Global market, desi art
Over the years the India Art Fair has established itself as a one-stop destination for Indian art globally and the kudos go to Neha Kripal.
After graduating in Political Science from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi, and pursuing a Master’s in Marketing for the Creative Industries from the University of Arts, London, Neha studied and practiced Hindustani classical music for eight years. “I was always drawn to the organisational and management side of arts. I worked as a coordinator for the college festival ‘Tarang’ in LSR. I also spent around seven years working in public relations and event management before I planned to hold India Art Fair in 2008,” says Neha.
At 27, she hosted the first India Art Fair, which has expanded 350 times since then. Neha credits her years spent in Europe for its execution. “From 2004-07, I visited many art museums, exhibitions and art fairs and festivals in Europe. It was a great experience. I got really charged up to host a world-class art event in India. There was a deep sense of patriotism to improve the art ecosystem of India. The fundamental purpose for holding this fair was to educate the younger generation about art,” she adds.
The journey of conducting the India Art Fair (IAF) was quite tough and full of hurdles. But Neha says this helped her grow in the field. “I used to go from gallery to gallery and make appointments with people. I would wait for hours in their waiting rooms. The art fraternity was quite critical about the model. They didn’t know about my background and questioned my credibility. But that didn’t deter my spirits; it rather helped us rework the model. On the first day of the fair, we were unsure if we would get even 100 visitors. The notion that Indians are not interested in art was quite worrisome. In 2008, amid the worst economic environment, we hosted India’s first Art Fair, which was quite a bold step,” she says, adding that she wanted to build an art platform that was inclusive, with simple management principles and clear transparency.
Besides art, Neha loves travelling and sports. “I used to play hockey on a national level. Travelling is my passion. I really enjoyed being in Istanbul, Berlin, London and Greece. In India, I enjoyed going to the Himalayas. Now, since the fair is over, I’m looking forward to a long spa holiday on the Kerala backwaters.”
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