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The Irregulars Art Fair was a three-day, independent art event in Delhi that opened to public viewing on February 9, 2018, alongside India Art Fair. Conceived by artist and curator Tarini Sethi and designer Anant Ahuja, it brought work by 50 artists into a former factory space in Khirkee. Its loose, unconventional presentation and emphasis on emerging and less-established artists made it a distinct alternative—not a replacement for India Art Fair.
What was The Irregulars Art Fair?
The Irregulars was an independent art fair associated with Bridge Studios and Studio Khirki. It was conceived as a platform for artists who might not yet have gallery representation, as well as a gathering place for a younger creative community. The fair took place around the February 9–11, 2018 weekend, during the same period as India Art Fair, which ran February 9–12. Hindustan Times reported that The Irregulars opened to public viewing on February 9; accounts differ on its full operating dates. Scroll’s post-event report counted 50 artists over three days, while Hindustan Times’ event coverage described the public opening.
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How it differed from India Art Fair
The distinction was chiefly in whom the event sought to present and how it used its space. The Irregulars focused on independent and lesser-known artists, and placed work throughout a former factory or warehouse in Delhi’s Khirkee area rather than arranging everything in a conventional white-cube gallery. Art appeared around corners and pillars, and even overhead, making the space feel exploratory and less formally navigable. The Indian Express described the venue and its alternative setting.
Its organisers’ “anti-art fair” language was a critique of art-fair conventions, not a rejection of India Art Fair itself. In an interview with Architectural Digest India, co-founder and Bridge Studios creative director Anant Ahuja said: “We have been thinking about the misrepresentation of the contemporary art scene in general. So, we have created a space, which is for everyone. It’s not anti-art, but anti art fair.” Architectural Digest India’s interview explains that positioning.
| Aspect | The Irregulars, 2018 | India Art Fair, 2018 |
|---|---|---|
| Artist visibility | Focused on independent and less-established artists, including those without gallery representation, according to contemporaneous coverage. | Not specified in the cited reporting for a direct comparison. |
| Setting and display | Former factory/warehouse in Khirkee; works were spread through the space, including corners, pillars, and ceiling areas. | Not specified in the cited reporting for a direct comparison. |
| Media | Painting, sculpture, photography, digital art, film, performance, poetry, textiles, music, dance, and mixed media were reported. | Not specified in the cited reporting for a direct comparison. |
| Sales and admission | Admission was charged and works were for sale; published reporting does not state the fee or sales commission amount. | Not specified in the cited reporting for a direct comparison. |
What visitors encountered
Scroll reported that at least 1,400 people visited the 2018 fair. The installation mixed visual art with live and literary forms: coverage described terracotta and mixed-media work, poetry printed on tiles, film, performance, and music, among other practices. The subjects included women’s rights, city traffic, home and family, identity, and body image. The Patriot’s account describes the range of media and activity.
The display’s scattered arrangement was part of the experience rather than a simple backdrop. Visitors had to look beyond a sequence of framed works on walls, finding pieces in unexpected parts of the industrial interior. Scroll quoted artist Jitish Kallat: “There’s definitely something going on here. I am not talking about the quality of individual works or the caliber of artists in the show. But there is a festive celebration of artistic peerdom and the charming exuberance of youth.”
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Post-event reporting is the best guide to the realised event: Scroll counted 50 artists and at least 1,400 visitors. Advance coverage gave different artist estimates, reflecting plans rather than a final tally. LiveMint’s preview estimated around 30 artists, while another preliminary account cited 171. Those figures should not be substituted for the post-event count.
Was it a commercial art fair?
Yes. The event charged admission and offered artworks for sale; Scroll also reported that the fair took a commission on sales. The published account does not give the admission price or commission rate. The available coverage therefore establishes that the event had a commercial dimension, but not how much visitors paid or what share of a sale the fair retained.
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Is The Irregulars Art Fair still happening?
The documented event here is the 2018 Delhi fair. A 2020 online zine exhibition records a later collaboration involving Pulp Society and The Irregulars Art Fair, but it does not establish that physical editions continued or that tickets are currently available. Pulp Society’s 2020 exhibition page is evidence of that online project, not a current event listing.
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- Number of Pages: 128
- Published By: Arcadia Publishing
- Imprint: Arcadia Publishing
- Series: Images of America
- Publication Date: October 8, 2012
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