Khoj International Artists’ Association has announced a major new exhibition and accompanying symposium interrogating the intersections of art, technology, and society. Titled Are You Human?, the two-site international exhibition will open simultaneously at Khoj Studios and DLF Avenue Mall, Saket, from January 30 to February 28, 2026, inviting audiences to rethink the rapidly evolving relationship between bodies, machines, and public space.
Developed as part of Khoj’s continued research into digital culture and embodied experience, Are You Human? assembles a global roster of artists whose works address identity, intimacy, ecology, and surveillance in the age of automation and artificial intelligence. The project will also feature the two-day symposium Notes from the Digital Underground: Bodies–Machines–Publics, conceptualised with researcher and writer Mila T. Samdub, to be held at Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan, New Delhi, from January 31 to February 1, 2026.
“Over the last three decades, Khoj has consistently responded to moments of social change through artistic practice—especially at the intersections of gender, ecology, and technology,” said Pooja Sood, Director, Khoj International Artists’ Association. “Our upcoming exhibition and symposium have emerged from the realities of our hyper-digital lives, where the boundaries between the physical and the virtual are increasingly blurred by developments such as AI, deepfakes, and immersive media.”
Interrogating the Porous Boundaries Between Bodies and Machines
The exhibition proposes new ways of thinking about how humans and machines coexist, focusing on questions of bias, data extraction, and the social consequences of digital mediation. Participating artists include Anisha Baid, Tara Kelton, Manuel Beltrán & Nayantara Ranganathan, Mochu, Dimension Plus (Taiwan), Tactical Tech (Germany), and several others from India and abroad.
Highlights include screenings from the Ars Electronica Animation Festival on Tour, interactive workshops such as a session on internet safety and digital addiction led by Hasan Shahurukh, and curatorial walkthroughs that invite public participation.
The exhibition’s dual-site format marks Khoj’s intent to extend critical discourse beyond conventional gallery spaces, bringing artistic inquiry into the public realm through the presentation at DLF Avenue Mall, Saket.
Supported by institutions including the British Council, Pro Helvetia Swiss Arts Council, Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in India, and the Austrian Cultural Forum, the show underscores Khoj’s international partnerships and commitment to cross-disciplinary dialogue.
Symposium on India’s Digital Realities
The accompanying symposium, Notes from the Digital Underground, will convene artists, scholars, and technologists to unpack the complexities of networked life in a digitally uneven India. Its sessions—The Insensibility of Our Infrastructures, Affective Terrains, In the time of gig work…, and A Future Digital—aim to reframe the politics of contemporary technology through a South Asian lens.
“We’re looking to render a situated understanding of the digital—one that recognises how social and geographical contexts shape our experience of technology,” said Mila T. Samdub, co-conceiver of the symposium. “The challenge is to imagine and prototype alternative digital futures rooted in empathy, equity, and creative resistance.”
Supported by Sher-Gil Sundaram Arts Foundation and Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan, among others, the symposium extends Khoj’s long-standing work on art and technology, which has previously included projects on cyberfeminism, algorithmic bias, and digital cultures in South Asia.
Continuing a Legacy of Critical Inquiry
Founded in 1997, Khoj has been at the forefront of experimental and transdisciplinary artistic practices in India. Over nearly three decades, it has facilitated collaborations with more than 10,000 artists worldwide while mentoring arts managers through its ARThink South Asia programme.
By juxtaposing art, research, and public dialogue, Are You Human? and Notes from the Digital Underground reaffirm Khoj’s role as a vital platform for critical reflection in the evolving intersections of technology, society, and artistic practice.
For more information, visit www.khojstudios.org.
Cover image: Anisha Baid | Relentless Logic | Courtesy oF Khoj
Athmaja Biju is the Editor at Abir Pothi. She is a Translator and Writer working on Visual Culture.
