20 shows to bookmark this art season

Standing tall

Saffronart presents an outdoor exhibition of monumental sculptures, Alchemies of Form, by prominent artists including Krishen Khanna, Himmat Shah, Thota Vaikuntam, Dhananjay Singh, Phaneendra Nath Chaturvedi, and Yashika Sugandh. Though primarily painters, some like Khanna and Vaikuntam engaged with sculptural techniques in their artistic journeys. Curated by Uma Nair, the show allows us to get a glimpse of these rare and powerful creations. At Bikaner House, New Delhi, till 9 February, between 11 am-6:30 pm (Monday to Sunday). 

Warli in a modern light

Mayur and Tushar Vayeda, also known as Vayeda brothers, have established a novel language of interpreting the traditional art form of Warli through contemporary themes. They showcase this unique vocabulary in the show, Sacred Lines, incidentally their first show in the city. At Ojas Art, New Delhi, till 23 March, 11 am to 7 pm (Tuesday to Sunday).

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Pushing the possibilities

Shapes Of The Continuity is a solo exhibition by contemporary Indian sculptor S. D. Hari Prasad, who makes machine-executed works in different types of stone. The artist studied fine arts in Andhra Pradesh before going to Istanbul to learn glass kiln casting. A national award-winning artist, Prasad’s work has been featured in prominent collections such as at the Lalit Kala Akademi, the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, and more. The exhibition showcases the artist’s constant desire to challenge himself with the possibilities that the material holds. At Kalakriti Art Gallery, Hyderabad, till 11 February, 11 am-7:00 pm (Monday-Saturday). 

Collective climate action

Sustaina India—a platform where science meets art to inspire collective climate action—returns with its second chapter. This is a collaborative initiative between the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), one of Asia’s sustainability think tanks, and artist duo Thukral & Tagra to encourage artists to themes of sustainable livelihoods and climate action. The works by Fellows of Sustaina India will be showcased at the exhibition With Each Seed We Sing. At STIR Art Gallery, 2, New Delhi from 2-16 February, 11 am-6 pm.

Dialogue between the artist and the viewer

Jaipur Centre for Art (JCA), co-founded by Padmanabh Singh and arts specialist Noelle Kadar, is presenting the exhibition, A New Way of Seeing featuring Indian and international contemporary artists. The lineup includes Alicja Kwade, Anish Kapoor, Dayanita Singh, Hiroshi Sugimoto, LN Tallur, Manjunath Kamath, Sean Scully, and Tanya Goel. Featuring a variety of mediums such as painting, sculpture and photography, the show looks at the intersection between the process of making art and the viewer’s perception of it. At the Jaipur Centre for Art, City Palace, Jaipur, till March 16, 11 am-6 pm (Monday to Saturday).

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An architecture series

Eckart Muthesius and Manik Bagh: Pioneering Modernism in India features rare vintage photographs of Manik Bagh, Indore, portraits by Man Ray and Emil Leitner, alongside lesser-known watercolour paintings and design studies by architect Muthesius. The residential palace was commissioned in the late 1920s by Yashwant Rao Holkar II (1908-1961) and his wife, Sanyogita (1914-1937). When completed in 1933, it set a precedent for introducing western modern aesthetics into Indian architecture. This is the first of three exhibitions as part of In Situ, In Residence , an exhibition series on architecture that explores intimate and often-overlooked perspectives of residential architecture in Indian and international contexts. At the Museum of Art and Photography, Bengaluru, till 31 March 10 am-6:.0 pm, (Tuesday-Sunday). 

Painting the human condition

Artist Sudhir Patwardhan has always used his artistic language to talk about the malaise that exists in our society. Always questioning the changing fabric of society, Patwardhan looks at grassroots human conditions and the issues faced by economically disadvantaged communities and people. The exhibition, Cities: Built, Broken, curated by Gayatri Sinha, features 65 of his recent works, including both large and small canvases as well as drawings, seen from Patwardhan’s vision of Mumbai. At Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi, from 6 February-4 March, between 10 am–6 pm, with a preview on 5 February between 6-8 pm.

Exploring the meaning of freedom

Vadehra Art Gallery will showcase a collection of up to 20 works by contemporary artist Shilpa Gupta in the exhibition, Beyond Borders. It will feature motion flapboards with 20-minute loops of numerical, anagrammed and deliberately misspelt text to draw the viewers in. On display will also be kinetic and static sculptures, an immersive sound installation titled Listening Air, and drawings. Exploring themes of freedom, censorship, borders, and resistance, some of the works are being shown in India for the first time. At the Centre for Contemporary Art, Bikaner House, New Delhi, between 2-14 February, 11 am-6 pm, Monday to Sunday. 

Celebrating a master

A prolific artist and mentor, Gulammohammed Sheikh is being celebrated at the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art. The retrospective, Of Worlds within Worlds, spans six decades of his artistic practice and features hundreds of works, some of them loaned by institutions and private collectors, besides featuring those from KNMA’s collection. The works range from oil paintings, pen and ink drawings, graphic prints, digital collages, and ceramic sculptures to archival material, including photos, books, notes, poetry, and more. At the KNMA, New Delhi, 5 February onwards, 10.30 am -6.30 pm, (Monday-Saturday). 

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Weaving as a meditative process

In The Art of the Weaver, Japanese artist Chiaki Maki looks at textiles as a spiritually moving process, full of rhythm and poetry. Textile installation series such as Yuragi and Tsunagi draw inspiration from the landscapes of Uttarakhand, while allowing viewers to engage with the beauty of hand-spun silk. Maki’s works demonstrate a synergy between age-old textile practices and a contemporary aesthetic. The artist uses natural fibres such as mulberry silk and banana fibre, among others, which are dyed using organic materials such as indigo, pomegranate, and charcoal. At Gallery Art Motif, New Delhi, till 24 February 28, 10 am-6 pm (Monday to Saturday). 

Through a new lens

Chennai Photo Biennale’s fourth edition, titled Why Photograph? questions the role of image-making and the exploration of photography particularly in a world that’s oversaturated with images. The annual event brings together diverse practices by artists in a medium that still struggles to make its mark as a valid art practice. This chapter features 12 lens-based artists from Tamil Nadu exploring themes of identity and culture alongside another exhibition featuring works by women photo artists who use the medium to address gender politics and other related issues. On showcase are also works by 40 photographers from 30 countries selected through an international jury. At various locations across Chennai, and at various times, till 16 March. 

A sense of whimsy

Celebrating 35 years of existence, Gallery Espace presents an exhibition of recent works by Amit Ambalal. The artist’s work lies in the intersection of the fantastical and Indian folklore. His paintings, comprising animals, birds, and other elements of nature, weave interesting and often whimsical narratives. At Gallery Espace, New Delhi, till 1 March, 11.00 am-7.00 pm (Monday-Saturday).

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Overcoming all odds

Italy-born Vittorio Sella (1859-1943), a pioneer in mountain photography, documented iconic images of the Himalaya, and accompanied British explorer Douglas Freshfield's expedition circumnavigating the Kanchenjunga in 1899. It was in harsh conditions that he mastered techniques to develop images on the sites despite the punishing conditions. Some of his work is being shown at the DAG in an exhibition curated by Hugh Thomson. What stands out is the purity and a sense of mystery in the outstanding images.
At the Bikaner House, New Delhi, till 14 February, 11 am-7 pm (Monday-Sunday).

Tracing an artist’s evolution

A landmark retrospective, Signed, Lower Right, celebrates Devraj Dakoji’s contribution to Indian printmaking. Featuring a diverse collection of lithographs and etchings, the show traces his evolution from early days in Hyderabad to his later rise to global prominence, including his pivotal role at the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop in New York. The retrospective also reflects his invaluable contributions as a mentor and collaborations with artists like M.F. Husain and Zarina. Dakoji often referred to himself as “a printmaker with the soul of an artist”, and his works were inclined towards nature and animals. At Gallery Exhibit 320, New Delhi, from 1-28 February 10 am-6 pm (Monday to Saturday). 

Two dimensions

Twin exhibitions, Banaras: Imagined Landscape and Deconstructed Realms: India's Tryst with Cubism, curated by Gayatri Sinha, trace the evolution of Banaras from ancient to contemporary times through paintings, sculptures, photography, books, and travelogues; the other exhibition looks at the Indian connection of the Cubist movement and its hold on some of the best modernists from India. At DAG, 22 A Janpath Road, Windsor Place, New Delhi, from February 8-April 5, 2025, 11 am-7 pm (Monday to Saturday).

A satire on our times

Pune-based Yogesh Ramkrishna seeks inspiration from Marathi theatre to bring together elements of satire, drama, and dark comedy in his thought-provoking, surrealist works of art. The current exhibition's title, Ulatbansi, is associated with saint Kabir and makes use of metaphors, contradictions, paradoxes, and inversions. Ramkrishna's art is an inquiry into the virtual environments of the current times that we live in along with our curated social media personas. At LATITUDE 28, New Delhi, till 15 March, between 11 am-7 pm (closed on Sundays).  

A fort as an exhibition space

Saat Saath Arts Foundation and Jaipur Centre for Art (JCA), under the aegis of the Jaigarh Public Charitable Trust, are showcasing the fifth edition of ‘The Sculpture Park’. Curated by gallerist Peter Nagy, this edition features artists such as Afra Al Dhaheri, Latika Katt, Shibu Natesan, Mahbubur Rahman, Navin Thomas, Parag Tandel, Payal Jain, among others. The Jaigarh Fort, nearly a thousand years old, serves as a majestic backdrop to the works. The “theme-agnostic” exhibition features innovation with materials such as wood, bronze, stainless steel, plastic, ceramics, fibre, and stone. At Jaigarh Fort, Jaipur, between January 28-October 15, 2025, 10 am to 6 pm (Monday to Sunday).

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Rooted in nature

Experimenter is presenting ‘Bon-Manush’, Shikh Sabbir Alama’s first solo show in India. The title of the exhibition focuses on the interconnectedness between human beings and nature. “Alam is interested in exploring the possibilities of dichotomies and contradictions wrought in an entity like nature, which can be simultaneously beautiful and terrifying,” states the gallery note. The Bangladesh-born artist who usually translates his meditations into drawings and then as paintings, which evoke visceral emotions through the visuals rooted in flora and fauna. At Experimenter, Ballygunge, Kolkata, till 29 March.

Pushing boundaries

Method, an art gallery dedicated to fostering emerging experimental practices, has now marked its presence in Delhi, after two existing spaces in Mumbai. The new space in Defence Colony opens with the show, ‘Fresh Produce’, curated by Anica Mann. It is a collaboration with Reformary, a research and design land, which focuses on a sustainable material world. The works on showcase by 30 artists—selected from an open call— at the gallery respond to this ethos of mindfulness, while the exhibition itself incorporates Reformary’s bio-plasters and bio-cretes. On view at Method, Defence Colony, New Delhi, till 16 March.

Without borders

The Dr Bhau Dali Lad Museum is hosting a solo survey show of Reena Saini Kallat’s practice. Titled ‘Cartographies of the Unseen’, the exhibition focuses on the themes of injustice and hubris that the artist has engaged with over time. “She excavates troubled histories represented by barbed wires and alienated communities. Historic injustices manifest in arbitrary borders drawn by the colonial powers in former colonies, have produced much of the conflict that besets the world today,” states the curatorial note. Even though she looks at complex subjects, Saini, through her work, offers a plea for a kinder and more equitable world.On view at Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai, till 16 April.

Abhilasha Ojha is a Delhi-based art and culture writer.