Athmaja Biju

Athmaja Biju is the Editor at Abir Pothi. She is a Translator and Writer working on Visual Culture.

Walking the Talk: Gita Balakrishnan and the Architecture of Empathy

Architecture, Interview /

In an era when design is often equated with visual spectacle, Gita Balakrishnan stands out for turning architecture into an instrument of empathy and social change. Trained at the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, and later at Carnegie Mellon University, she began her career with hands-on community work in Bangalore’s slums through AVAS, […]

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Finland’s Oodi: A Library Designed for Community

Design /

Helsinki Central Library Oodi, situated in front of the Finnish Parliament is a public “living room” whose architecture is choreographed around democracy, everyday life and the changing idea of what a library should be. ALA Architects have designed it in service of access, openness and shared civic life. Site, symbol and first impression Oodi occupies

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What’s Up With the Bayeux Tapestry the British Are Raving About?

Uncategorized /

This week, my feed has been flooded with the never-ending celebration of the Bayeux Tapestry being on view in Britain. The New York Times published a feature on the years of behind-the-scenes diplomacy it took to bring perhaps the most famous textile in the world across the Channel, reporting that a senior British culture official

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The Future Is Handmade: Inside Arya Lalu’s World of Craft-Led Design

D-Talks /

Arya Lalu  is a self‑taught designer working at the intersection of craft and furniture, shaping home decor where wood is both structure and story. Her brand Lallu crafts brings together regional craft traditions of south India with contemporary furniture forms, resulting in pieces that feel rooted yet modern. Her design language treats heritage techniques as

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“Love Matters”: Kushal Ray on Intimacy, Observation, and the Lifelong Marathon of Photography

Interview /

Kushal Ray’s journey into photography is as unconventional as it is compelling. Born in Kolkata in 1960, he began his career as a sports journalist at The Telegraph before turning to photography full-time in the early 1990s. Self-taught yet deeply informed by observation and empathy, he quickly developed a visual vocabulary that diverged from prevailing

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New Exhibition in Delhi Brings Together 16 Emerging Artists

abirArt, Exhibitions /

Method’s third edition of Fresh Produce brings together 16 emerging artists whose practices reflect the range and vitality of contemporary art in India. On view from 21 August to 3 October 2026, the exhibition presents artists selected through an open call that received more than 400 portfolio submissions. A Platform for Emerging Practices Rather than

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Show Featuring Khanjan Dalal’s Ceramic Storytelling Opens in Ahmedabad

abirArt, Exhibitions /

079|STORIES in Ahmedabad presents Truth is Stranger Than Fiction, a solo exhibition by ceramic artist Khanjan Dalal, curated by independent art historian Lina Vincent. The show opens with a preview on September 6, 2026 and remains on view until September 26, 2026 at the gallery’s Bodakdev venue, before travelling to Latitude 28 in New Delhi

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When Knowledge Lives in the Land: ‘Learning from the Ground’ Set to Open in Hyderabad

abirArt, Exhibitions /

Dhi Contemporary’s upcoming group show, Learning from the Ground, asks a deceptively simple question: where does knowledge actually reside? Running from 29 August to 10 October 2026 at Bodhi House in Madhapur, Hyderabad, the exhibition brings together four artists: Dipankar Panging, Saroj Kumar Badatya, Seshadev Sagria, and Shubhankar Chandere, to explore how communities remember, transmit,

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First major UK survey of Balraj Khanna Set to Open at Ikon Gallery, Birmingham

abirArt, Exhibitions, International Art News /

Ikon Gallery in Birmingham is set to present Lines of Flight, the first major retrospective of British–Indian artist Balraj Khanna (1939–2024), running from 30 September 2026 to 21 February 2027. The exhibition brings together more than 40 paintings spanning six decades of Khanna’s career, offering the most comprehensive overview to date of his work as

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