While the rains blur the cityscape, galleries across India are offering spaces where life whispers through artworks. From shows that reimagine history to exploring the untold future, this month’s lineup proves that Indian Contemporary art is in no hurry to follow the rules. Here’s your curated round-up of the most compelling exhibitions to catch this July.
- Dawn of a New Expression
Image Credit: Mothers by Monica Ghule at Kalakriti Art Gallery
Capturing the evolving spirit of Maharashtra’s contemporary art scene, Dawn of a New Expression embodies the energy of a region in flux, where age-old narratives meet the bold confidence of contemporary voices. Featuring works by Amol Pawar, Dinakar Jadhav, Mamta Mondkar Shingade, Monica Ghule, Sachin Sagare, Sanjay Tikkal, Shrikant Kadam, Umakant Kanade, Vivek Kumavat, and Vivek Nimbolkar, this exhibition is a celebration of a new form which reinterprets the preserved tradition.
When: On view till July 9th
Where: Kalakriti Art Gallery, Hyderabad
- Apne Hisse Mein Suraj by Rajesh Pullawar
Image Credit: ‘Apne Hisse Mein Suraj’ by Rajesh Pullarwar, Nine Fish Art Gallery
Rajesh Pullarwar through his latest exhibition Apne Hisse Mein Suraj, turns his canvas into a
site of introspection, empathy and quiet rebellion. Capturing the fragility and resilience of
everyday identity, his collection asks the simple yet urgent question: who is allowed to be
visible, to be valued, to belong?. Curated by Nikhil Purohit and supported by Faandee Archives and
Studio Pannadwar, the show offers the viewers an opportunity to confront, question, and reimagine
the narratives of self and society.
When: On view till July 10th
Where: Nature Morte, New Delhi
- Ways of Being, Foreshadowing Imagines Past/ Recalling Untold Future
Image Credit: Last Meeting by Aksh Diwan Garg for Ways of Being
Featuring five South Asian and diaspora artists, the exhibition, curated by Niyash Mistry, embodies nostalgic figurations. Exploring the cultural sensibility through an artist lens, where temporal boundaries collapse as they draw from imagined or ancestrally felt memories.
When: On view till July 15
Where: Strangers House, Mumbai
- Volume IV: Truths, Half-Truths, Half-Lies, Lies by Kallol Datta
Image Credit: Volume IV: Truths, Half-Truths, Half-Lies, Lie by Kallol Datta
Kallol Datta turns centuries of moral instruction and coded social control into a striking visual inquiry through textile in Volume IV: Truths, Half-Truths, Half-Lies, Lie.
The Kolkata based artist and designer through their work stages a subtle yet subversive intervention, examining patterns of censorship, imposed morality and politics of appearance.
When: On view from July 10th
Where: Experimenter, Mumbai
- Of Metamorphosis and Masquerades: …acts from the Theatre of Life
Image Credit: ‘Of Metamorphosis and Masquerades:..acts from the theatre of life’ by Roshan and Rohan Anvekar, Gallerie NVYA
Twin artists Rohan and Roshan crafts a world of memory, ritual and contemporary spectacle in Echoes of Myth and Machine. Drawing from both South Asian iconography and global philosophical thoughts, the duo, through layered textures converts the gallery space into a psychological terrain that demands slowness and reflection, inviting viewers to linger in ambiguity and contradiction.
When: On view from July 10th
Where: Gallerie NVYA, Delhi
- ‘No Race, No Cololur’ by Pushpakanthan Pakkiyarajah
Image Credit: ‘No Race, No Colour’ by Pushpakanthan Pakkiyarajah, Experimenter Kolkata
Sri Lankan artist Pushpakanthan Pakkiyarajah marks his first solo exhibition in India with No Race, No Colour. The show features Pakkiyarajah’s works developed over the last four years, in which he imagines nature as a sentient, interconnected organism which carries the imprints of human trauma.The exhibition navigates the themes of memory, trauma and ecological interdependence within a landscape shaped by conflict.
When: On view from July 17th
Where: Experimenter, Kolkata
- We Are All Circles by Vandana Kothari
Image Credit: We are all Circles by Vandana Kothari
Vandana Kothari through her layered composition brings forth a contemplative and deeply intimate collection, shaped by the artist’s own experience of motherhood, solitude and human connection. Evoking a sense of continuity and impermanence, the unmistakably contemporary artist dissolves the boundaries between form and feeling, inviting viewers into a world where personal memory intermingles with collective experience.
When: On view till July 20th
Where: Nature Morte, New Delhi
- Vaaneyram Vizhuthugal
Image Credit: ‘Vaaneyram Vizhuthugal: Roots that Reach the Sky’, MAP Academy
Vaanyerum Vizhuthugal, originally part of the Chennai Photo Biennale, brings together twelve contemporary lens based artists of Tamil Nadu, who radically explores identity, memory and belonging. Featuring Aishwarya Arumbakkam, Alina Tiphagne, Arun Karthick, Brindha Anantharaman, Krithika Sriram, Osheen Siva, Priyadarshini Ravichandran, Sathish Kumar, Shankar Narayanan, Sridhar Balasubramaniyam, Steevez, and Vivek Mariappan, the exhibition unravels the complexity of postcolonial Tamil identity, moving beyond the stereotype of shared geography and cultural shorthand.
When: On view till July 20th
Where: MAP Academy, Bangalore
- Voices
Image Credit: ‘Spring Summer Monsoon’ by Ankan Mitra, Jehangir Art Gallery
Gathering twenty-six artists from across India and beyond, ‘Voices’ is a cross-cultural dialogue of ideas, histories and personal narrative weaved together through diverse mediums and visual languages, from murals, mythical sculptures, folk art and contemporary abstraction. Curated by Uma Nair, the exhibition is presented by Bespoke Art Gallery and features Muzaffar Ali, Arpitha Reddy, Ankon Mitra, Arzan Khambatta, Bhajju Shyam, Harsha Durugadda, Timur D’Vatz, Bobur Ismailov, Jesús Curia, Gillie and Marc.
When: On view till July 24th
Where: Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai
- Building the Past
Image Credit: ‘Building the Past: an architect collector’, Chatterjee and Lal
Chatterjee & Lal’s latest exhibition offers a rare glimpse into the discerning eye of Sohrabji K Bhedwar, one of India’s most respected collectors of the 20th century. Displayed publicly for the first time since his passing, the exhibition features the objects he collected for over three decades from his South Indian and Nepalese Bronzes along with an exquisite selection of miniatures.
When: On view till July 30th
Where: Chatterjee & Lal, Mumbai
- Lado Bhai: Paper Whispers
Image Credit: ‘Tendu Tree & Hunter Hunting Barasingha’ by Lado Bai, for Ojas Art Gallery.
One of most versatile voices in tribal art, Lado Bhai’s latest solo exhibition is a testament to resilience, memory and the evolving pulse of Bhil artistic tradition. A collection of her early works from the 1980’s to her most recent pieces, the exhibition weaves together tribal symbolism with contemporary narratives through nearly forty pieces, tracing the artist’s journey as she continues to redefine it.
When: On view till August 1st
Where: Ojas Art Gallery, New Delhi
- Formation and Fracture
Image Credit: ‘Locust Attack’ by Hasan Ali, Method Art Gallery
Formation and Fracture features thirteen artists from the IMMERSIVE Fellowship. The exhibition examines the fragile line where creation meets disintegration, navigating the delicate space between creation and collapse. Conceptualized by Immerse in collaboration with method, the exhibition stands as a platform for new voices in Indian Contemporary Art.
When: On view till August 3rd
Where: Method, Delhi
- Monsoon, Mausam by Claire Baker
Claire Baker’s latest body of work traces the dialogue between the self and the shifting landscape of the Western Ghats. Using stone pigments, rain, wind and dust to inscribe their own rhythm into the canvas, her art brings together the essence of body and earth. Reflecting on the act of surrendering and co-creating , Baker’s collection reflects the feeling of being part of a larger world.
When: On view till August 9th
Where: Project 88, Mumbai
