallery, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA), and Public Arts Trust of India, these works invited visitors to engage with pressing issues like ecology and extinction.

Marking a decade of collaboration, the BMW x India Art Fair Commission featured Afrah Shafiq's A Giant Sampler, a facade installation blending embroidery motifs with AR technology via the Sample This! app to explore women's lives and hand-machine harmony. Judy Chicago's What If Women Ruled the World? made its India debut as a participatory physical and digital quilt, prompting reflections on gender and power.

The Artist-in-Residence Programme, in its fifth year and supported by SoulTree, spotlighted emerging artists like Farhin Afza (There is Going to be a Full Moon Today, textile and audio-visual), Shreni (Stand Here, Forget, audio-reactive ecosystem), Arun B. (Duration, suspended metal-wax figure), and Dumiduni Illangasinghe (Soft Armours, mural with glass bangles and mushrooms).

DYNAMIC PROGRAMS: TALKS, PERFORMANCE AND WORKSHOPS

The fair's Talks Series, titled "Rising to Challenge," addressed critical topics like AI in art, public access, the art market, and indigenizing spaces. Featuring speakers such as Sir Tristram Hunt, Dr Amin Jaffer, Jitish Kallat, and Gabi Ngcobo, sessions were multilingual (English, Hindi, Punjabi, Odia, Saura, ISL) and held in the Auditorium.

Performance art added a lively dimension, with HH Art Spaces presenting Breakfast in a Blizzard (an open-air kitchen experience) and Sidhant Kumar's A Quiet Harvest. Inclusive workshops by KNMA catered to all abilities, including sensory art and totem tales, while Rediscovery Workshops offered hands-on sessions like bamboo crafts and kurinuki pottery. Guided tours in multiple languages covered themes from indigenous traditions to humor in art, and children's tours made the event family-friendly.

The Design Section shone with studios like Ashiesh Shah, Gunjan Gupta, Rooshad Shroff, and debuts from Galerie Maria Wettergren and Villa Swagatam x Æquō, blending functionality with cultural narratives. Open Design Talks, curated by Border&Fall, explored topics like reclaiming the made world and urban readings.

As India's premier art event, this fair not only boosted the local market, evident from strong sales on VIP day, but also positioned South Asian art on the world stage. With partnerships from JSW, BMW, and others, it fostered innovation and inclusivity. The edition drew global attention, reflecting India's blossoming creative moment, supported by diverse collectors and a burgeoning artistic scene.

For students, educators, and young practitioners, the India Art Fair serves as more than a marketplace; it is a living classroom. It offers invaluable exposure to curatorial frameworks, display strategies, professional presentation, and the broader workings of the art world. Observing how artists articulate their concepts and how galleries contextualise work provides practical insights that extend beyond formal education.

At Sapient Art Academy, we view platforms such as the India Art Fair as vital spaces of learning and inspiration. They reinforce the importance of critical observation, cultural awareness, and thoughtful engagement, principles that remain central to our pedagogical philosophy. As the contemporary art landscape continues to evolve, such gatherings remind us of the power of art to connect communities, challenge perspectives, and shape meaningful dialogue.

Fin.

Booth: Galleria Continua | IAF 2026

India Art Fair 2026

JUDY CHICAGO, What if Women Ruled the World?, 2022– , participatory quilt, sateen cotton. Courtesy the artist; India Art Fair 2026, New Delhi; and DMINTI.

Booth, Gallery SKE and Photoink | IAF 2026