What to expect if you're visiting the India Art Fair

Committed aesthetes have had much to toast lately. Even before the marathon run of the Kochi Muziris Biennale has lost its steam, the India Art Fair 2015 is upon us. And once again, the faithful are finding their way to the familiar expanse of the NSIC exhibition grounds in the Okhla Industrial Estate. For the familiar and the curious, there are a lot of surprises in store at the seventh edition of the Fair (January 29 -February 1, 2015). Apart from about 3,500 artworks from 85 exhibiting galleries in a total of 90 booths, the breathtaking showcase of talent will span the length and breadth of modern and contemporary art practices including painting, sculpture, new media, installation and performance art. The event will also showcase a stand-up comedy act, interesting food outlets, a design store furnished by young fashion designers, and even a bookstore, to ensure there's something for everyone. "We have tried to create a deeper interest with the artistic projects by including challenging works with an interesting mix of galleries, shying away from the predictable to performance installations, employing a rich diversity of medium that is more engaging in terms of the audience experience," says Neha Kirpal, founder and Fair director.

One of the very first works that will be on display is a street art project that is literally on the street; a 100-metre long message stencilled onto the asphalt by Daku. Other highlights include a collaborative on-site painting by Chitra Ganesh and Dhruvi Acharya that will give visitors an interactive insight into the processes that contemporary artists employ in their work. The painting will unfold over all four days and transform a blank canvas into the finished composition. Another dramatic project that promises to be interesting comes in the form of Francesco Clemente's tent installation. Over the last 40 years, Clemente, one of the world's most renowned painters, has collaborated with a range of Indian artisans in Chennai, Orissa, Varanasi and Jodhpur to create a series of tents using a range of techniques such as embroidery, block printing and his own spectacular paintings, of course.

Of course, to make place for the dynamic add-ons, there's been a re-calibration of the usual Art Fair layout, additional exhibition space has been added to the two main tents, and the permanent structure has been re-commissioned to host the largest ever exhibition in a public space on the history of India's modern and contemporary art. This elaborate history lesson is being presented by the Delhi Art Gallery and boasts one of the most comprehensive reviews of India's most noteworthy artists.

The fun elements get a leg up with a deeply involved experiential and design element with a number of newer spaces being added to the mix. This includes the Design Store located in the new IAF courtyard, with innovative brands such as CMYK, The Perfume Library, 1701, enInde, Janavi, Atelier Nini and Vadhera Art Gallery Bookstore. This year also promises exciting new restaurant offerings from Delhi's most popular venues, including a rooftop lounge to savour hand-crafted cigars and single malts with CAARA, to a "Sewara farm-to-fork" culinary experience at the IAF courtyard restaurant, to Mexican and even Ayurveda-inspired cuisine. Live music also promises to enliven the artistic ambience. "Our strategy was to make the art fair more liveable where people can relax, and simply breathe art. We want to ensure that we give the visitors a reason to linger," explains Kirpal.

Of course, cheer, bonhomie and aesthetics aside, Kirpal hopes that the buzz and energy created by the enhanced experientials will transform into increased transactional buying. After all, "it's the commerce that will give a booster shot to the art market," she explains. Either way, as long as the weather holds up, the next four days should prove delightful.