Artix 5.0: Making room for a new generation of artists

Art fairs traditionally bring galleries and artists together in large halls, with visitors moving from one booth to another. Artix has taken a different route. Since 2023, the fair has used hotel rooms as exhibition spaces, allowing galleries and artists to create individual environments around their work.Five editions later, the format has become central to Artix’s identity. The upcoming edition, to be held at The Claridges, New Delhi, on August 22 and 23, will feature 20 selected participants across 21 rooms. The lineup includes Lotus Arts de Vivre, 108 Art Projects, Golf Green Gallery, Aura Art Gallery, Gallery Vision Art, Jagat Jewels, Arushi Arts, Taranaksh, Bharati Shah, Aanchal Garg and Art & You, spanning art, design, jewellery, textiles, fashion and craft.The organisers received approximately 900-1,000 applications for Artix 5.0, with the selection process beginning about six months ago. A new section, Artist in Focus, will showcase the work of five emerging artists.For founders Malvika Poddar and Payal Kapoor, the emphasis on younger artists and collectors has developed over the course of the fair’s editions. “We found that we have one niche we got into, which was young collectors and young artists,” says Malvika. “A lot of young galleries and young solo artists started approaching us. For them, platforms like India Art Fair don’t work because these artists are very new, and it is very expensive.” Artwork by artist Suraj Kumar Kashi represented by Arushi Arts An entry point for younger collectorsThe organisers have kept Artix relatively accessible, including placing a cap of under one crore on the price of individual works. The intention is to encourage people who may be buying art for the first time, while also giving younger galleries a less expensive way to participate in a fair.Payal, who runs Arushi Arts, says the economics of larger fairs can make it difficult for galleries to take risks on emerging practitioners. She describes ARTIX as “an in-between platform” for galleries that want to develop their programmes before entering bigger fairs.The selection process is nevertheless closely filtered. Applications are reviewed by a committee, with portfolios, resumes and previous work considered before participants are chosen. The organisers say they are looking for artists who have begun developing a practice rather than accepting artists solely on the basis of age.A mix of generationsThe new Artist in Focus section brings together five distinct practices. Gauri Verma explores the human form through sculpture, while Eknoor Matharoo works across printmaking, illustration and bookmaking. Divya Kumar uses everyday objects as the basis for playful interpretations of familiar spaces, while Tania Verma creates acrylic abstracts informed by ideas of spiritual and emotional transformation. The youngest participant, 12-year-old Shanayya Kapoor, brings a youthful perspective to the presentation.The initiative will sit alongside a dedicated showcase of works by the late KG Subramanyan, bringing an important figure from Indian modern art into the same setting as contemporary artists.“We get a lot of young people, so we wanted them to experience this where you normally don’t get to experience it,” says Payal.The organisers point to artist Aanchal Garg, who has participated since the early editions, as an example of how an artist’s practice and network can develop through continued participation. According to them, Garg has since built relationships with galleries and collectors. “That is what we want to do, create many more of them,” Payal says.Looking at art in a hotel roomThe hotel remains an important part of Artix’s approach. Rather than showing works in a large exhibition hall, participants work within individual rooms or designated walls. Depending on the scale of the works, a room may hold approximately 10 to 20 pieces.For Malvika, who is also a collector, the setting changes the pace of looking. “When you go from one room to another, you take a break automatically,” she says. “Then you can come downstairs, have a drink, have a coffee in a luxury environment. You are not saying, ‘Oh my God, I have to finish everything.”The format also allows visitors to see works in a setting closer to a home, making it easier to consider scale and placement.Alongside the exhibitions, the programme will include panel discussions, artist talks and guided walkthroughs involving artists, collectors, gallerists and industry professionals, with conversations around contemporary art, collecting, design and culture.Technology is another part of the changing art landscape. The founders acknowledge that AI is increasingly entering artistic practice, while maintaining that originality and the human element remain central.After Delhi, Artix will move to Mumbai in February 2027. For now, its fifth edition continues the experiment with a format that has found its audience – one that makes room for established names, newer practices and collectors at different stages of their journey.Artix 5.0 will take place on August 22 and 23, 2026, from 11am to 8pm, at The Claridges, New Delhi. Entry free