Andretta, a village in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, has long been home to a vibrant artist community, including renowned figures like Sardar Gurcharan Singh, Shoba Singh and B.C. Sanyal. Over the past four decades, it has attracted students, artists, and enthusiasts, many of whom chose to settle down in the village and become a part of Andretta’s creative community.

The exhibition showcases the work of the Andretta artists, potters, printmakers, and musicians. On display are works by Mansimran Singh, Mary Singh, Gauri Sharma, Sheila Sedgwick, Lipoklemla Ao, Shubham Sankhyan, Manish Arora, Yamini J. Paul, Bianca Bellantyne, Suchika Rathode and Arjun Sen

Inauguration on Thursday, 20 February 2025 at 18:30

An exhibition of Artisan Designed Textiles

In 2005, Judy Frater began the first design school for artisans in India in Kutch, Gujarat. Her book, Artisans by Design chronicles the journey of developing the programme and fifteen years of artisans learning design. Each artisan profiled designed and created a textile for the book. This exhibition presents a selection of images from the book, and new textiles designed and created by the same artisans, illustrating the endless creativity of artisan designers

As part of this exhibition on 7 February 2025 in Conference Room II from 10:00 to 12:30 hrs
 

Symposium on Artisans by Design: Reflections on the journey of Education for Textile Artisans in India
The Symposium will reflect on the past and future of design education for textile artisans in India. The symposium brings together an inspiring array of voices – artisan-design graduates, educators, mentors, and experts, alongside Judy Frater, the founder of India’s pioneering design education programme for artisans and  the Founder Director Emerita of Somaiya Kala Vidya, an institute of education for artisans

Moderator: Dr. Ritu Sethi, Craft Revival Trust

(Collaboration: Craft Revival Trust)

 

Tales of the Wild

An exhibition of wildlife photographs 
By Madhur Nangia

Inauguration by Dr. Latika Nath, conservation ecologist, photographer and author on Tuesday, 7th January 2025 at 18:30

An exhibition of works by Bireswar Sen and Sureshwar Sen
From the Private Collection of Prithviswar Sen and Sarbani Ghosh

Conceptualised by the late Prof. B. N. Goswamy
Curatorial Team: Ella Datta; Pradip Kumar Datta; Aparna Nambiar; and Prithviswar Sen

Conceptualised in January 2023 by Prof. Goswamy, the exhibition can be viewed in several ways. As a striking generational shift; as the exploration of the remarkable fusion of multiple cultures of painting drawn from different parts of the globe; of the efflorescence and hybridity on modern Indian art traditions that has its locus in Lucknow (the home of both painters) – but draws on many centres. These range from the Bengal School of Jorasankho (Bireswar Sen’s training ground with the Tagores) as well as Santiniketan (where Sureshwar Sen trained and worked in the company of Ramkinkar and Benode Behari, under the tutelage of Nandalal)

Inauguration by Shri Ashok Vajpeyi, Managing & Life Trustee, The Raza Foundation, Shri K.N. Shrivastava, Director, IIC  on Tuesday, 10 December 2024 at 18:30

Conducted Walk Through by Prithviswar Sen on:
 

Friday, 13 December 2024 at 16:00
Tuesday, 17 December 2024 at 16:00
Sunday, 22 December 2024 at 16:00 

On Friday, 20 December 2024 at 18:00
The Art of Openness: Perspectives from a Father and his Son
Illustrated lecture by Prof. Pradip K. Datta

(Collaboration: The Raza Foundation)

An exhibition on the life of Lt. Gen, Adil Sethna, PVSM, AVSM

Inauguration by Dr. Karan Singh on Sunday, 24 November 2024 at 17:00
 

Guests of Honour: Shri N.N. Vohra, Life Trustee, IIC and H.E. Mrs Diana Mickevicíené, Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania

An exhibition on Abu Abraham’s work in his centenary year

Inauguration by Prof. Romila Thapar on Wednesday 6 November 2024 at 18:00

A walk through of the exhibition will be conducted on

9 November at 16:00 hrs by Christel Daevadawson, Professor English, University of Delhi

10 November at 12:00 hrs by Uma Chakravarti, Professor of History and filmmaker

16 November at 17:00 hrs by Manoranjan Mohanty, former Professor of Political Science

Closing Walk 

Tuesday, 19th November 5:00 pm 2024 by Janaki Abraham Abu’s Daughter and Prof. of Sociology

(Collaboration: Dept. of Cultural Affairs, Govt. of Kerala; and Kerala Lalithakala Akademi)

Landscape and the Artist’s Self: Benodebehari and the Santiniketan Countryside
 

Illustrated lecture by Prof. R. Siva Kumar, well-known art historian and curator

Chair: Dr. Brinda Bose


(Collaboration: Gallery Rasa)

Scenes from Santiniketan & Benodbehari’s Handscrolls 

The earliest and longest handscroll ever painted by Benodebehari Mukherjee, depicting the 1920s landscape of Santiniketan. The exhibition also includes reproductions of other handscrolls and existing fragments from the collection of Kala Bhavana, Santiniketan and one from the collection of Victoria & Albert Museum, London

Curated by Prof. R. Siva Kumar

Inauguration by Smt Ira Chaudhuri, eminent artist on 19th October 2024 at 11:30 am

As part of the exhibition, there will be a talk on 20 October at 6:30 pm in the Art Gallery, Kamaladevi Complex 

Landscape and the Artist’s Self: Benodebehari and the Santiniketan Countryside

Illustrated lecture by Prof. R. Siva Kumar, well-known art historian and curator

Chair: Dr. Brinda Bose

(Collaboration: Gallery Rasa)
 

At the foot of Golconda Fort in Hyderabad, stands the 106-acre Qutb Shahi Heritage park, a unique necropolis where for 169 years, the Qutb Shahi Sultans built mausoleums, funerary mosques, grand stepwells and garden structures. This, without doubt, is the most significant ensemble of Qutb Shahi architecture. For over a decade, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in partnership with the Government of Telangana’s Department of Archaeology has undertaken the conservation of over 100 monuments coupled with landscape restoration of the necropolis. The exhibition presents a decade-long journey of conservation with focus on the conservation of Muhammad Qutb Shah’s mausoleum, supported by InterGlobe Foundation/IndiGo Reach 

Inauguration on Monday, 30 September 2024 at 18:30

As part of the exhibition, there will be two related programmes:

On Friday, 4 October 2024 at 18:30 in the Art Gallery
Cultural Practices of the Qutb Shahis
Talk by Sajjad Shahid on the poetry, music, writing, sufi practices of the Qutb Shahis

Sajjad Shahid is a historian, architecture conservator, columnist and Visiting Professor at University of Hyderabad

On Wednesday, 9 October 2024 at 18:30 in the Art Gallery
Qutb Shahi Heritage Park: Conservation & Landscape Restoration
Illustrated lecture by Ratish Nanda that addresses the objectives, and conservation philosophy followed during the conservation and landscape restoration at the Qutb Shahi Heritage Park. Since 2013, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture’s inter-disciplinary team has partnered with a host of agencies to conserve these historic monuments and restore their gardens. This discussion will highlight the conservation process and the strategies employed in conserving this significant cultural heritage.
 
 

(Collaboration: Agha Khan Trust for Culture; and InterGlobe Foundation/IndiGo Reach)
  

Curated by Ina Puri

For artists in general and printmakers in particular, the Bat-tala school has been, perennially, of great interest, inspiring several art practitioners down the decades albeit in many ways. Literally meaning under the Banyan tree, artists of Chitpore, initially worked under the ubiquitous Bat-tala making the work they produced so popular that soon the newly established school went by the sobriquet Bat-tala. The Bat-tala tradition spawned art and illustrations spanning a range of subjects from mythology and religious themes to the satirical, commenting on contemporary social life of the time. 

Two parallel exhibitions will be held in both art galleries of the Centre presenting the work of master artists; senior artists; and emerging artists. Organised in collaboration with Art Magnum 

The Tradition of Bat-tala & Other Practices by the Printmakers
Presenting works by master artists – Paramjit Singh; Akbar Padamsee; Bhupen Khakkar; Arpita Singh; Jatin Das; Anjolie Ela Menon; Rameshwar Broota; Vasundhara Broota;  Manu Parekh; Madhvi Parekh; Shobha Broota; Sakti Burman; Ved Nayar; Anupam Sood; Jyoti Bhatt; Jogen Chowdhury; P. D. Dhumal; R. B. Bhaskaran; Jaikishan Agarwal; Arpana Caur;  Jeram Patel; Laxman Goud; Himmat Shah; Niren Sengupta; G.M. Sheikh; Lalu P. Shaw; Paramjeet Dogra; Somnath Hore; K. G. Subramanyan; Sanat Kar; Shanti Dave; Rini Dhumal; V.R. Patel; Haren Das; Prem Singh; Manjit Bawa;  Maite Delteil; and Piraji Sagara

Works by senior artists - Dattatraya Apte; Kavita Nayar; Sushanta Guha; Anandamoy Banerji; Kanchan Chander; Bula Bhattacharya; Kishor Chakraborty; Santosh Verma; Hemavathy Guha; Gayatri Apte; G. R. Iranna; Pooja Iranna;  V. Nagdas; Pratul Dash; Yusuf; Debashish Mukherjee; Prasanta Kalita; Amitava Das; Veer Munshi; Sidharth; R. M. Palaniappan; Durga Kainthola; Rajan Fulari; Birendra Pani; Vijay Bagodi; Subroto Mandol; Sujay Mukherjee; Mini Radhakrishan; Srikanta Paul; Walter D. Souza; Avijit Roy; Savi Sawarkar; Ramesh Khanda; Ajit Seal; Shovin Bhattacharya; Sunrindra Mishra; Suddhasattwa Basu; Suranjan Basu; Asim Pal; Jayasri Burman; Waswo X. Waswo; and Sanjay Das

 Inauguration on Saturday, 14 September at 17:30 onwards

Chief Guest: Ashok Vajpeyi, poet and literary cultural critic

Guests of Honour: Shri K.N. Shrivastava, Director, IIC; Ms Anupam Sud and Jayasri Burman, eminent artists