Visual artist Ayesha Jatoi from Pakistan received her passport at the last moment and she literally walked across the border to be able to take part in the India Art Fair, which opened to the public here on Saturday.
“I had to go through a lot to get visa and I missed my flight and had to walk across the border. I got my passport at 2.30 am Friday. In fact, I had a flight to visit India in November too, but I got my passport only on Thursday. I am but very happy to be here,” she said.
While Jatoi just about managed to mark her presence at the fair, her contemporaries from the neighbouring country were unable to make it to the four-day long art event due to “visa issues”.
Works by the visual artist who has a keen interest in miniature art are being shown at the fair by the Madrid-based Sabrina Amrani gallery. She also participated in one of the sessions at the fair under the “Spotlight Series” where she was in conversation with fellow Pakistani artist Lala Rukh.
Taseer Gallery from Lahore, which is participating in the fair under its South Asian venture “Platform” is showcasing the artworks of four emerging artists, out of which only one Farida Batool managed to sail through the border to arrive here early Saturday morning.
“We really had a lot of problem to come over to India because we weren’t getting our visas. We got our passports at nearly 12 am after which we crossed the border. The hotel that we had a booking in here perhaps did not know that we were Pakistanis and on learning that they refused us a check-in. I have been visiting India for a long time now, but this was the first time that we had such an experience,” Batool said.
Meanwhile, one Nepali artist whose works are being showcased by the Nepal Art Council, also faced a similar problem in transportation of her paintings to India.
To fill up the vacant frames in her gallery booth she created a red swish of paint, depicting blood, trickling down to the floor.
“Her work has been stuck at customs and is expected to arrive soon. Till then this will have to do,” says gallerist Dina Bangdel.
The 8th edition of the IAF, has drawn artists from the subcontinent to the event, which has its focus on art from the South Asia region.
It also offers artists from India, along with counterparts in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal, to look at and engage with each other and their respective art.
