Curator Gayatri Sinha conducting a walkthrough of the exhibition "Reverie. Pause. Rupture" at Anant Art
In the leafy and largely residential Safdarjung Enclave neighbourhood, the multistorey Anant Art Gallery stands out as a distinctive arts destination. Operating out of Noida for more than four years — before which it called several other neighbourhoods across the Capital home — it opened this flagship space in the heart of Delhi, designed by Studio Lotus, only earlier this year. With a group exhibition titled ‘Reverie. Pause. ‘Rupture,’ curated by Gayatri Sinha on view recently, the space also hosted a two-day curatorial forum in March, discussing experiences and perspectives of practitioners engaged within the arts. “We wanted an experiential gallery where viewers would be encouraged to discover art and not follow a prescribed path,” says Mamta Singhania, founder-director of Anant Art. She also intends to open a cafeteria and book-reading corner at the gallery. She adds, “Young collectors today don’t just acquire art for investment, they are looking for works that resonate with them and want to spend time understanding and browsing art.”
In a city where the art landscape is constantly shifting, the past few months have seen several new galleries and expansion and relocation of the old, bringing with them a wide spectrum of art and artists, from modern masters to contemporary, established names and emerging voices. “The interest in art and demand for art certainly increased post Covid… There is increased awareness due to initiatives such as the India Art Fair‘s Young Collectors’ Programme. This is also a good time for the contemporary art scene, with people looking beyond modernists,” says Sreejith CN, founder-director of Gallery Dotwalk. With its flagship space at Golf Course Road, Gurugram, operating since 2022, this year, the gallery has also opened in Defence Colony. He adds, “With the area emerging as an art district of sorts, it felt like the ideal neighbourhood. The proximity of galleries, many of which also collaborate on events, makes it especially convenient for viewers.”
Shrine Empire Gallery in Defence Colony
With Indian art achieving new records — including the recent sale of a Raja Ravi Varma work for a staggering Rs 167.25 crore — the galleries are also responding to growing interest in Indian art and the expanding base of collectors, which includes younger audiences keen to not just invest in art but also understand its nuances. If Gallery Espace in New Friends Colony has added another floor to its existing space, Centre for Culture & Art has reopened in Lutyen’s Delhi. At Gallery XXL, which opened in Defence Colony last year, the focus is on contemporary art, and Thapar Gallery has the modernists primarily in the spotlight.
Representing artists from across South Asia, Shrine Empire has moved within Defence colony to a 2,400 sq ft space that offers an immersive experience. Designed by architect Vritima Wadhwa, it includes a reading salon, mezzanine and lounge. “We have consciously created our environment to move away from the conventional white cube model. The aim is to develop programming that is both engaging and experiential, inviting audiences to pause, reflect and interact more deeply with artists and their practices. We want to initiate dialogues, plan more workshops and conversations,” says Shefali Somani, director at Shrine Empire. With a bigger space now, she is planning to showcase more large-format works as well.
Anant Art, meanwhile, is planning an exhibition in July under the Studio Catalyst programme, where younger artists have been mentored by seniors over two years. Singhania states, “The idea is for them to get to reflect on their art practice rather than get consumed by the market forces straightaway.”
