Gallery G in Bengaluru will open two exhibitions on 14 October 2026, bringing contemporary artistic practices from South India into conversation with the region’s modernist heritage. Beyond The Familiar: Between Reality, Abstraction and Imagination will feature 47 works by 16 contemporary artists until 30 November, while the Dussehra–Diwali Special Showcase: Madras Moderns will present works by nine pioneers of the Madras modernist movement from 14 to 24 October.
Beyond The Familiar: Between Reality and Imagination
The main exhibition examines how artists interpret the world through observation, memory and imagination. Its 47 works span realist portraiture, abstraction and sculpture, using materials that include canvas, paper, clay, copper and naturally dyed fabric.
The participating artists draw on a range of subjects, including temple towns, village life, childhood memories, mythology, marine ecosystems and the politics of the body. Together, their practices consider how visual traditions associated with South India can be reinterpreted through contemporary artistic approaches.
Artist and educator S Vijayaraghavan has coordinated the exhibition. According to Gallery G founder and managing director Gitanjali Maini, the show brings together 16 artistic perspectives to examine the relationships between physical environments, conceptual ideas and material experimentation.
Sixteen Artists, Diverse Materials and Perspectives
Artists based in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala contribute works reflecting different approaches to subject matter and technique. Most participants are presenting three works each, while Sajitha R Shankhar is showing two.
The exhibition includes:
- Memory and place: Bharathi Senthilvelan explores childhood memories of small-town life through semi-abstract colour, while N S Manohar depicts rural locations and figures associated with Kumbakonam.
- Portraiture and identity: Charanya Rajesh creates realist portraits of women informed by Kanchipuram silk and temple motifs. Rohini Mani examines the body, colourism and the celebration of darker skin tones.
- Mythology and material practice: Hemalatha Senathipathi works with welded copper, brass and enamel, drawing on mythology, birds and the Cholamandal legacy. K Gukanraj uses ceramic stoneware to create sculptural forms.
- Nature and sustainability: Ranjini Jacob makes hand-built ceramics inspired by coral reefs and marine life, while R Jacob Jebaraj incorporates upcycled and sustainable materials into layered works.
- Textiles and social relationships: Sipi Sakkaravarthi explores natural pigments, dyeing and cyanotype on fabric. Priya Elayaraja draws on folk traditions to examine womanhood and relationships.
Other participating artists are Kayalvizhi Sethukarasu, Ranjini Jacob, Rohini Mani, S Michael Irudayaraj, S Vijayaraghavan, Selva Senthilkumar and Siva Murugan. Their practices range from abstract rural landscapes and pictogram-based narratives to figurative paintings featuring feline forms and urban motifs.
Audio Descriptions Expand Access
Each exhibited work will carry a QR code linking visitors to an audio description in three languages, alongside information about the artist. This feature provides an additional way to engage with the artworks and learn about the ideas and processes behind them.
The exhibition’s range of materials and subjects also offers visitors an opportunity to consider how regional experiences, cultural references and personal histories shape contemporary art.
Madras Moderns: A Ten-Day Showcase
Running alongside the main exhibition during its opening ten days, the Dussehra–Diwali Special Showcase: Madras Moderns will feature works by Achuthan Kudallur, Akkitham Narayanan, Alphonso Arul Doss, A. P. Santhanaraj, K. M. Adimoolam, K. V. Haridasan, M. Senathipathi, M. Sooriyamurthy and P. Perumal.
The showcase focuses on the legacy of the Madras modernist movement and places the work of its pioneering artists alongside contemporary practices. The Madras Movement developed a distinctive approach to modern Indian art by engaging with regional cultural references and indigenous visual traditions.
The movement’s history is closely associated with K. C. S. Paniker and the Cholamandal Artists’ Village, established near Chennai in 1966 as a community supporting artists’ professional practice and experimentation. The historical context provides a useful perspective on the relationship between regional identity and artistic innovation. Further background is available through the Impart Encyclopedia of Art’s overview of the Madras Art Movement.
| Artist | Based In | Medium | Artistic Practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bharathi Senthilvelan | Bengaluru | Mixed media | Childhood memories of small-town life expressed through semi-abstract colour. |
| Charanya Rajesh | Chennai | Oil, soft pastel | Realist portraits of women rooted in Kanchipuram silk and temple motifs. |
| K Gukanraj | Chennai | Ceramic stoneware | Sculptural ceramics shaped by clay and fire. |
| Hemalatha Senathipathi | Chennai | Welded copper, brass, enamel | Metal sculpture drawing on mythology, birds and the Cholamandal legacy. |
| R Jacob Jebaraj | Chennai | Acrylic, serigraph | Layered works using upcycled and sustainable materials. |
| Kayalvizhi Sethukarasu | Chennai | Acrylic | Abstract landscapes of rural India. |
| N S Manohar | Chennai | Acrylic | Rural sites and figures from Kumbakonam, between memory and observation. |
| Priya Elayaraja | Chennai | Acrylic | Folk-inspired paintings exploring womanhood and relationships. |
| Ranjini Jacob | Chennai | Ceramic, mixed media | Hand-built ceramics inspired by coral reefs and marine life. |
| Rohini Mani | Bengaluru | Mixed media, acrylic | Explores the body, colourism and the celebration of darker skin tones. |
| S Michael Irudayaraj | Chennai | Mixed media, soot on paper | Pictogram-rich narratives of nature and everyday life. |
| S Vijayaraghavan | Chennai | Mixed media, printed pigment | Explores the metaphorical relationship between self and society. |
| Sajitha R Shankhar | Thiruvananthapuram | Acrylic | Explores the mystical and sociocultural politics of the female form. |
| Sipi Sakkaravarthi | Chennai | Natural pigments on fabric | Explores textile processes, dyeing and cyanotype. |
| Selva Senthilkumar | Chennai | Acrylic, mixed media | Figurative works featuring feline forms and urban motifs. |
| Siva Murugan | Chennai | Acrylic | Reimagines tradition through a contemporary visual language. |
Artist Interaction and Visitor Information
Visitors can meet and interact with several exhibiting artists at Gallery G on Friday, 16 October 2026, from 4 pm to 6 pm. The session will take place during the period when both exhibitions are on view.
Gallery G is located at Maini Sadan, 38 Lavelle Road, 7th Cross, Bengaluru. Its official website provides information about the gallery, while its contact page lists visitor timings of 10 am to 6 pm, Tuesday to Sunday, with the gallery closed on Mondays.
The press information does not specify admission charges, ticketing arrangements or a registration link for either exhibition. Visitors should contact the gallery directly to confirm entry arrangements before travelling.
| Event | Details |
|---|---|
| Title | Beyond The Familiar: Between Reality, Abstraction and Imagination; Dussehra–Diwali Special Showcase: Madras Moderns |
| Artists | 16 contemporary artists; nine Madras modernist pioneers |
| Venue | Gallery G, Maini Sadan, 38 Lavelle Road, 7th Cross, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India |
| City | Bengaluru, Karnataka, India |
| Opening Date | 14 October 2026 |
| Exhibition Dates | Beyond The Familiar: 14 October–30 November 2026; Madras Moderns: 14–24 October 2026 |
| Organiser | Gallery G; Beyond The Familiar coordinated by S Vijayaraghavan |
| Artist Interaction | Friday, 16 October 2026, 4 pm–6 pm |
| Website / Registration | www.galleryg.com |
Bringing Regional Art Histories into Conversation
By presenting contemporary artists alongside works associated with South Indian modernism, Gallery G’s two exhibitions offer an opportunity to examine continuities and changes in the region’s artistic practices. The programme brings questions of memory, identity, ecology and material experimentation into dialogue with the legacy of earlier generations. For visitors, it provides a setting to encounter diverse approaches to art and consider how regional histories continue to inform cultural expression today.
