Art and about: A monsoon calendar
Editor’s note: Mekhala Singhal has put together a list of the best exhibitions currently on view in your city, be it contemporary or traditional art. Check out our art calendar for art shows and artists on view in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Kochi, and Pune.
Written by: Mekhala Singhal
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MUMBAI
Himmat Gayri, Taslim Jamal Sonaa, Nirbhay Raj Soni
What is land? How is it more than simply the spaces we occupy? What cultural, religious, ritualistic meaning exists within the idea of land, be it a forest, or a kingdom, or a shrine? Three artists from Rajasthan attempt to unravel these questions and dig deeper into how a shared landscape can carry so much diverse meaning.
Khetpal, Himmat Gayri
Nirbhay Raj Soni, Taslim Jamal Sonaa, and Himmat Gayri’s works in this exhibition consider land as more than just scenery. Spanning miniature paintings of the forests of Mewar, paintings shaped by rural village life, and works centered around the relationship between faith and land, this exhibition asks of the viewer: who owns the land we live on?
When: Till June 27, 2026
Where: Art and Charlie
Sohrab Hura
In this series, Sohrab Hura documents the shift from winter to summer, through two harsh seasons, in Kashmir. The photographs present the viewer with the beautiful landscape, while disrupting the illusion of this paradise by simultaneously capturing how the political landscape of Kashmir remains embedded in the lives of its people.
Women workers huddling together to mark their attendance at an MGNREGA worksite in Pati, Madhya Pradesh (2006)
In watching the seasons change, the viewer must contend with the endless transformations which a people must endure when forced into conflict.
When: Till July 18, 2026
Where: Experimenter Colaba
Diana Al-Hadid
Based in Brooklyn, this Syrian-American artist works with mosaic in a way that looks almost like interwoven threads if you’re not looking closely enough. These compositions reimagine, as the title suggests, love stories; multi-dimensional, layered narratives emerging from these panels.
Sisters and Brothers
Incorporating the craft of painting and mixed media, and the illusion of tapestry, Al-Hadid borrows from sculptural processes, and creates worlds entrenched in femininity, female autonomy, and interpersonal entanglement.
When: Till June 30, 2026
Where: Galerie ISA
Roshan Chhabria
Roshan Chhabria is the only son in his Sindhi, middle-class family, and that world informs the themes of his intricate and precise drawings. His art, both universal and specific, maps his personal experiences and observations while confronting the everyday lived realities of Indian middle-class life.
Learning Scooty in Lyra Leggings
Chhabria is intentional about the craft and skill behind his work. He is particular about the line drawings in his pieces, placing emphasis on the formal quality, while also taking the time to incorporate elements that may seem incongruent or humorous into the composition.
When: Till June 30, 2026
Where: Sakshi Gallery
Holding Space
Jofre Oliveras, Angel Baiju, Anikesa Dhing, Harsimran C. Juneja, Meera George, Chacko
Faith and religion cannot exist outside of the structures and systems that uphold them. This exhibition, featuring works from multiple artists, interrogates the architecture of religion, and how it interacts with our public spaces and individual lifestyles.
All in White, Angel Baiju
It examines the conflicting realities that faith and religion present in an already complex society. It offers the viewer the chance to question where our perspectives come from and how our beliefs evolve as our faith evolves.
When: Till July 31, 2026
Where: Muziris Contemporary
Amy Sillman, Matthew Northridge, Sameer Kulavoor, Sharon Horvath, Shruti Mahajan, Sunil Padwal, Tim Davis, Tom Burckhardt, T. Venkanna, Vishwa Shroff
This group exhibition negotiates the act of building—brick by brick. Rather than viewing artmaking as a process of creation from zero to nothing, it contends with the reality of a moment-by-moment, step-by-step process.
Seeing is done by another part of the body ( continuum ), Sunil Padwal
Bringing together 10 artists working across mediums, it focuses on the act of construction and reconstruction, through object, process or memory, presenting each work as not just the sum of its parts. For example, Sunil Padwal examines memory-making through a collection of images, each distinct from each other, yet together, creating a cohesive narrative. Through lines and abstraction, he recreated the functioning of memory—fragmented, pieced together over time.
When: Till July 4, 2026
Where: Tarq
DELHI NCR
Part exhibit, part hangout, as the description states, this showcase—with paper is at its focal point—is a departure from the traditional model of art exhibitions. Prints, posters, works on paper, games, zines, toys, photo books, and much more claim their place in this project. The gallery prioritises accessibility for the viewer, allowing people to stay, linger, play, learn, alongside these paper-based works.
When: Till August 22, 2026
Where: Gallery XXL
Aditya Krishnamurthy, Supriyo Karmakar
What is a line? Is it a separator or a connection? Does it denote time? These questions and more float amongst the works of these two artists on display.
red letter day, Aditya Krishnamurthy
For Krishnamurthy, gridlines and an interrogation of time intersect to create a moment of pause and reflection. For Karmakar, the interrogation is of the work of textile and, specifically, a single thread in a piece of garment. The common inquiry, that of the in-between, of social behaviour and cultural belief, is where this exhibition lives.
When: Till June 27, 2026
Where: Akar Prakar
Tyeb Mehta
With over 120 works on display in this exhibition tracing renowned artist and sculptor Tyeb Mehta’s engagement with a variety of mediums such as drawings, sculptures, archival material, paintings, and film, Bearing Weight navigates life and conflict in post-Independence India.
Kultura
Mehta was part of the Bombay Progressive Artists’ Group, and one of the primary post-colonial artists in the country. This exhibition, a comprehensive retrospective of his work, traces his impact on modern Indian art.
When: Till July 26, 2026
Where: KNMA Delhi
She - 7 Women | 7 South Asian Artists | 7 Voices
Afina Ashraf, Alishba Binte Faysal, Jahnvi Singh Rohet, Krisha Bhuva, Mahnoor Salman Khan, Mays Al Moosawi, Pem Lham
A common inquiry, and one which could probably never be fully answered, emerges from the collection of works featured in this exhibition—what does it mean to be a woman? And what does it mean to witness womanhood?
Westridge ’14, Alishba Binte Faysal
Seven artists come together to inhabit the intersections of motherhood, partnership, labour, and more. There are multiple narratives of womanhood interwoven into this exhibition, addressing the viewer’s gaze, and moving across mediums and themes such as identity, emotion, memory, and resistance.
When: Till July 5, 2026
Where: Gallery Pristine Contemporary
Sangram Majumdar
For Sangram Majumdar, the term ‘actor’ holds a specific meaning—it is the in-between space which separates a person from a character. While the phrase ‘bad actor’ typically connotes an individual of ill intent, Majumdar explores what else it could mean.
Bad Actors 1
Embracing elements of fantasy and surrealism, the paintings in this exhibition are filled with eyes and hooves and claws, transforming otherwise unsuspecting objects and individuals into actors.
When: Till July 25, 2026
Where: Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke
Annu Palakunnathu Matthew, Ayesha Sultana, LN Tallur, Manisha Parekh, Martand Khosla, Mona Rai, Remen Chopra W Van der Vaart, Shaurya Kumar, Thukral & Tagra, Vibha Galhotra
This exhibition, like Aditya Krishnamurthy’s work in In Equal Measure, also centres time as its focal element. It explores the different ways in which cultures around the world understand the concept of time, such as the western idea of linear time, as opposed to the belief that time is cyclical.
Dark Data, L.N. Tallur
Through a range of materials and mediums, the artists featured in this exhibition move between the personal and the universal, unraveling fragments and pieces of memory and life, examining how the structures of time impact them all.
When: Till June 28, 2026
Where: Nature Morte
Faces and Facets: Satyajit Ray in Colour
Nemai Ghosh
Satyajit Ray becomes a palpable physical presence in Faces and Facets, brought to life by the late Nemai Ghosh’s warm colour photographs of him. Ghosh, perhaps best known for his long-lasting association with Ray, has captured the great filmmaker’s intensity and gravitas in his black-and-white works.
Ray behind the camera
Here, he presents to us a more alive, a more vibrant version of Ray—he’s a towering presence, indeed, but there’s an intimacy and familiarity to him too, which Ghosh’s colour portraits tease out tenderly.
When: Till July 4, 2026
Where: DAG
BENGALURU
With around 60 artworks on display at any given time, this permanent exhibition is divided into three sections: Wonder; Exploration & Conquest; and Future, Present. The artworks span mediums and materials; no matter who the viewer may be, there is something for them to enjoy.
Jharia End of Time 2, 69, 72, 37, 65, 38, Ronny Sen
The artworks in this exhibition directly interrogate the very act of being alive and a member of this world. The artworks, in conversation with each other, ask the viewer what it means to be human. They look at myths of creation, our interactions with nature, and the effects of technological advancements on the earth.
When: Till December 3, 2028
Where: Museum of Art and Photography (MAP)
afra eisma
How does anger travel? How do we, quite literally, wear our anger? In this showcase, afra eisma combines the personal and the political through sewn, stitched, and painted garments. eisma uses bright colours, providing a sense of openness while interrogating more complex feelings.
Through phrases containing anger and political reflection, these garments become entryways to understand the rage that emerges from (and engages with) both a strong personal politic, as well as with an external political movement.
When: Aug 2, 2026
Where: Museum of Art and Photography (MAP)
Paper Gardens: Art, Botany, and Empire
Between the 18th and 19th centuries, scientific inquiry into the biodiversity of India led to artists and botanists working closely together to build a repository of botanical drawings. These works were made with precision to understand the plants of the region.
Caragana gerardiana, Genista versicolour from Illustrations of the Botany and Other Branches of the Natural History of the Himalayan Mountains, and of the Flora of Cashmere, Vol. II - Plates
Author: John Forbes Royle; Artist: Sarah-Ann Drake; Lithographer: Maxim Gauci
Not only does this art tell us about the colonial desire to obtain indigenous knowledge and globalise it, but it also reflects the erasure of hardworking labour of the local gardeners, biologists, and artists in colonial India.
When: July 5, 2026
Where: Museum of Art and Photography (MAP)
Food is what fuels us, gives us strength, energy, life, even. Beyond its nutritional value and its enjoyability, food can be an indicator of culture, health, age, accessibility, and more.
From Forbidden Desire by Jade Armstrong
This exhibition, full of visual treats and interactive pieces, looks at all aspects of food, from different perspectives. Be it the tools of a farmer, sugar sculptures, capsules made from food waste, or research into the scientific reasoning behind counting calories, there is something for everyone to enjoy and learn from.
Where: Science Gallery
KOLKATA
Sayanee Sarkar
Love is a transformative and a transitory thing. Through layers and washes of paint, and gradients of diffused colours, Sarkar abstracts the very idea of intimacy, forcing the viewer to seek out the meaning from the art themselves. The ambiguity of the figures, their actions and their intentions, along with the colours and style utilised by the artist, suspend the pieces in an in-between world, where there is almost a veil between the viewer and the truth being depicted in the art.
When: Till July 10, 2026
Where: Emami Art
Emily Jacir
In her work Where We Come From (2001-2003), Palestinian artist and filmmaker Emily Jacir asked Palestinians what she could do for them. In photos, texts, and video, she documented the subsequent actions she took, to interrogate the experiences of displacement and exile of the Palestinian people. Here, in her debut exhibition in India, she presents these ideas of memory and belonging, set against the violence of occupation and settler-colonialism, at a time of great global upheaval.
Where We Come From (Ghassan)
When: Till June 27, 2026
Where: Experimenter - Hindustan Road
KOCHI
Mansoor Mansoori, Latheesh Lakshman, Digvijaysinh Jadeja, Raj Chowdhury, Sabiha Dohadwala
An exhibition of contemporary artworks in Kochi, a city of the past and the present, that exudes the lightness of summer. The clear skies and the rain; pedestrians walking with their umbrellas, while a mischievous cat lurks; an empty road lit by a lonely street lamp in the dead of the night. Familiar everyday sights seen through the eyes of the talented, multi-disciplinary artists on display here.
Where: Muziris Contemporary
When: Till August 15, 2026
PUNE
Samim Alam Beg, Vivek VC
What dictates what we remember and what we forget? How much observation can we commit to memory? The two artists in this exhibition dissect the things that we keep and carry with us, and the things we leave behind.
Vivek V.C.
In remembering the little details of the world, Beg’s practice uses clay to make permanent that which is often overlooked, such as the veins in a leaf. On the other hand, Vivek VC’s work is tethered to a specific memory of a house fire from before he was born, a memory his grandmother retains despite her Alzheimer’s. Both these artists’ works confront the reality of a fragmented and flawed memory, digging deeper, and trying to understand what exactly makes us remember.
When: Till Aug 1, 2026
Where: Vida Heydari Contemporary
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Mekhala Singhal is Assistant Editor at Advisory.
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