India Art Fair 2026 kicks off in Okhla with 135 exhibitors, new participants

The 17th India Art Fair opens at NSIC Grounds, Okhla, with 135 exhibitors, talks, outdoor projects, and first-time participants under Rising to Challenge

New Delhi: Art lovers and collectors will be well advised to bring out a comfortable pair of walking shoes to attend the 17th edition of the India Art Fair this weekend at the NSIC Grounds in Okhla. In its largest edition to date, the India Art Fair has brought together 135 exhibitors, including 27 first-time participants — gallerists, foundations, and institutions and artist and design studios — alongside a host of outdoor art projects and talks and panel discussions under the theme, Rising to Challenge.

A depiction of a weaver family from Bengal by Arthur William Devis (The Weavers, 1792) hangs a short distance away from M.F. Husain’s 1980 work, Mother Theresa (Sanchit Khanna/ Hindustan Times)

On display are paintings from international artists like the famed Serbian performance artist Marina Abramovic and Chinese dissident Ai Weiwei, performances curated by Goa-based HH Art Spaces, workshops supported by the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) and even walking tours conducted in Hindi, English and the Indian Sign Language, among a host of programming that will be readily available at the helpdesk.

Here is HT’s list of five must-visit booths at the Art Fair.

Gujral Foundation - VIP Entrance Hall, Booth J02

Celebrating the 100th birth anniversary of one of the most eminent Indian sculptors and painters, this stall showcases bronze sculptures of Nandi made by Satish Gujral. The sculptures, which he made a few years before he passed away appear identical despite being handcrafted. “He is an artist that everyone knows. We have chosen to display his Nandi series as the Nandi bull is known for not giving up, and going back to continue again and again. That determined spirit of Gujral is what we wanted to highlight,” says Swapnil Khullar, a curator at the foundation.

Celebrating the 100th birth anniversary of one of the most eminent Indian sculptors and painters, this stall showcases bronze sculptures of Nandi made by Satish Gujral (Sanchit Khanna/ Hindustan Times)

The smaller sized sculptures are prized at ₹11 lakh each. Two major retrospectives of Gujral, who passed away in 2020, are on display at the National Gallery of Modern Art as well as Gujral House. Satish Gujral 100: Art showcases over 160 works, from paintings to sculptures, murals and drawings, while Satish Gujral 100: Architecture, which opened last week at his home, focuses on the architectural and design practise of the artist.

DAG - Right Hall, Booth B12

Stepping into the DAG booth makes one feel as if they are watching the timeline of Indian art progress. A depiction of a weaver family from Bengal by Arthur William Devis (The Weavers, 1792) hangs a short distance away from M.F. Husain’s 1980 work, Mother Theresa. Showcasing works from the 18th to the 21st century, the booth is titled “India Past & Present”. Viewers will also be able to see works in a variety of styles, depicting the different movements which impacted India’s art at different points in its history. From the S.H. Raza’s impressionistic untitled depiction of the gateway of India (1947), to early Indian modernist Nirode Mazumdar’s Spring from the early 1970s, the works on display travel across India’s rich history of art.

“The strong opening-day response to our booth at India Art Fair reflects the accelerating global recognition of South Asian modernism. Ranging between ₹50 lakh to ₹12 crore, the successful placement of works by Radha Charan Bagchi, Sewak Ram, S. K. Bakre, Jamini Roy, Shanti Dave, Sohan Qadri, S G Thakar Singh, Meera Mukherjee, Krishen Khanna, Nandalal Bose, Madhvi Parekh and Sakti Burman points to a sophisticated collector base that is increasingly focused on historically significant practices,” said DAG CEO and MD Asish Anand.

SHED - Left Hall, Booth I02

A desk with its surface made from pure white marble sits at the centre of the booth, with three of its edges fenced by black glass slabs, save for its back edge, where the glass pieces take on bright blue, yellow, green, and pink hues. “The starting idea for many of our pieces comes from a sensory experience. For this desk, the Terrace Table ( ₹9.5 lakh) we wanted to capture the childhood feeling of sitting near a terrace window made of stained-glass and being mesmerized by the coloured reflections,” says designer Kush Jariwala.

An indigo mattress sofa with a red-stained wooden frame is priced at ₹12 lakh.

A terrace chair, placed next to the desk, is priced at ₹5.5 lakh, while an indigo mattress sofa with a red-stained wooden frame is priced at ₹12 lakh. The price points indicate the IAF’s clear positioning of design pieces as collectibles.

Galleria Continua - Central Hall, Booth E05

Showcasing artists from across the globe, the Gallery Continua booth features art in a multitude of forms. Some of the works to keep an eye out for are Nikhil Chopra’s wall-spanning Dancing with myself (2022), and Chinese contemporary artist Ai Weiwei’s Grapes.

Keep an eye out for Nikhil Chopra’s wall-spanning Dancing with myself (2022)

“We always try to bring pieces which are not commonly known. This year, we have brought a piece from the Vanta Black series of Anish Kapoor,” says associate director of Gallery Continua, Salomé Zelic. The piece appears at first to be a flat black square, but viewing it from the side reveals a semi-sphere bulging out of the screen, unnoticeable from the front – one of the many visual experiences at the booth. The prices of these works are upwards of US $300,000.

Carpenters Workshop Gallery - Central Hall, Booth F03

Founded in London and with locations across the globe, the Carpenters Workshop Gallery showcases works which blur the boundaries between art items and functional, everyday objects. One such piece is Polish artist Macin Rusak’s Resina Botanic Coffee Table ( ₹1.75 crore), with textured floral compositions embedded in the surface, as an homage to the Solinka River in southern Poland.

Polish artist Macin Rusak’s Resina Botanic Coffee Table ( ₹1.75 crore), with textured floral compositions embedded in the surface, is an homage to the Solinka River in southern Poland

Another piece attendees should look out for is Veiled in a Dream ( ₹4.75 crore) by American artist Wendell Castle, consisting of three tapering conical spires resting on each other, with a seat suspended from their side.

The India Art Fair is open to visitors till February 8, with tickets available at indiaartfair.in.