The Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) and Christie’s London present The Meeting Ground: Scenes from the KNMA Collection. The show brings works from KNMA’s growing collection to Christie’s King Street as part of Christie’s summer exhibition series. It aims to widen access to South Asian artistic practices and place them in new international contexts.
Image courtesy: Artist and KNMA
Curatorial vision
Curated by Akansha Rastogi with Preeti Bahadur, Avijna Bhattacharya, Premjish Achari and Srinivas Aditya Mopidevi, the exhibition stages several “scenes” that trace artistic conversations from the early twentieth century to today. Akansha Rastogi says the show presents intergenerational conversations and offers “a slice of the museum’s 15 years of exhibition history.”
Key themes and artists
The exhibition pairs modernists (M.F. Husain, S.H. Raza, Jeram Patel, K.C.S. Paniker, K.G. Subramanyan, K. Ramanujam) with contemporary artists (Neha Choksi, LN Tallur, Simryn Gill) and makers from folk and indigenous traditions (Jangarh Singh Shyam, Jivya Soma Mashe, Gauri Gill and Rajesh Vangad). It also features artists who work across homelands, such as Zainul Abedin, Anwar Jalal Shemza, Zarina Hashmi, F.N. Souza and Bani Abidi.
Image courtesy: Artist and KNMA
Highlights
LN Tallur’s 4K video Interference (2019) is included; the work was made in partnership with the Junagadh Museum in Gujarat. The exhibition considers memory, belonging, and the institutional role of museums. Damian Vesey of Christie’s notes this is the first time Christie’s London has dedicated its summer exhibition to South Asia and to a single institution.
Institutional context
Founded in 2010, KNMA is expanding into a new standalone museum complex in New Delhi. The new site will be a multidisciplinary cultural space of over one million square feet. Kiran Nadar says international engagement is central to KNMA’s vision and the show reflects the museum’s evolving role.
Image courtesy: Artist and KNMA
Education and programming
KNMA and Christie’s Education will run a three-day, in-person course from 28–30 July 2026 tied to the exhibition. The course will include lectures, excursions and exhibition visits. Guest speakers will be announced.
Exhibition details
- Title: The Meeting Ground: Scenes from the KNMA Collection
- Venue: Christie’s King Street, London
- Dates: 16 July – 21 August 2026
- Entry: Free to all visitors
- Support: Made possible with generous support from Harrods
This article has been created from the press kit shared with Abir Pothi. For press releases and related queries, write to editor@abirpothi.com.
Cover Image: LN Tallur, Interference, 2019, 4K video and sound, Duration 4 minutes | Collection: Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) | Imagecourtesy: LN Tallur | Credits: Junagadh Museum, Gujarat, Varia Kiran (Videography), Vandita Jain (Sound Engineer) and Bhanu Pratap Singh.
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