On its 25th Anniversary, Tao Art Gallery takes over Jehangir Art Gallery to present a guided walk across Indian contemporary art and its greatest voices in the 21st century.
The historic Jehangir Art Gallery transforms into ground zero of Indian Contemporary Art, as Mumbai’s beloved Tao Art Gallery marks 25 years with “Gateways and Pathways”, an exhibition that takes you on an artistic pilgrimage through India’s contemporary soul. In association with the JSW Group as the presenting sponsor, this exhibition is curated by Ranjit Hoskote as a celebration of artistic ambition and audacity in addressing the urgencies of the 21st century.
Walking through the gallery’s 4 main exhibition halls, visitors are invited to befriend 50 artists spanning generations, their works creating what curator Ranjit Hoskote describes as “a dance of impulses and possibilities, a dialogue between remarkable affinities and dramatic paradoxes.” From Atul Dodiya’s encyclopedic cultural references to emerging voices like Viraj Khanna’s textile-inspired collages, the exhibition pulses with the restless energy that has defined Tao’s quarter-century journey.
The gallery’s story unfolds like a meditation on passion itself. Founded in 2000 by Kalpana Shah from a seed of pure, undiluted passion, Tao emerged as an intimate yet expansive sanctuary for creativity, surviving personal tragedy and political strife. “The limitless pursuit of creativity fundamentally adds to our dexterous ability to fluidly move through time and spaces,” reflects Sanjana, Creative Director of Tao Art Gallery. “After all, it is only the
creative people of the world who have the courage to live with ambiguity.”
This courage manifests in unexpected juxtapositions: Sohan Qadri’s meditative color energies commune with Dhruvi Acharya’s psychologically charged urban narratives, while Himmat Shah’s sculptural gravitas finds kinship with Isha Pimpalkhare’s delicate textile interventions. The curatorial vision embraces what Hoskote calls Tao’s “hospitable ethos”, a space that has consistently chosen plurality over prescription.
The exhibition’s placement within the 73 year old Jehangir Art Gallery, creates layers of historical resonance. Designed by architect Durga Shankar Bajpai and opened in 1952, the venue serves as India’s first major public space for contemporary art, making it the perfect stage for Tao’s anniversary celebration. “We hope to facilitate conversations around art as a preserver of culture and identity, art as therapy and a means of introspection, art transcending mediums,” Sanjana explains, articulating a vision where multiple artistic universes coexist without hierarchy.
The works themselves embody this philosophy. Baiju Parthan’s hybrid digital assemblages dialogue with Karl Antao’s emotionally charged wood sculptures, while Jayasri Burman’s mythological narratives find unexpected harmony with Manish Pushkale’s archaeological abstractions.
As Mumbai’s cultural landscape continues evolving, “Gateways and Pathways” is a living manifesto in colours and forms beyond imagination. Here, tradition and innovation merge seamlessly, creating what Hoskote calls “expansive spaces of the imagination that lie beyond the narrow and defensive house of the individual self.”
The exhibition runs as both celebration and prophecy, honoring Tao’s journey while charting territories yet to be explored in Indian contemporary art’s ever-expanding universe. The exhibition is available to view from September 23 to September 29, 2025 at the Jehangir Art Gallery, Kalaghoda. The week-long celebration will follow at their home gallery, Tao Art Gallery, Worli through October.
ABOUT THE CURATOR
Ranjit Hoskote is a poet, cultural theorist, translator and curator. He curated India’s first national pavilion at the Venice Biennale (2011) and co-curated the 7th Gwangju Biennale (2008). Since 1994, Hoskote has curated over 50 exhibitions, including major retrospectives of Atul Dodiya, M F Husain, and F N Souza. A recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Golden Jubilee Award, Translation Award, and S H Raza Award for Literature, Hoskote has been a Fellow of the International Writing Program, University of Iowa, and served on the Venice Biennale Jury (2015).
ABOUT TAO ART GALLERY
Founded in 2000 by Kalpana Shah, Tao Art Gallery is a leading Mumbai art space showcasing contemporary and modern Indian art across diverse mediums including painting, sculpture, photography, video, and installations. Over the last 25 years, Tao has exhibited at prestigious international venues including TATE Britain, UNESCO Bali, Tokyo’s Ueno Royal Museum, and Venice’s Arte Laguna Prize. The gallery promotes Indian art globally while supporting emerging and established artists through exhibitions, publications, and educational programs.
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