Noteworthy art exhibitions to visit in Delhi this week

Winters in Delhi signal the onset of the art season. Galleries and cultural centres are adorned with the best of modern and contemporary art, and connoisseurs are delighted by the sheer variety on display. One would be hard-pressed to visit all the art exhibitions on view currently, so here is a guide to the ones that caught our eye:

1. Francis Newton Souza – Centenary Exhibition by SaffronArt
Dates: Friday, January 10 – Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Venue: Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA), Bikaner House, New Delhi
“Renaissance painters painted men and women making them look like angels. I paint for angels, to show them what men and women really look like,” is a quote attributed to the legendary modernist and founder of the Progressive Artists’ Group, F N Souza. To commemorate his birth centenary, Saffronart has organised a definitive exhibition showcasing his life and work in partnership with the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Grosvenor Gallery in London, and Harper Collins.
Apart from a display of works, talks and panel discussions on Souza’s historical significance in the art market were also organised on the opening weekend. Additionally, a film by Vinod Bhardwaj titled ‘FN Souza: Father of Modern Indian Art’ was screened and an illustrated book was launched. Published by Harper Collins India, it contained essays on Souza by Elena Crippa, Murtaza Vali, Roobina Karode, Jesal Thacker, and Yashodara Dalmia. The exhibition is the culmination of a year-long celebration that opened with an exhibition in Goa titled ‘In/Of Goa: Souza at 100’ in Goa, followed by one in London, and another in Art Mumbai in November 2024.

2. Jayasri Burman: The Whisper of Water, The Song of Stars by Art Alive Gallery
Dates: January 18 – February 28, 2025
Venue: Art Alive Gallery, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi
For this solo show, renowned contemporary artist Jayasri Burman combines cowries and shells to shine a light on the rich cultural associations of these materials. She uses them to add depth, texture, and figurative meaning to her work, in turn connecting it with ancient traditions and cultural practices. Her use of shells and cowries also celebrates the beauty and diversity of the natural world. A publication on this body of work is also being released in conjunction with the exhibition.
“The notable shift in my visual language is a result of my journey with spirituality and bhakti. The impressions that I have carried within myself since childhood have taken shape in my works; through the motif of shells and cowries evident in my recent works, I wished to explore the subtle nuances of the unconscious while remaining true to contemporary issues,” says the artist. To this, Sunaina Anand, founder-director, Art Alive Gallery adds, “In her new body of work, Jayasri explores themes of ecology, the power of femininity and complex narratives deeply rooted in cultural symbolism and myth while gradually moving towards a fresh creative visual language. I hope the audience will cherish this new direction of her work.”

3. Expanding Horizons – Ek Aur Duniya by Gallery Ragini
Dates: January 15 – January 21, 2025
Venue: LTC Gallery, Bikaner House, New Delhi
This thought-provoking multi-artist exhibition addresses the pressing socio-political and environmental issues of our times while offering a hopeful vision for the future. It has been curated by Ina Puri and marks the onset of the 20th year of Gallery Ragini. The impressive lineup of artists blends emerging talent with seasoned veterans. These include young artists like Arinjoy Sen, Gurjeet Singh, and Bappaditya Biswas, and senior names like Tilak Samarawickrema, a celebrated artist from Sri Lanka, Shobha Broota, Manjunath Kamath, Veer Munshi, Jagannath Panda, Gigi Scaria, Pooja Iranna, Riyas Komu, and Vivek Vilasini, to name a few.
“This exhibition is a testament to our journey so far and symbolizes our commitment to fostering a space for transformative conversations through art,” says Nidhi Jain, founder of Gallery Ragini, adding, “At its core, ‘Expanding Horizons – Ek Aur Duniya’ engages with critical themes of materialism, consumerism, and their impact on the planet. It invites audiences to envision a “utopic duniya” – a harmonious, borderless world where creativity and dialogue pave the way for solutions to climate change and social conflict. Ina Puri, curator of the show, adds: “This project is an exploration of resilience and hope. Each artist has crafted their unique vision of a utopia, urging us to consider a future where harmony replaces discord, and healing takes precedence over destruction.”

4. [kqyk vkleku | Khula Aasman by Seema Kohli
Dates: January 16 – February 15, 2025
Venues: Partition Museum at Dara Shikoh Library, Ambedkar University; and
Seema Kohli Studio, B 85, Pocket X, Okhla Phase II, New Delhi
Multidisciplinary artist Seema Kohli’s solo show is the second in a series for which she has delved deep into her family archives, material inheritance and oral accounts to recreate the memory of her ancestral home in Pind Dadan Khan, presently a part of Jhelum District in Pakistan. The premise for the work rests on her tenuous link to a home that she may never return to and highlights the ephemerality of everything.
The exhibition is spread across two venues – the Dara Shikoh Library at Ambedkar University which houses Delhi’s Partition Museum and Seema Kohli’s Studio in Okhla. It comprises a range of mixed-media works including a multichannel video installation titled vDl&,&xqft+’krk (Mirroring the Past), silver gelatin prints developed from a selection of family photographs, audio excerpts from her father Shri KD Kohli’s autobiography ‘Mitr Pyare Noo’, paintings, a multipart installation created in collaboration with Ishita Dey which reimagines her grandfather’s dawakhana, and a large phulkari piece created in collaboration with the women’s collective Meher Baba Charitable Trust in Bassi Pathan in Punjab.

5. Noor: A Captivating Journey Through Light and Art by Pristine Contemporary
Dates: January 17 – February 21, 2025
Venue: Gallery Pristine, New Delhi
Noor means ‘light’ in Arabic. Hence, the exhibition to which it lends its name symbolises the ability of art to illuminate shared human experiences. In this exhibition of paintings by six South Asian artists, emotions such as displacement, individuality, hope, love, and faith are explored. The artists are Feroza Hakeem, who explores themes of hope and resilience tied to her Hazara identity; Ajea Zahid, who delves into gender and cultural isolation; Khadija S. Akhtar who makes surrealist works that depict solitude and desire; Shahid Hassan Boni who contrasts nature with urbanity; Suleman Faisal, who examines aggression and power dynamics; and Zafar Ali who draws inspiration from Sufism, focusing on self-realization and unity.
“Noor is a celebration of light – the light of creativity that knows no boundaries. Each artist in this exhibition shines brightly in their own unique way, offering a glimpse into the universal human experience through their distinct expressions. We hope Noor will resonate with audiences, evoking a sense of shared understanding and connection,” say the co-founders of Pristine Contemporary, Arjun Sawhney and Arjun Butani.

Noor Anand Chawla pens lifestyle articles for various publications and her blog www.nooranandchawla.com.