THE ‘FAIR-Y’ QUEEN

JOHNY ML

When Neha Kirpal came back to India from London in 2007, she had a little money in her pocket and a bigger dream in mind. Driven by a vision to set up India’s first international art fair, passion to realize it and aggression to gather resources, Kirpal took the plunge in 2008 and India Art Fair was born. On the occasion of its 6th edition, she speaks to JohnyML.

JohnyML: You defy Karl Marx. He said, “In history things occur first as tragedy and then as farce”. India Art Summit which later became India Art Fair did not turn into a farce. It is growing from strength to strength. Now into its 6th edition, you must be feeling happy as a successful entrepreneur and market leader. What is your success mantra? Neha Kirpal: I would attribute the success of India Art Fair to the clear vision I had when I started it. I knew about the actions that had to be taken to establish such a platform. For me, it was definitely not a commercial venture, but an initiative to promote access and education as far as contemporary art was concerned. The sheer amount of commitment that I had invested in making the IAF a reality helped it grow even beyond my expectations. Besides, in the beginning, I had an outsider status and was almost anonymous in the field. This status also helped me to create a platform devoid of a bias to anything or to anybody and contribute positively to the industry. JML: India Art Fair is one of the most recognized brands amongst the international art fairs. For the Indian audience, it is a very familiar brand. Still many do not know the story of its origin. in the number of participating galleries this edition. Is it because the galleries are not able to afford the soaring prices for hiring booths at the IAF or are they disillusioned about the art market, or both? NK: I cannot say that there is a considerable reduction in the number of galleries. Most of the regular participants are there in the 6th edition also.