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Ahmedabad Hosts Art Fair EDI+IONS at Historic Baronet House

India Art Fair Brings Second EDI+IONS Edition to Ahmedabad

Baronet House in Shahibaug has taken on a new role this weekend as Ahmedabad hosts the second edition of India Art Fair’s EDI+IONS. This travelling art programme began in Hyderabad in 2025.

The two-day event, being held on September 19 and 20 at the Sanjay MS Raval Skill Centre, brings together 18 participants. The programme includes 15 galleries, two design participants and one institution, with five of the participating galleries based in Ahmedabad.

The choice of Baronet House gives the event a setting closely tied to Ahmedabad’s built heritage. The Shahibaug property is a century-old Indo-Gothic building, and its use for a contemporary art gathering places new work inside one of the city’s older architectural settings. The venue is also home to the Sanjay MS Raval Skill Centre.

The Ahmedabad programme extends beyond the main venue. India Art Fair has arranged exhibitions, gallery visits and other cultural activities at locations around the city. Among them are shows at 079 | STORIES ART GALLERY, Iram Modern and Archer Art Gallery. A separate exhibition by GALLERYSKE and the forthcoming Museum of Contemporary Art Ahmedabad opened on September 18 at the museum’s Satellite Road venue and is scheduled to continue until November 1.

At Iram Modern, the group exhibition No Single Ground, curated by Satyajit Dave, runs from September 18 to 30. It brings together works connected with different periods of Indian modernism and looks at changing relationships between the body, landscape and abstraction. At 079 | STORIES, artist Khanjan Dalal’s Truth is Stranger Than Fiction presents a decade of ceramic work dating from 2015 to 2026. Archer Art Gallery is presenting Parikrama, a solo exhibition by Ganesh Gohain.

The city programme also connects the fair with Ahmedabad’s established art and craft institutions. India Art Fair’s listings include the Calico Museum of Textiles in Shahibaug, the Shreyas Folk Museum and the House of MG. The Calico Museum, founded in 1949 by Gautam and Gira Sarabhai following a suggestion from art historian Ananda Coomaraswamy, holds a collection covering five centuries of Indian textiles.

For Ahmedabad, the arrival of EDI+IONS adds another large art event to a city that already has galleries, museums, design spaces and institutions working through the year. The city has also hosted Ahmedabad Cultural Week, which India Art Fair introduced in 2025 with programmes involving cultural organisations and venues across Ahmedabad.

Meha Patel, Vice Chairperson of the Zydus Foundation and an art connoisseur, said the event could help bring wider attention to Ahmedabad’s existing creative work.

“IAF EDI+IONS arriving in Ahmedabad is significant because it connects with the city’s deep-rooted creative instinct. With its rich textile history, design pedigree, and architectural ambition, Ahmedabad does not need an introduction to the art world; it needs a platform that allows its existing depth to speak to a wider audience. By supporting IAF EDI+IONS, Zydus Foundation hopes to create greater visibility, market access, and meaningful opportunities for local and aspiring artists, artisans, and craftspeople.”

The local participation is also notable. The five Ahmedabad-based galleries taking part are 079 | STORIES ART GALLERY, Archer Art Gallery, Iram Modern, Samara Art Gallery and ZOCA. Their presence places galleries from the city alongside exhibitors from other parts of India.

Jaya Asokan, Fair Director of India Art Fair, said the Ahmedabad edition follows the first EDI+IONS event in Hyderabad and is being shaped around the character of each host city.

“After an incredibly encouraging first edition in Hyderabad, we are excited to bring IAF EDI+IONS to Ahmedabad and continue building a format that responds to the distinct cultural character of each city it enters. At its heart, EDI+IONS is about bringing people together around art and culture, strengthening regional ecosystems, and creating meaningful opportunities for exchange beyond our annual fair in Delhi.”

The Hyderabad edition, held on November 1 and 2, 2025, was the first EDI+IONS event. It featured 14 Indian galleries and design participants, including three based in Hyderabad. India Art Fair introduced the format as a way of taking its annual curatorial programme beyond its main Delhi event and working with art communities in other Indian cities.

The Ahmedabad edition also includes a strong design component. SIKAO, a Mumbai gallery working across art and design, is presenting Objects of Desire at the Kanoria Centre for Arts on September 19 and 20. Ahmedabad-based design practice andblack is also taking part as a furniture partner at Baronet House.

Photography also has a place in the main programme. PhotoInk is presenting historical photographic material at Baronet House, including work from the 1940s to the 1970s and photographs by Kanu Gandhi and Ahmed Ali. The presentation examines photography as a record of people, places and history.

BMW Group India is the presenting partner of the Ahmedabad edition. Hardeep Singh Brar, President and CEO of BMW Group India, said:

“BMW Group India is delighted to continue its partnership with India Art Fair as the Presenting Partner of India Art Fair EDI+IONS Ahmedabad. Ahmedabad, with its rich artistic and architectural heritage, spirit of craftsmanship, and culture of innovation, provides a compelling setting for this next chapter.”

The two-day programme therefore gives visitors access to more than the displays inside Baronet House. Exhibitions, museums, galleries and design spaces across Ahmedabad form part of the wider programme, placing the September event within the city’s existing cultural calendar.

For local artists, galleries, collectors and visitors, the immediate question will be whether the event can lead to sustained activity after September 20. Its longer-term effect will depend on continued work by Ahmedabad’s galleries and cultural institutions, as well as future editions of the EDI+IONS programme.