400 artists from 40 cities in India Art festival

The India Art festival featuring art from across India to commence in Bengaluru

The India Art Festival commences in Bengaluru on December 14. “We call it the India Art Festival, because the word festival means celebration,” says Mumbai-based Rajendra Patil, the man who started the India Art Festival in 2010. Speaking from Palace Grounds amidst setting up for the opening, Rajendra says, “This is a celebration of all kinds of arts. This year, the festival will feature artists from across India with participation from art galleries from almost every state and a few from Singapore as well.”

Twenty-five art galleries and over 400 artists from 40 cities across India will participate, says Rajendra. “The festival is a testament to the thriving art scene in the country, and we have curated a comprehensive exploration of various artistic expressions with paintings, sculptures, photography, ceramics, and installations.”

Akanksha Art Gallery, Charvi Art Gallery, Shiny Colours Art Gallery, H Art Gallery, SM Art Gallery, Sara Arakkal Gallerie, from Bengaluru, ArtDesh Foundation, Artvista, Beyond the Canvas, Bouquet of Art Gallery, Nitya Artists Center, Studio Pankaj Bawdekar are some of the participating art galleries.

The festival will also feature a film screening, The Eternal Canvas. “It takes the viewer through the 12,000 year history of Indian art. It is a cinematic exploration of our artistic heritage from prehistoric times and cave paintings to the Mughal era and contemporary expressions.”

The show in Bengaluru is India Arts Festival’s 26th show. It is organised every year by the Indian Contemporary Art Journal (IAF), this is Bengaluru’s third edition, and art patrons can look forward to over 3,500 pieces of artworks. 

There will also be an artists’ pavilion, which will feature individual booths by independent artists that will allow for a dialogue between viewers and the artist. “The aim is to provide something more than the art. We also have audios and visuals for a cinematic experience.”

Eminent artists like Ganapati Agnihotri, Kanthraj N, Chintamani, Ganesh Doddamani will perform with musicians including Manjunath (flute), Subramanya Hegde (sitar), Karthik (mandolin) accompanied by Maruti Prasad (tabla) as part of a fusion show of live music and art demonstration.