14th edition brings together eight leading international curators in Kolkata, marking new chapter under fresh leadership
The 14th edition of Experimenter Curators’ Hub concluded today at Experimenter Gallery’s Hindustan Road space in Kolkata, marking a significant milestone in contemporary curatorial education and discourse. The two-day intensive program brought together eight leading curators from India and around the world for what has become one of the most influential curatorial platforms globally.
According to Prateek and Priyanka Raja, co-founders of Experimenter , “Since its inception, the Experimenter Curators’ Hub has enabled a safe space for plural voices and in-depth conversations on contemporary curatorial thinking. It has attempted to seek out collective approaches and alternative forms of resistance through exhibition making in these fractured times.
New Leadership, Continued Excellence
This year’s edition marked a historic transition with Rattanamol Singh Johal, previously Assistant Director of the International Program at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York taking over from curator and writer, Natasha Ginwala, who had led the Hub with unwavering commitment for a decade. Johal, now Assistant Professor in History of Art at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, brought fresh perspectives to the program while maintaining its foundational commitment to critical dialogue.
The participating curators represented a diverse spectrum of contemporary practice, including Akansha Rastogi from Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Amal Khalaf who serves as co-curator of Sharjah Biennial 16, Anne Barlow from Tate St Ives, Justine Ludwig from Creative Time New York, Fatima Bintou Rassoul SY from RAW Material Company Dakar, Mohamed Almusibli from Kunsthalle Basel, Puja Vaish from Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation Mumbai, and Sharmini Pereira from Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Sri Lanka.
Impact and Legacy of the Hub
Over the last 13 years since its inception, the Curators’ Hub has pioneered the exchange of ideas between the foremost thinkers and curators in the field of exhibition-making. The program has become a cornerstone of contemporary curatorial education, addressing what co-founders Prateek and Priyanka Raja identified as a critical gap in institutional discourse around curation in India and the broader South Asian region.
Building Knowledge Networks
The Hub’s influence extends far beyond its annual gathering. Experimenter Curators’ Hub presentations and ensuing discussions are extensively video-documented and archived as an online, freely-accessible resource, creating a permanent repository of contemporary curatorial thinking. This digital archive has become an invaluable resource for emerging curators, art historians, and cultural practitioners worldwide.
The program has also been instrumental in fostering international collaborations and networks. Over the past few years, the hub has also been instrumental in facilitating conversations surrounding resistance and activism beyond the domain of contemporary art and exhibition-making by inviting guest speakers with background in law, journalism, literature and poetry to engage in dialogic exchanges.
“All around us, we see a rapidly shrinking space for free debate and the emergence of hostile responses to ideas of plurality. The Experimenter Curators’ Hub attempts to build an environment for fearless and intimate discussions between some of the most forward thinking and influential curators, thinkers and practitioners of contemporary visual arts of our time”, the founders emphasized.
Global Recognition and Awards
The Hub’s impact has garnered significant recognition within the international art community. In 2014, Experimenter won the ‘Contemporary Gallery of the Year (Exhibiting young artists)’ award at the Forbes Art Awards 2014. In 2016, Experimenter won the ‘Gallery of the Year’ award at the India Today Art Awards 2016.
The gallery’s broader program, rooted in dialogue and dissent, is considered to be a ‘pace-setter’ for its region and extends from pioneering exhibition-making to knowledge creation through regular talks, performances, workshops.
Institutional Support and International Partnerships
The 2025 edition was supported by an impressive array of international partners, including the British Council, The Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Kolkata, India Art Fair, and TAKE Magazine as media partner. This international support underscores the Hub’s global significance and its role in fostering cross-cultural dialogue.
As the 14th edition draws to a close, the Experimenter Curators’ Hub continues to fulfill its founding vision of creating vital platforms for contemporary discourse while adapting to address the urgent questions of our time. Under new leadership and with continued international support, the Hub remains a beacon for critical thinking and collaborative learning in the global contemporary art ecosystem.
About Experimenter
Experimenter was launched in 2009 to create a platform for the visual arts beyond the conventional white cube format. The gallery now operates three spaces across Kolkata and Mumbai, establishing itself as one of India’s leading galleries with international participation in major art fairs including Art Basel and Frieze.
For more information about future editions of the Experimenter Curators’ Hub, visit experimenter.in
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