INDIAN REPRESENTATION AT ART DUBAI 2025

INDIAN REPRESENTATION AT ART DUBAI 2025 — PART I

Artistic director Pablo del Val dubbed Art Dubai 2025 “the fair of discoveries” — a fitting description for the region’s flagship art event, which kicked off its VIP preview on April 16 at Madinat Jumeirah. Over five vibrant days, more than 120 galleries from 65 cities are converging to showcase an electrifying mix of global creativity.

VIP day saw the venue buzzing as collectors and curators flowed through the halls from morning to dusk, reflecting Dubai’s rising status as a global art magnet. “The transformation here since our start in 2007 is nothing short of extraordinary,” noted executive director Benedetta Ghione. “Dubai is fast becoming a new home for artists and collectors worldwide.”

India, a longstanding force in the art world, brings powerful representation once again — with 11 galleries and around 30 artists spanning generations and styles. From the iconic Maqbool Fida Husain to contemporary talents like Divya Singh, Indian art continues to bridge heritage and innovation, reinforcing its global influence.

Let’s take a look at the India galleries and artists that left a memorable mark.

Aicon Gallery

Aicon specialises in modern and contemporary non-Western art, with a particular emphasis on South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. The New York gallery offers a vital platform for artists from these regions, enabling them to realise their vision in a global and constantly evolving world. In addition to in-depth, focused solo exhibitions, Aicon presents a programme of curated group shows that are international in scope and ambition.

The Booth E5 of the fair displays works by Victor Ekpuk, Rachid Koraïchi, Veer Munshi, Natvar Bhavsar, Sheetal Gattani, Sujith S.N., Shehnaz Ismail, Sana Arjumand, Safdar Ali Qureshi and Sadequain.

Anant Art

In a time when tradition is often seen as something to either preserve or reject, this exhibition asks a question worth pondering on: can we reshape and reimagine tradition?

Through the works of Indian artists Puja Mondal and Dhara Mehrotra — alongside Muhammad Zeeshan, Ghulam Mohammad, Arslan Farooqi, and Alexander Gorlizki — the exhibition explores how inherited symbols and narratives can be transformed to reflect contemporary realities. Rather than simply looking back, these artists engage with tradition as a living, breathing and evolving force.

Dhara Mehrotra draws from the natural world — particularly mycelial networks — to explore interconnectedness. Her work reflects on how identity and memory mirror organic systems: layered, fluid, and deeply entangled.

Puja Mondal, on the other hand, reinterprets miniature painting and Jaipuri fresco traditions to confront cultural loss, political shifts, and collective resistance. Through text, imagery, and intricate surfaces, she creates a space where memory and dissent coexist, offering new ways to understand resilience and belonging.

Together, their practices reflect a dynamic approach to tradition — one that embraces complexity, invites dialogue, and opens space for both personal and collective transformation.

Blueprint 12

Blueprint 12 presents the works of Kaimurai at Art Dubai 2025 — the artistic identity of Abishek Ganesh J. Rooted in natural indigo, his practice flows between energy and form, drawing from the rich visual and sonic heritage of South India — rituals, temple architecture, and Carnatic music. Inspired by the pulse of the Western Ghats, his work unfolds as a meditative play of movement, contrast, and rhythm.

In an era of environmental and cultural rupture, Kaimurai reflects on the need for renewed ways of being — spiritually, socially, and ecologically. His process, almost devotional, merges quiet introspection with physical mark-making. Indigo, dyed by many hands through history, becomes a symbol of memory, labor, and interconnectedness.

Balancing stillness and surge, his layered works echo the Tamil philosophy andamum pindamum ondre — “the macrocosm and microcosm are one.” Through this lens, his art becomes not just visual expression, but invocation — where the material and metaphysical align in quiet resonance.

Chemould Prescott Road

At Art Dubai 2025, Chemould Prescott Road presents a striking ensemble of works by Archana Hande, Dana Awartani, Lavanya Mani, and Mithu Sen — four dynamic women artists who reinterpret history, geography, and power structures through bold visual language.

Dana Awartani and Lavanya Mani look to the past — Awartani with a stone sculpture inspired by the tombs and facades of AlUla, echoing ancestral architecture and rooted heritage; Mani with a fabric tent, The Ark, blending biblical themes with miniature-style storytelling.

Archana Hande brings a whimsical, vibrant take on the chaos of modern urban life, highlighting the tension between dreams and reality. Meanwhile, Mithu Sen delivers visceral, haunting imagery — predator-prey dynamics drenched in blood-red hues, sharp motifs, and chaotic layers that expose deep-rooted social conflicts and resistance.

DAG

When M.F. Husain left India in 2006, he found refuge in a city he already knew well — Dubai. A lover of both luxury and street-side chai, Husain had grown deeply attached to its warmth, its people, and the comfort of hearing Hindi in its bustling streets. With his son Owais also based there, Dubai felt like a natural second home.

A lifelong wanderer, Husain split his time between Dubai and London, where he passed away in 2011 after accepting Qatari citizenship. In Dubai, his studio became a space for art and connection — a place where he painted, welcomed visitors, and built a lasting bond with the city.

Fresh off a major retrospective in Delhi and Mumbai, DAG now brings a curated glimpse of Husain’s work to Art Dubai. The selection, though small, highlights his mastery — bold strokes, vivid storytelling, and his unmistakable flair. This tribute in the city he loved feels like the perfect way to honor his legacy.

Experimenter

At Art Dubai 2025, Experimenter presents a group exhibition featuring 13 artists exploring themes of identity, displacement, memory, and resistance.

Vikrant Bhise addresses caste and labour inequality through Migrant Labour Unfolding, highlighting India’s migrant crisis during COVID-19. T. Vinoja reflects on the Sri Lankan civil war using textile to evoke skin as land and memory. Bani Abidi captures anti-war gatherings in Berlin through drawings in Society for aching bodies. Bhasha Chakrabarti critiques global capitalism via shipbreaking sites in The Ship as Co-Conspirator.

Ayesha Sultana explores breath, repetition, and embodiment in Breath Count. Radhika Khimji blends architecture and gesture to examine movement and dislocation. Julien Segard merges found materials with quiet landscapes, exploring the relationship between people and place.

Emily Jacir revives her family archive in a lightbox work, contemplating memory, protection, and resistance. Aziz Hazara redefines discarded war objects, questioning everyday life under surveillance. Biraaj Dodiya constructs layered canvases embodying ruin, time, and transformation. Judith Blum Reddy plays with codes and lists, using humor to unpack systems. Pushpakanthan Pakkiyarajah delves into trauma and hidden memories through intuitive ink drawings. Emily Jacir engages memory and personal history through archival fragments.

Together, the artists offer intimate, critical perspectives on contemporary life.

Galleria Continua

Galleria Continua showcases the work of Nikhil Chopra, an artist known for his cross-disciplinary approach that fuses performance, sketching, photography, and immersive installations. Chopra’s practice centers on improvisation and self-representation, using everyday rituals — such as dressing, eating, and mark-making — as tools to delve into themes of identity and metamorphosis. The gallery will also feature renowned Indian sculptor Anish Kapoor, celebrated for his conceptual pieces and minimalist forms that emphasize pure shape and spatial presence.

Text by Shalini Passi

Image Courtesy: Art Dubai, Aicon Gallery, Natvar Bhavsar, Veer Munshi, Sheetal Gattani, Sujith S.N., Anant Art, Dhara Mehrotra, Puja Mondal, Blueprint 12, Kaimurai, Chemould Prescott Road, Archana Hande, Lavanya Mani, Mithu Sen, DAG, M.F. Husian, Experimenter, Bani Abidi, Bhasha Chakrabarti, Vikrant Bhise, Galleria Continua, Shilpa Gupta, Subodh Gupta, Anish Kapoor, Nikhil Chopra

Find out more about Art Dubai 2025:

https://www.artdubai.ae/

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