Art Basel Basel 2026 will feature select Indian galleries, continuing the country’s presence at the world’s premier art fair despite a relatively modest representation amid 290 exhibitors from 43 countries. Vadehra Art Gallery and Tarq stand out with dedicated projects in the Feature and Statements sectors, respectively, while Chemould Prescott Road and Experimenter participate in the main Galleries sector, bringing Indian perspectives into dialogue with global historical and contemporary practices.
Feature Sector: Vadehra Art Gallery with Gulammohammed Sheikh
Vadehra Art Gallery (Delhi) joins the Feature sector, which highlights 16 art-historical presentations from the twentieth century, placing foundational works in conversation with the fair’s present-day landscape. The gallery presents a solo project by Gulammohammed Sheikh, a revered figure in Indian modernism known for his multifaceted practice spanning painting, pedagogy, poetry, and mythmaking that weaves together cultural consciousness, storytelling, and collective humanity across 65 years of production.
Sheikh’s inclusion underscores Feature’s focus on how early modernism and postwar practices shape contemporary thinking, aligning with other debuts like those on Joaquín Torres-García and Saori Akutagawa.
Statements Sector: Tarq with Rithika Merchant
Tarq (Mumbai) makes its Art Basel Basel debut in the Statements sector, one of nine first-time galleries showcasing 18 solo projects by emerging, research-driven artists. The gallery features Rithika Merchant, contributing to a program that emphasizes materially experimental and socially engaged voices, such as Eli Coplan’s LCD screen dissections and Hana El-Sagini’s bronze landscapes.
Galleries Sector: Chemould Prescott Road and Experimenter
Chemould Prescott Road (Mumbai) and Experimenter (Kolkata) return to the main Galleries sector among 232 international exhibitors, presenting tightly curated programs that span postwar to contemporary Indian art. Both galleries have longstanding ties to Art Basel, Chemould has shown at editions like Hong Kong with artists such as Gigi Scaria, Bijoy Jain, and Anju Dodiya, while Experimenter has represented Rathin Barman and others, affirming their blue-chip status amid themes of memory, abstraction, and spatial perception.
Prateek Raja of Experimenter serves on the Basel selection committee, further embedding Indian expertise in the fair’s governance.
These four galleries represent India’s foothold in a fair that this year welcomes newcomers from Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, reflecting a push for geographic diversity. As Indian galleries like Vadehra and Tarq graduate into specialized sectors, they position artists such as Sheikh and Merchant within Basel’s multilayered ecosystem, from historic depth in Feature to emerging innovation in Statements, ahead of the June 18–21 show.
Athmaja Biju is the Editor at Abir Pothi. She is a Translator and Writer working on Visual Culture.
