Contemporary Now - A Landmark Survey of India's Contemporary Art Arrives in Chennai

For the first time, Chennai will witness a collaborative exhibition of unprecedented scale as five of India’s most influential galleries — Chemould Prescott Road, Vadehra Art Gallery, Chatterjee & Lal, Experimenter, and Ashvita’s — come together to present Contemporary Now. Featuring thirty-seven of the country’s most compelling artists, the exhibition is a panoramic introduction to the dialogues shaping Indian art today.

A Meeting of Perspectives

Each participating gallery brings its own curatorial legacy, artistic program, and way of seeing — honed over years of working with artists and shaping contemporary art discourse.

Contemporary Now is the rare space where these perspectives intersect, offering Chennai audiences a filtered and thoughtfully selected range of works. This is more than a survey; it is an orientation, designed to introduce both first-time viewers and seasoned collectors to the breadth and depth of curated modern Indian art practice across India.

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Diversity in Voice, Medium, and Thought

The exhibition spans painting, sculpture, photography, performance, textiles, installation, and hybrid forms. The selected works engage with urgent and timeless themes — from identity, gender, and personal histories to ecological change, urban transformation, political narratives, and the reimagining of traditional forms.

To guide audiences through this breadth, the show is framed around six thematic threads:

• Identity, Body & Selfhood — the body as an archive of personal and cultural narratives.

• Tradition ↔ Modernity Dialogues — heritage reimagined for contemporary realities.

• Socio-Political & Historical Engagement — art as witness to conflict, displacement, and change.

• Ecology, Landscape & Urban Space — mapping the human–environment relationship.

• Material Experimentation & Form — pushing the boundaries of making.

• Memory, Myth & Narrative Worlds — storytelling through layered imagery and symbols.

These themes are not fixed categories; many artists overlap, creating a web of connections that reflects the complexity of Indian art thematic exhibition.

For the Collector and the Curious

Beyond introducing Chennai audiences to new ways of seeing, Contemporary Now invites collectors to engage with the most relevant art being made in India today. The works on view are part of a well-considered, curated selection — an opportunity to add to collections with pieces that are not only visually compelling but conceptually significant. This is a chance to participate in shaping the cultural record of our times.

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Public Engagement

The exhibition will be accompanied by guided walkthroughs, a printed visitor’s guide with thematic interpretations, and interactive resources to help audiences explore and understand each artwork in depth. Whether visiting for the first time or returning to look again, viewers will find new connections with each encounter.

Exhibition Details

• Title: Contemporary Now

• Dates: 30th August - 17th September 2025

• Venue: Lalit Kala Akademi, 4, Greams Road, Thousand Lights, 600006

• Participating Galleries: Chemould Prescott Road, Vadehra Art Gallery, Chatterjee & Lal, Experimenter, Ashvita’s