India Art Fair returns to New Delhi for its 17th edition at a moment of heightened global attention on South Asia—when the region’s artistic histories, present urgencies, and future imaginaries are being re-examined, collected, and celebrated across the world. From 5–8 February 2026, the NSIC Exhibition Grounds become a meeting point for artists, galleries, institutions, patrons, and thinkers shaping one of the most dynamic cultural landscapes of our time.
Presented in partnership with BMW India, India Art Fair 2026 brings together a record 135 exhibitors, including 94 galleries from India and around the world and 24 leading institutions, marking the fair’s most ambitious edition to date. More than a marketplace, the fair has evolved into a cultural engine—one that reflects the scale, confidence, and plurality of contemporary South Asian art while remaining deeply rooted in its modernist foundations.
This edition unfolds against the backdrop of a year-long programme of activations and institutional collaborations across the subcontinent, notably the launch of IAF EDI+IONS, a new initiative conceived to extend the fair’s cultural impact beyond New Delhi. Its inaugural presentation in Hyderabad in November 2025 signalled a decisive shift toward a more expansive, regionally embedded vision of the fair—one that recognises South Asia not as a singular narrative, but as a constellation of practices, voices, and histories.
At the heart of India Art Fair 2026 lies a dialogue between legacy and reinvention. Landmark works by Indian modern masters—M. F. Husain, S. H. Raza, F. N. Souza, and Ram Kumar—anchor the fair’s historical depth, while renewed attention to lesser-known modernists invites a more nuanced understanding of the canon. These presentations sit in deliberate conversation with contemporary and emerging practices that traverse painting, sculpture, photography, performance, and new media.
The fair’s global outlook is underscored by the presence of South Asian artists with strong international trajectories, presented alongside internationally acclaimed figures from across Europe, East Asia, Australia, and the Americas. Together, they articulate a shared contemporary condition—one shaped by migration, memory, materiality, and political consciousness—while resisting easy categorisation or geography-bound readings.
India Art Fair’s expanded sections further articulate this complexity. Platform foregrounds contemporary engagements with traditional and craft-based practices, honouring lineage while embracing experimentation. The Design section—now firmly established—presents limited-edition and collectible works by pioneering studios from India and abroad, where craftsmanship, innovation, and material intelligence converge. The newly configured Institutions section brings museums, foundations, and cultural organisations into the fair’s core, reinforcing the essential role of education, philanthropy, and research in sustaining artistic ecosystems.
The Focus section offers immersive solo presentations, from iconic bodies of work by globally recognised artists to new commissions by emerging voices. These curated moments allow for depth, contemplation, and sustained engagement—an invitation to slow down within the fair’s vibrant expanse.
Across its 17-year journey, India Art Fair has grown in scale and ambition, yet its purpose remains clear: to create a space where South Asian art is encountered on its own terms, while engaging fully with the world. In 2026, that purpose feels newly resonant. As international attention reaches an inflection point, India Art Fair does not merely respond—it leads, offering a vision of South Asian art that is confident, plural, and unmistakably global.
Jaya Asokan, Fair Director, India Art Fair, comments:
“International attention on South Asian art has reached a defining inflection point, and India Art Fair meets this moment with confidence and ambition. Our 17th edition brings together a record 135 exhibitors, alongside an expansive programme of exhibitions, commissions and partnerships that speak to the extraordinary breadth and vitality of artistic practice across the subcontinent. We look forward to welcoming the global art community to Delhi this week to experience the very best of South Asian art today.”
