A major curated exhibition titled Mapping Periphery & Centre: A Pan-India Dialogue is currently on view at the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, bringing together over 60 artists from across the country. Curated by Lina Vincent, the exhibition runs from 6 to 20 May 2026 across four galleries within the Parishath campus.
Positioned as a critical inquiry into the dynamics of “centre” and “periphery,” the exhibition moves beyond geographic interpretations to examine the uneven power structures, cultural hierarchies, and lived realities that shape contemporary India. Through a diverse range of practices, participating artists respond to themes of identity, belonging, memory, and displacement, offering layered perspectives on both personal and collective histories.
The works on display traverse multiple registers, from intimate mappings of memory and place to broader reflections on geopolitics and global interconnectedness. Several artists engage with landscape as a site of negotiation, while others explore philosophical and speculative approaches, expanding the discourse into realms of imagination and abstraction. Together, these practices foreground the tensions between visibility and marginality, access and exclusion.
Curator Lina Vincent frames the exhibition as an invitation to audiences to actively engage with these questions, particularly in a time marked by fragmentation and conflict. By positioning art as a space for dialogue, the exhibition seeks to reimagine connections across differences and propose more equitable frameworks of understanding.
The exhibition is presented as part of the second edition of Namma Art Bengaluru 2026, a large-scale art fair hosted by Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath. Building on the success of its inaugural edition, this year’s fair features over 70 artists across booth presentations, alongside a series of public programmes including masterclasses and panel discussions under the banner of Creative Dialogues.
With India’s art market witnessing renewed momentum, Mapping Periphery & Centre not only contributes to critical discourse but also situates itself within a growing ecosystem of artistic exchange and public engagement. The exhibition remains open to visitors until 20 May 2026.
Cover Image: R. B. Bhaskaran: Cat
Contributor
