India Art Fair: Masquerade-an endless drama

As a witness to the India Art Fair (IAF) since its inception, I distinctly remember an uncontained gala of childlike spirit flowing across the venue. With over 1,000 artists, 71 galleries, and 14 participating institutions, the 14th edition, to be held from February 9-12 at the NSIC grounds in New Delhi, is poised to present a new contrast and interplay of various forms and philosophies.

So, on engaging with some of the multitudinous voices that shape this year’s edition, it is heartening to observe how over years of evolution, the fair today stands to dissolve the perceived polarities of young-old, past-present, technology-tradition, performance-fine art, gallery-street, human-nature, man-woman, and others.

Masquerade-an endless drama – is one such solo exhibition that I came across as to be presented at the upcoming IAF by Kalakriti Art Gallery of Hyderabad, India. Kolkata-based senior global artist Avijit Dutta is again to spread his creative introspection for the sixth consecutive time at the India Art Fair 2023. His solo exhibition, “Masquerade –an endless drama,” showcases 12-15 of his new artworks, based on the daily routine and dalliance of life’s infinite conversations crafting conscious reality to conjure and design dreams within a drama.

Using the less frequented tempera medium, the artist’s brushwork has a visually rich narrative that seeks the lost alleys of authenticity suspended between reality and projection. He consciously and eloquently visits and revisits parts of the human psyche and the journey of its constant strive to meld, manage, and carve an image culled out of the expectation of human relationships –whether professional, private, or public.

Through various representations and interpretations, he has opened a discussion and addressed these constant moments of masquerade that human life is sucked into. Speaking on the theme of his show, Avijit states, “We live in an age where original thoughts, the soft petals of dreams are consigned to flames in this daily consuming furnace of societal demands.

The artist has, on earlier occasions, participated in several group shows at India’s most significant art convergence, India Art Fair, along with several curatorial projects he has held in different galleries across India. He has extensively conducted national and international workshops and has been part of the jury at prestigious global art events.

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