IAF turns Hyderabad into art hub

Metro India News | Hyderabad

The India Art Festival (IAF) is taking place at the Jubilee Hills Convention Centre from April 3 to April 5, bringing together art lovers, collectors and visitors for a three-day exhibition of contemporary art. The festival features over 3,000 artworks and participants from India and abroad. This edition is taking place at a venue on Road No. 51 in Jubilee Hills.

Organized annually since 2011 in cities including Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, the festival provides a platform for galleries and individual artists to present works including painting, sculpture and other forms. Director Rajendra Patil said the event aims to connect artists and galleries with collectors and the public.

Participating galleries include Pioneer Art Centre, OPS Art Gallery, Gallery Ruki, Shree Yash Art Gallery and Galerie Art Eterne from New Delhi, and Studio3 Art Gallery, Dev Mehta Art Gallery, Burgundy Art Gallery, House of Emerge, Tela Art Gallery, Greyscale, Rhythm Art, RS Art Space, Nitya Artists Centre.

Artists featured include Jogen Chowdhury, Laxma Goud, Ramesh Gorjala, Laxman Aelay, M. F. Husain, P Gnan, Praveen Upadhye, Dev Mehta, Vivek Kumavat, DVS Krishna, Ramdas Lobhi, Sujata Aher, Sanchit Jain, Kalpana Arya, Nidhi Sharma, Sayed Zuber Bakar, Kumar Gaikwad, Shalini Agarwal, Siddharth Shingade and Sachin Sagare.

Hyderabad-based artists include U. Vijay Kumar, Kappari Krishan, Satya Gannoju, Bhupathi Moshe Dayan, S. Kantha Reddy, DVS Krishna, M.P. Narsimharao, Raju Epuri, Nannuta Rajeshwar, Hemanth Chandra Prasad, Narsimha Goud Rollu, Ramani Mylavarapu, Neha Jain, Raksha Jesrani, Gangji Ramesh Kumar, Sathvika Korimi, Deepa Nath, Labhya L, Rajesh K. Jhaveri, M. Balraj, Sadhna Chaganti.

Artist Ranguli Garg, practicing for over 15 years, said there is an increase in youth participation and audience turnout. Rajendra Patil stated that the aim of the festival is to encourage artists across India. Sculptor Snehlata Prasad is participating as a woman sculptor from Hyderabad. Mumbai-based artist Krishna, practicing since 2019, is presenting works with mirror elements and noted youth engagement during her first exhibition in Hyderabad.

Satya Gannoju described the festival as a platform for artists and mentioned upcoming exhibitions in Bombay in October and Delhi in November. Artist Vallarasu from Chennai is presenting works based on village culture using broken bangles. Sadhna Chaganti, at her stall “Nagumomu,” is presenting Kalamkari art made using natural pigments including Karakkai. Karimnagar artist Shivani is presenting works on menstrual issues and women’s struggles, including a piece featuring a sanitary pad and lotus imagery. Dr. Anjali Prabhakar of Bhopal is presenting works on universal energies. Hyderabad-based Dr. Kantha Reddy said the location has attracted IT professionals, industrialists and hotel owners, noting interest in Indian art. Artist Shruthi Gupta of SGK Gallery in Gurgaon is presenting Vrindavan-inspired works and explained her process of creating portraits.

The festival presents a mix of traditional and contemporary works and continues to provide a platform for artists and audiences to engage with art.