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For Jaya Asokan, fair director of the India Art Fair (IAF), luxury is neither excess nor exclusivity. “It is time. It is access without urgency. It is the freedom to move slowly through a city, to return to [an artwork], to walk without an agenda, and to experience art as part of everyday life rather than a moment of spectacle. That, to me, is the most enduring form of luxury,” she says.
Travel is intrinsic to Asokan’s line of work, bringing with it extraordinary access to major art institutions, private collections, studio visits, and conversations with artists and cultural leaders across the world. But that kind of movement is often structured, scheduled, and precise. There isn’t always room to wander, to drift, or to encounter a city at one’s own pace.
Enter art walks.
“Art walks are more than itineraries. They are invitations—to feel a city’s pulse, to cherish an unplanned moment, to discover that art, like travel, is most revealing when you’re willing to take the road less scheduled. I’ve done [these walks] with peers from the art world, with artists, and just as often with family, including my son, where the pace shifts and attention sharpens in unexpected ways,” shares Asokan.
Over time, she has come to treasure certain routes, walks that consistently offer connection, discovery, and a sense of continuity in cities including Kochi, Vadodara, Kolkata, Paris, Los Angeles, and Colombo.
The walk begins at La Bourse de Commerce–home to the Pinault Collection, where monumental works from contemporary masters are paired with site-specific installations. From here, it’s a short wander through the cobbled streets of the Marais, where private galleries sit side by side with cafés and ateliers. Pop into Galerie Maria Wettergren for textile and interdisciplinary work, then make your way toward the Centre Pompidou, one of Europe’s most radical public institutions for modern and contemporary art.
During the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, the various quarters of Fort Kochi and Mattancherry are transformed into an expansive, coastal art experience. Rather than a single building, the city becomes the exhibition: sprawling heritage houses, old warehouses, and waterfront landscapes host installations that reframe public history and space.
This isn’t a city art walk in the traditional sense; it’s a deep dive into the next generation of Indian creative voices. Walking through studios and exhibition halls at the Faculty of Fine Arts is to witness raw, formative practices in real time. Many artists who I first encountered here are still in conversation with the fair, years later; Arun B, our artist-in-residence [at India Art Fair], this year, was introduced to us in Baroda during his final-year presentations.
Art walks and urban regeneration are synonymous with each other. What was once a network of warehouses and industrial space has evolved into a thriving hub of galleries, murals, cafes, and studios: this is a neighbourhood where every building façade and alleyway mural demands attention alongside leading galleries.
In Kolkata, art and daily life are inseparable. The walk through Ballygunge’s art district, from legacy galleries like Experimenter and Akar Prakar to dynamic newer spaces such as Tri Art & Culture, is set against a neighbourhood alive with food, commerce, and craft traditions.
Colombo’s contemporary scene is less mapped than that of Paris or LA, but it’s equally compelling. A walk through Kala, a platform celebrating South Asian modern and contemporary art in the country, encompasses exhibitions, archival resources, and public programmes that foreground memory, research, and regional exchange. This path is one of discovery and dialogue, where new voices are nurtured and cross-border narratives are foregrounded. Our collaboration with Kala also led to a significant milestone for the India Art Fair: the participation of Dumiduni, our first international artist-in-residence from the region, whose work resonates with both Colombo’s past and future.
A slower, more intimate gallery circuit in Parisian territory. Le Marais is one of the city’s most storied neighbourhoods: galleries big and small nestle between historic squares and hidden courtyards. Walking here is as much about the neighbourhood as it is about the art itself: the pause at a bakery window, the sudden discovery of a painter’s studio tucked away on a side street, the delight of an unexpected commission on display—all make it special.
For now, Asokan is looking forward to the 17th edition of the IAF. “It marks a watershed moment for us—not just in scale, but in reach. With a record number of exhibitors and a truly global line-up, India Art Fair continues to serve as the definitive meeting point for the international art community in South Asia,” she says about the ongoing art fair that is on till February 8, 2026. [There are] a record 123 exhibitors including participation from galleries David Zwirner, Galleria Continua, neugerriemschneider, and Carpenters Workshop Gallery.