The 8th edition of Delhi Contemporary Art Week (DCAW) has opened at Bikaner House, New Delhi, marking the return of one of India’s most significant contemporary art events. Running through September 4, 2025, this year’s edition brings together six prominent women-led galleries in a collaborative celebration of regional artistic excellence.
A Platform for Contemporary Voices
DCAW has established itself as a cornerstone of Delhi’s cultural calendar over its eight-year journey, consistently providing a platform for the finest contemporary voices from across South Asia while fostering dialogue, discovery, and fresh perspectives. The event transforms the historic Bikaner House—a heritage palace originally built for the Maharaja of Bikaner—into Delhi’s premier contemporary art destination.
Women-Led Gallery Alliance
This year’s edition showcases the collaborative vision of six distinguished women-led galleries: Blueprint 12, Exhibit 320, Gallery Espace, Latitude 28, Shrine Empire, and Vadehra Art Gallery. Each gallery brings its unique curatorial perspective and roster of established and emerging artists from India and the broader subcontinent.
Blueprint 12, led by partners Ridhi Bhalla and Mandira Lamba, presents “Mapping the Margin,” exploring memory, place, and invisible social structures through works by artists including the Aravani Art Project, Akshay Bhoan, and Tanvi Ranjan. The presentation focuses on artists whose practices traverse personal and collective geographies to uncover overlooked narratives.
Exhibit 320, under director Rasika Kajaria, offers “Where the Dust Settles,” described as a cartography of exile that examines forced displacement and bureaucratic violence. The exhibition features installations and layered drawings by artists including Wahida Ahmed, B. Pradhan, and Mohd. Musa.
Gallery Espace, founded by Renu Modi, presents a thoughtful curation that emphasizes the deliberate unfolding of creative processes. Their selection includes works by renowned artists such as Gogi Saroj Pal, Sheetal Gattani, Manisha Gera Baswani, and Chintan Upadhyay.
Latitude 28, led by founder-director Bhavna Kakar, introduces “IN-BETWEEN / BEYOND,” featuring seventeen contemporary artists from across South Asia who navigate shifting landscapes and embodied transitions. The presentation includes works by Khadim Ali, Ketaki Sarpotdar, and Hasseena Suresh, among others.
Shrine Empire, co-founded by Shefali Somani and Anahita Taneja, engages with themes spanning community politics, urban migration, gender and identity through works by artists including Anoli Perera, Sangita Maity, and Shruti Mahajan.
Vadehra Art Gallery, directed by Roshini Vadehra and Parul Vadehra, presents “Intimacy / Ecstasy,” a curatorial exploration of boundaries and human experience featuring works by Anju Dodiya, Atul Bhalla, Gigi Scaria, and Sunil Gupta, among others.
Featured Exhibitions and Special Programs
Two major thematic exhibitions anchor this year’s program. The Sculpture Show at the main building, designed by Amrita Guha and Joya Nandurdikar of Untitled Design (winners of ID Honors 2025), showcases works by 15 artists across all participating galleries, including Chathuri Nissansala, G.R. Iranna, Sangita Maity, and Gigi Scaria.
“Taqiya Qalaam,” curated by Priyanshi Saxena and designed by Untitled Design, reimagines the traditional white cube as an intimate collector’s home. The exhibition explores how language shapes ideologies and truths, featuring conceptual works by 18 artists including Chitra Ganesh, Khadim Ali, and Ashfika Rahman. The domestic setting aims to make conceptual art more accessible while encouraging young collectors to envision such pieces in their own spaces.
Educational and Community Engagement
Beyond exhibitions, DCAW 2025 includes an extensive program of artist-led walkthroughs, panel discussions, and workshops designed to make contemporary art accessible to new audiences. These engagements represent DCAW’s commitment to art education and community building, extending the conversation beyond traditional art world boundaries.
As Bhavna Kakar of Latitude 28 notes, “DCAW aims to create accessible platforms for knowledge sharing and art education, inviting a wider audience—beyond just art students—to engage with contemporary art across all age groups.”
Parallel Programming
Several participating galleries are hosting concurrent solo exhibitions, including Blueprint 12’s “Ready to Move” by Vasundhara Sellamuthu, Shrine Empire’s “EVERYTHING IS ANIMAL INSIDE FOREST – Demolition of Kathmulla Colony” by Paribartana Mohanty, and a solo show by Tom Vattakuzhy at Vadehra Art Gallery.
The event runs through September 4, 2025, at Bikaner House, with daily hours from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Admission is free and open to the public, reflecting the organizers’ commitment to accessibility and community engagement.
Cover Image: Fantastical Posthuman Concordian Symphony | Ranbir Kaleka | Courtesy of Vadehra Art Gallery
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