02-08-2025
‘Shared Worlds': Spotlighting 15 years of experimental practices at Exhibit 320
A forthcoming exhibition, Shared Worlds, at Delhi's Bikaner House explores the intricate relationship between artists and the world around us. Curated by Deeksha Nath, the exhibition features 30 artists, who engage in a critical dialogue around ecology, architecture, identities, inherited histories, gender and materiality through their works. Each artist offers a distinctive visual language to interpret these pressing concerns. The lineup includes Alex Davis, Gigi Scaria, Jagannath Panda, Mithu Sen, Richa Arya and Sumakshi Singh. Shared Worlds is significant not just for its conceptual value in embracing multiplicity, but also because it celebrates 15 years of the contemporary art space, Exhibit 320. The show highlights the deep and enduring relationships that the Delhi-based gallery has cultivated with these artists over time.
Founder Rasika Kajaria says the show features artists who have been a part of the gallery's journey—some who had their very first show with Exhibit 320, and others, who have supported the gallery over the years. The diverse roster also introduces the viewers to a range of materiality. Take Yasmin Jahan Nupur's textile work Cross the Border, Being Together, which delves into the idea of collective memory and shared cultures, with a world map intricately threaded together to connect the Global South and the West.
Then there is Kaushik Saha's Searching Home series, a visual commentary on the relationship between architecture and loss. His work, depicting an abandoned brutalist structure pushing into the soil, prompts us to reflect on the ways we exploit nature, and the shifting dynamic between humanity and ecology. Meanwhile, true to her practice, Anju Dodiya's Lullaby places the interior worlds of women at its core. It shows the figure of the woman as a powerful symbol of resistance and endurance.
The journey of Exhibit 320 needs to be viewed in context of the evolution of the contemporary arts ecosystem in India in the last two decades. What was once a small tightly knit community, with just a handful of galleries and institutions, has burgeoned into a rich and diverse ecosystem. Today, we have a mix of older galleries such as Chemould Prescott Road, which celebrated 60 years in 2023 and set the framework for contemporary arts in post-independence India, and younger ones such as Tarq and Experimenter, which completed 10 and 15 years in 2024 and 2023, respectively. Together, they have created a sense of community and shared space for art making and dialogue.
The conversation between Indian art and the wider global discourse is now taking place at a faster pace than ever before, actively facilitated by many players such as philanthropic institutions, cultural organisations and artist collectives. There is often criticism against how galleries position themselves, and their commercial underpinnings, but it can't be denied that despite their limitations, they contribute to the growth of artists and the community. They are keen players in creating a system, which is willing to accept new voices—some of them being truly unconventional.
Exhibit 320 has, over time, represented acclaimed artists such as Devraj Dakoji and Gopi Gajwani, while keeping its space open to younger practitioners. 'The gallery was born out of a desire to create a space where young people could engage with art. At that time, many emerging artists lacked the international platform needed for representation. That vision still endures, and as we have grown, our artists too have matured into established and mid-career talents," elaborates Kajaria.
Today, Sumakshi Singh, whose novel style of mark-making using thread, first found a space at the gallery, is a finalist for the 2025 Loewe Craft prize. Deena Pindoria, who draws on the craft and textile heritage of Kutch—the region that she hails from—in her printmaking practice has recently won The Art Family London's Emerging Artist Award 2025. 'Hailing from Madhapar, a warrior village in Kutch, Pindoria's art draws deep inspiration from their ancestors' involvement in the India-Pakistan War of 1971. Stories of courage and resilience shared by their grandmother, where 300 women warriors rebuilt airstrips within 72 hours, have profoundly influenced Deena's artistic expression. With each stroke of the block against the fabric, Deena carries the weight of history and the resilience of their ancestors, honouring their spirit through vibrant colours and intricate patterns…," states the gallery's description of Pindoria's work.
Kajaria realises the responsibility of galleries to showcase art that is sensitive, provocative, experimental and honest. For any young artist just starting out, the gallery thus is simply not a space to show their art; it is an entry point into the wider arts landscape. Richa Arya, a young practitioner who works with repurposed scrap and industrial material, acknowledges the environment for experimentation at Exhibit 320 for artists, who are still discovering their voice. Even as the Indian contemporary arts ecosystem transforms and shape shifts at an accelerated speed, this seems like an apt moment to look at what has made certain galleries endure over time.
At Bikaner House, New Delhi, 3-13 August.
Manan Shah is a museologist, curator and writer shuttling between Delhi and Mumbai.
