The Week | Frieze London 2024: Indian art steals spotlight with vibrant displays

By Brijeshwari Gohil

A week of art and design has kickstarted in London with two fairs inviting connoisseurs, collectors, and buyers to see a range of works under one roof. PAD London Design, a fair that is dedicated solely to 20th-century design, art, photography, and jewellery has been taking place annually since 2007. Welcoming people from across the globe, the fair is a melting pot for like-minded people to explore a cornucopia of artefacts.

Frieze London on the other hand, which I had the opportunity to visit on the opening day, has art galleries from around the world displaying their best pieces. The fair, which takes place every year at Regents Park in October has an average of over 60,000 visitors. They range from artists, collectors, curators, and gallerists to art enthusiasts of all degrees.

I was impressed to see the India representation at Frieze this year, with galleries such as DAG, Chemould Prescott, Experimenter, Jhaveri Contemporary, and Nature Morte displaying versatile and thought-provoking works of art.

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India representation is not merely restricted to Indian galleries. Aicon Gallery, a New York-based gallery, for example, has stunning works of art by Modern Masters such as S.H.Raza and M.F. Husain on display. A large work by Husain, perhaps inspired by Japanese screen printing, steals the show at the exhibit. Vigorous black and white brush strokes bring life to a painting of horses. A popular subject matter by the artist, but the style is simply unique. Similarly, another work of Husain’s horses, a complete contrast to this work, is also displayed there. A smaller scale work with a pop of colours and a few lines of a delicate lavender shade—a rather unique colour palette for the artist.

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