India Art Fair closes earlier than scheduled angering artists
New Delhi, Feb 4: The India Art Fair, one of the biggest showcases of contemporary art in the country, ended in a bitter experience for many visitors, exhibitors, invited artists and mediapersons, who were denied
New Delhi, Feb 4: The India Art Fair, one of the biggest showcases of contemporary art in the country, ended in a bitter experience for many visitors, exhibitors, invited artists and mediapersons, who were denied entry on the closing day of the three-day art jamboree.
Confusion prevailed over the closing time with many visitors failing to recheck the schedule, that mentioned public hours between 11 am to 6 pm with last entry at 5 pm.
Many in the Sunday crowd, including visitors with IAF VIP cards, issued earlier in limited numbers, mediapersons accredited by organisers with special passes, invited artists from Karnataka Lait Kala Academy (carrying special passes), fair exhibitors, others were not permitted entry to the fair after 5 pm.
Irate visitors flashed their cards in the air but Fair security remained steadfast in denying them permission.
Visual artist Sudarshan who possesed a VIP pass and who said he had travelled from Konark to attend the festival this year was furious at the organisers and claimed this “exposed the hypocrisy of the festival organisers of promoting art”.
“I travel to many art fairs and had attended the last IAF too but what they have done here has totally exposed as to their intentions about art and its patronage. They have got big sponsors now and all they care about now is money and those fancy cocktail parties. I am angry at these security guard but they are mere puppets in the hands of the organisers,” said Sudarshan.
Even exhibitors, including those from outside the country, who had put up booths at venue were seen persuading the security personnel to allow passage.
Security personnel said there were instructions for “a complete bar to any entry whatsoever”, after the last entry time of 5 pm on February 3 at the NSIC venue of the four-day fair, which began with a special preview on January 31.
The Fair program listed public hours between 2pm to 8pm on first two days with last entry at 7pm, while on Sunday public hours was listed between 11 am to 6 pm with last entry at 5pm.
“On my card it says 6 pm and even online it showed up till 7 PM. If the organisers have changed it to 5 PM or if was wrongly mentioned on the website, it's the organisers who should be responsible. Why should we visitors suffer instead,” a harried woman visitor said at the venue before leaving.
A team of artists from Karnataka Lalit Kala Academy especially invited to the fair and who were sporting privileged passes with Academy seals were also not permitted to enter.
“We are four of us here who are not being allowed. Some of our fellow artists are inside. It is humiliating to be treated like this. They have even put a banner here which says, ‘IAF welcomes Karnataka Lalit Kala Academy artists'. Are we really welcomed here,” said artist Rajendra Kedige.
Narayana, Santosh, and Wilson joined Rajendra in expressing their displeasure at this treatment meted out to them saying, “We universally condemn this treatment as we go back humiliated from here”.
Chairman, Karnataka Lalit Kala Academy C S Krishna Setty, who later came out of the Fair after the closing met artists, and expressed sympathy for them and, also asked the organisers and the security personnel to exercise “greater discretion”.
“This is not right. It is one thing to not allow general visitors but they can see their special passes and they must exercise greater discretion in such cases instead of blanket barring every one,” Setty said.
Renowned photographer Pablo Bartholomew who received this year's Padma Awards also had a tough time gaining entry.
Confusion prevailed over the closing time with many visitors failing to recheck the schedule, that mentioned public hours between 11 am to 6 pm with last entry at 5 pm.
Many in the Sunday crowd, including visitors with IAF VIP cards, issued earlier in limited numbers, mediapersons accredited by organisers with special passes, invited artists from Karnataka Lait Kala Academy (carrying special passes), fair exhibitors, others were not permitted entry to the fair after 5 pm.
Irate visitors flashed their cards in the air but Fair security remained steadfast in denying them permission.
Visual artist Sudarshan who possesed a VIP pass and who said he had travelled from Konark to attend the festival this year was furious at the organisers and claimed this “exposed the hypocrisy of the festival organisers of promoting art”.
“I travel to many art fairs and had attended the last IAF too but what they have done here has totally exposed as to their intentions about art and its patronage. They have got big sponsors now and all they care about now is money and those fancy cocktail parties. I am angry at these security guard but they are mere puppets in the hands of the organisers,” said Sudarshan.
Even exhibitors, including those from outside the country, who had put up booths at venue were seen persuading the security personnel to allow passage.
Security personnel said there were instructions for “a complete bar to any entry whatsoever”, after the last entry time of 5 pm on February 3 at the NSIC venue of the four-day fair, which began with a special preview on January 31.
The Fair program listed public hours between 2pm to 8pm on first two days with last entry at 7pm, while on Sunday public hours was listed between 11 am to 6 pm with last entry at 5pm.
“On my card it says 6 pm and even online it showed up till 7 PM. If the organisers have changed it to 5 PM or if was wrongly mentioned on the website, it's the organisers who should be responsible. Why should we visitors suffer instead,” a harried woman visitor said at the venue before leaving.
A team of artists from Karnataka Lalit Kala Academy especially invited to the fair and who were sporting privileged passes with Academy seals were also not permitted to enter.
“We are four of us here who are not being allowed. Some of our fellow artists are inside. It is humiliating to be treated like this. They have even put a banner here which says, ‘IAF welcomes Karnataka Lalit Kala Academy artists'. Are we really welcomed here,” said artist Rajendra Kedige.
Narayana, Santosh, and Wilson joined Rajendra in expressing their displeasure at this treatment meted out to them saying, “We universally condemn this treatment as we go back humiliated from here”.
Chairman, Karnataka Lalit Kala Academy C S Krishna Setty, who later came out of the Fair after the closing met artists, and expressed sympathy for them and, also asked the organisers and the security personnel to exercise “greater discretion”.
“This is not right. It is one thing to not allow general visitors but they can see their special passes and they must exercise greater discretion in such cases instead of blanket barring every one,” Setty said.
Renowned photographer Pablo Bartholomew who received this year's Padma Awards also had a tough time gaining entry.