India Art Fair 2025: Artist Highlights

In early February, the India Art Fair (IAF) hosted its 16th edition, featuring presentations by 78 galleries and 28 nonprofits — marking its largest edition to date. As the premier art fair in South Asia, IAF has been an important champion for artists of the region, and it continues to be a fantastic venue for collectors to view artworks by both famous and emerging Indian artists all under one roof.

Here are some highlights from the 2025 fair, from exemplary paintings by the masters to innovative mixed media pieces.

Strong Demand for Modern Artists

Continuing a trend in the Indian art market, modern artists enjoyed a strong presence at the fair, including original paintings by household names like S.H. Raza and M.F. Husain. Demand for modern Indian artists has steadily increased over the past decade, with auction records continuing to climb each season, and collectors showed no signs of slowing down at this fair.

One standout of the modernists was an eye-catching, vivid red work by artist Sohan Qadri (1932-2011). As a poet and yogi as well as a painter, Qadri alluded to Tantric symbolism and philosophy through his abstraction. His signature process involved wrinkling, scoring and soaking paper in inks and dyes to achieve a rich texture.

Leading Contemporary Indian Artists

The India Art Fair always promises to bring the best and the latest works by leading contemporary artists, and this year delivered some impressive pieces.

One of the most interesting artworks at the fair was an installation by contemporary Indian artist Subodh Gupta. He assembled more than 100 steel utensils — an array of pots, pans and buckets — to create a whirring and reflective sculpture. The utensils represent the everyday lives of Indians, exploring how rapid economic changes have transformed the average home.

There was also a stunning mural by legendary Indian artist A. Ramachandran, who passed away last year. Comprising four panels, the painting renders a lotus pond in his distinctly whimsical and richly colored style.

Innovations in Mixed Media Art

This year, mixed media art stole the show — many of the best artworks defied categorization, offering fresh ideas through unusual materials and employing interdisciplinary approaches to art-making

Kalakriti Archives, a private collection based in Hyderabad, is dedicated to antique maps and rare artifacts from the Indian subcontinent. For the fair, the founder Prshant Lahoti collaborated with a designer to create a grid of 15 squares that combine a terrain map of Uttarakhand with a historic pilgrimage map from the archives. Each square features a different material, ranging from cork and copper to crochet and Khaadi textile, and explores the possibilities of combining cartography and fine art.

Nepalese artist Meena Kayastha exhibited a powerful series of gods and goddesses depicted on panels, incorporating cultural elements and collage. The panels are in fact traditional Newari doors, not only a meaningful nod towards her heritage but also a symbol of the eternal cycle of life and the passage between worlds. She also repurposed discarded objects, like beads, bells and metal bolts, and collaged these onto the figures.

Renowned fashion designer Tarun Tahiliani presented an incredible booth featuring intricate tapestries. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the demand for bridal outfits suddenly disappeared, leaving embroidery artisans in the lurch. Tahiliani wanted to find a way to support these artisans, and he was ultimately inspired to transform their weaving skills into wall art. For example, one of the large-scale tapestries on view depicted the goddess Durga, crafted by members of the Vaghri community and thus made with their hallmark natural dyes and meticulous brushwork. These tapestries were a beautiful testament to how difficult times can result in creation and innovation.

International Artists

While the India Art Fair largely focuses on South Asian artists and designers, a number of international artists participate each year, encouraging a global conversation with Europe, Africa and the Americas.

Hailing from Germany, artist Christian Achenbach is known for his surreal, abstracted landscapes. He skillfully uses patterns and bold colors to play with perspective and optical illusion, drawing the viewer’s eye deeper into his imagined worlds.

New York-based artist Gabriel Mills’s abstract canvases are layered with dried paint to achieve an intensely textured surface. His paintings are a form of meditation, translating the emotion of his inner world into color, and seem to pulse with energy.

Traditional Indian Art

Alongside the scores of modern and contemporary art, the fair often turned the spotlight on traditional Indian art, including Gond, Madhubani (Mithila) and Warli art forms. Indian art is enriched by the nation’s ancient craft traditions, but sadly many of these generational techniques are at risk due to economic pressure. It was wonderful to see these art forms celebrated at the fair, hopefully attracting new waves of support and appreciation.

Over the past 16 years, the India Art Fair has been instrumental in growing and expanding the South Asian art market. It was a pleasure to visit the fair again and to see the continued achievements of new and established South Asian artists.

— Sonia Patwardhan