Shailja Art Gallery is presenting The Contemporary Lore: Sojourn of Styles and Generations Unfurled, a group exhibition that brings together 23 artists working across painting, sculpture, and mixed media. The exhibition will be held at Bikaner House from 9 May to 14 May 2026, before moving to the gallery’s Gurugram space from 17 May to 13 June 2026.
A Dialogue Across Generations
Curated by Kiran K. Mohan, the exhibition examines how artistic conversations can move beyond chronological or institutional categories. Instead of separating artists by career stage, the exhibition places established, mid-career, and emerging practitioners alongside one another to create dialogues based on shared material concerns and conceptual approaches.
According to the curatorial framework, the exhibition proposes that artistic lineages are not linear, and that contemporary art can be understood through resonances between practices rather than through hierarchy.
Artists Featured in the Exhibition
The exhibition includes works by:
| Anil Gaekwad | Ashok Bhowmick |
| Asit Patnaik | Bharti Prajapati |
| Bipin Kumar | Charudatt |
| Dilip Sharma | Haren Thakur |
| Harshwardhan Devtale | Hemraj |
| Jaikrishna Agarwal | Manoj Kumar Agarwal |
| Milan Das | Meenakshi Jha Banerjee |
| Mukesh Bijole | Nilisha Phad |
| Pandurang Thate | Prem Singh |
| Rakhi Kumar | Sanjay K. Srivastava |
| Sekhar Kar | Shaji Apukuttan |
| Yusuf |
The works span multiple visual languages, ranging from figuration and abstraction to sculptural and experimental mixed-media practices.
Curatorial and Critical Context
The exhibition includes a critical essay by Johny ML, a Delhi-based art critic, curator, and writer known for his work on contemporary Indian art and cultural criticism. Johny ML has written extensively on Indian visual culture and has curated several exhibitions over the past two decades.
Kiran K. Mohan notes that the exhibition is intended to create a conversation between differing artistic vocabularies and approaches to medium, rather than focusing only on technical skill or market categorisation.
Shailja Art Gallery’s Expanding Platform
Founded by Shailja Jain, the Gurugram-based gallery has increasingly positioned itself as a space supporting both established and emerging artistic practices. The gallery and studio platform hosts exhibitions, workshops, literary events, and interdisciplinary cultural programmes.
Speaking about the exhibition, Shailja Jain said the project aims to create visibility for artists who are often overlooked due to geographical and institutional barriers within the Indian art ecosystem.
Exhibition Highlights
Visitors to the exhibition can expect:
- Paintings, sculptures, and mixed-media installations
- Dialogues between emerging and senior artists
- Non-chronological exhibition design
- Diverse approaches to abstraction, figuration, and material experimentation
- A curatorial focus on conceptual resonance rather than hierarchy
The exhibition’s arrangement intentionally avoids conventional categorisation by generation or market positioning.
Venue and Visitor Information
| Event | Details |
|---|---|
| Title | The Contemporary Lore: Sojourn of Styles and Generations Unfurled |
| Curator | Kiran K. Mohan |
| Critical Essay | Johny ML |
| Venue | Bikaner House, New Delhi |
| Opening Date | 9 May 2026 |
| Exhibition Dates | 9 May 2026 – 14 May 2026 |
| Subsequent Venue | Shailja Art Gallery, Gurugram (17 May 2026 – 13 June 2026) |
| Timing | 11 am to 7 pm |
| Organiser | Shailja Art Gallery |
| Entry | Open to Visitors |
The first phase of the exhibition will open at Bikaner House in New Delhi from 9 May to 14 May 2026. The exhibition will remain open daily between 11 am and 7 pm.
Following the Delhi presentation, the exhibition will travel to the Gurugram venue of Shailja Art Gallery from 17 May to 13 June 2026.
For additional details, visitors can access the gallery’s official website through Shailja Art Gallery Official Website and updates through the gallery’s Instagram page.
Takeaway
The Contemporary Lore: Sojourn of Styles and Generations Unfurled positions itself as an exploration of how contemporary Indian artists engage with shared questions of materiality, identity, and artistic language. By bringing together practitioners across generations without hierarchical separation, the exhibition proposes a broader and more interconnected understanding of contemporary art practice in India. Through its dual presentation in New Delhi and Gurugram, the exhibition also reflects ongoing efforts to expand conversations around accessibility, visibility, and artistic exchange within the cultural landscape.
