New Delhi, Oct 31 The second edition of India Biennale will open in the national capital on December 4 with focus on contemporary art, architecture, design and cultural exchange across the city’s historic monuments, museums, galleries, public spaces and cultural institutions.
Touted to become the “centre of a flagship celebration of contemporary art”, the biennale by the Ministry of Culture will aim to create a city-wide platform for “creative expression, dialogue and discovery”.
The India Biennale builds upon the success of India Pavilion at the 61st Venice Art Biennale 2026 and the inaugural edition of the India Art, Architecture and Design Biennale (IAADB) in 2023.
Centred at Purana Qila, the biennale will extend across Delhi’s historic and cultural landscape, including the Red Fort, Qutub Minar, Humayun’s Tomb, Safdarjung Tomb, Lodhi Garden, Mehrauli, the National Gallery of Modern Art, the National Museum and Lalit Kala Akademi, “creating a dialogue between the city’s architectural and historical legacy and contemporary creative practices”, the ministry said in a statement.
The second edition is guided by the curatorial theme “Tat Tvam Asi (You Are That) – Reconnecting in an Age of Distraction”.
The exhibition has invited artists, architects and designers to make works, which “slow the eye, return the body to the city, and restore what haste has worn thin” across the city.
The works will be created across all mediums, including “the handmade and the digital, the ancient craft and the immersive new medium”, as well as digital and new-media art that will be “instruments of encounter, technology turned back toward attention, presence and wonder”.
“Today the country is taking pride forward with the spirit of ‘pride in heritage’. The stronger Bharat emerges in the field of art, architecture and design, the more it will benefit the entire humanity,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a statement.
Spanning over 108 days, the exhibition will feature presentations by institutions such as Bihar Museum, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC), Serendipity Arts, Devi Art Foundation, Gujral Foundation, Abheraj Baldota Foundation, DRONAH Foundation and the Public Arts Trust of India, alongside a wider network of participating organisations and practitioners.
Some of the notable presentations include DAG’s “Anant: A Rare 18th Century Mahabharata Scroll”, Devi Art Foundation’s “The Infinite Circle”, and Gujral Foundation’s “A Woven Line of Control” at Purana Qila and “The Eternal Fold” at Lodhi Garden.
NMACC will present “Kingdom of Earth”, while Bihar Museum will showcase “The Sacred Waters: Chhath Puja and Pind Daan” at Purana Qila.
Serendipity Arts will present the installation “The Charpai Project” and “Hakchang-Polang” performance at Purana Qila.
“The India Biennale 2026 is a proud moment for us and a powerful expression of India’s cultural confidence. It brings together the strength of our diversity, the energy of our creative communities, and the many ways in which art and culture shape how India engages with the world. I invite artists, architects, designers and visitors from India and across the globe to join us, experience the Biennale and make it their own,” Minister of Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said in a statement.
The programme also features presentations that explore the relationship between contemporary artistic practice, cultural memory and historic settings.
The biennale’s engagement with Delhi’s urban and architectural heritage will be further
reflected in projects such as “Shehr Mehrauli: Where Memory Meets Water” by the Cultural
Resource Conservation Initiative (CRCI), which extends across the Mehrauli Archaeological
Park and its surrounding historic precincts.
DRONAH Foundation, in association with the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) and the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), will present “Our Cities Speak” across multiple sites, including Qutub Minar, Mehrauli, Feroz Shah Kotla and India Habitat Centre.
At Qutub Minar, “Varanasi the Timeless”, an exhibition by artist Paresh Maity and designer Ritu Beri, will bring their creative interpretations of Varanasi into dialogue with one of Delhi’s most significant historic landmarks.
“Together, these projects reflect the Biennale’s expansive understanding of creative
practice, bringing art, architecture, design, craft, material culture and cultural memory into a shared public arena. By situating contemporary creative expression within historic monuments, institutional spaces, gardens and urban precincts, the programme encourages audiences to move between disciplines and venues, discovering different perspectives on India’s past, present and possible futures,” the ministry said.
In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the ministry will introduce the India Biennale
Pass to bring together participating monuments, museums and cultural institutions across Delhi through an integrated access system
From December 4 to March 21, entry to participating monuments and cultural institutions will be facilitated through the India Biennale Pass, replacing the regular individual entry ticketing system at these venues for the duration of the biennale.
The visitors will be able to access the biennale with one day pass for Rs 100, three-day pass for Rs 200, week pass for Rs 400, season pass for Rs 3,000 and premium pass for Rs 10,000.
The premium pass will include additional benefits such as parking, guided walkthroughs and volunteer support.
(PTI News)
