Past
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Ski(e)n: Re-membering through Performance and Thread
An Exhibition of RCA alumni Abhijna Vemuru Kasa and Insha Manzoor | Curated by Jyoti A Kathpalia 5 December 2025 - 20 January 2026 Dhoomimal Gallery presents two exciting artists Abhijna Vemuru Kasa and Insha Manzoor. These artists, alumni of Royal College of Art (RCA) UK, explore the self and the inscription of time, traditions, space, culture and history. The materiality of their art reflects emotional and psychological encounters of the self, existing on... Read more -
Engraving, Emprire, and Modernism
On view at 8-A, Connaught Place, New Delhi 1 December 2025 - 15 January 2026 This exhibition brings together a compelling group of artists spanning over a century, offering a unique dialogue between the meticulous craft of 19th-century British engravers and the visionary spirit of 20th-century European Modernism. The majority of works feature the exceptional skill of reproductive engravers—including Jeavons, Kernot, Starling, Le Petit, Adlard,... Read more -
Liminal Line: Ashok Bhowmick's Artistic Legacy
Bikaner House & Dhoomimal Gallery, G-Block | Curated by Rajan Shripad Fulari | Designed by Oroon Das 4 October - 29 November 2025 Prologue: A Bond Forged in Continuity, Dialogue, and Unwavering Trust My connection with Ashok Bhowmick transcends the conventional boundaries of artist and curator; it is a profound, evolving relationship woven through threads of continuity, open dialogue, and mutual trust. Our paths first converged meaningfully during my short-lived role as Secretary... Read more -
34th Ravi Jain Memorial Foundation Exhibition
29 September - 15 October 2025 The past few decades has seen over 100 artists and sculptors establish themselves on new grounds through RJMF. This year we witnessed an impressive young talent pool from across the country, seeing artists experiment with alternative materials and new techniques this showcases the immense potential young India has to offer. As we celebrate the 34th year of these awards, we honour not only the legacy of Ravi Jain but also the resilience and brilliance of the next generation of Indian artists.
Uday Jain (Director, Ravi Jain Memorial Foundation and Dhoomimal Gallery) Read more
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In Dialogue, Across Time
A group show of Anupam Sud and Harshdeep Kaur 19 - 25 September 2025 A show featuring works by two artists opens itself up to many assumed interpretations. Viewers start looking for similarities in styles, in strokes, in themes, in every which way, just to understand why the works of the two have been put together. They will find none of that in this... Read more -
Silent Viewer
Solo Show by Manoj Aggarwal, Curated by Georgina Maddox 1 - 31 August 2025 Silent Viewer Artist Manoj Agarwal explores bronze sculptural expressions that are contemporary experienced laced with the aesthetics and history of India’s of stone and bronze sculpture. In a studio tucked away in East Delhi NCR suburb, Mayur Vihar, artist Manoj Aggarwal creates a body of voluminous sculptural forms that extoll... Read more -
Timescape: Exploration of topography through the modernist lens
On View at A 8, Inner Circle, Connaught Place 20 June - 31 July 2025 Read more -
Roop Aroop: Solo show by Jogen Chowdhury
Curated by Abhishek Kashyap 26 April - 14 June 2025 Dhoomimal Gallery presents ‘Roop Aroop’, a solo show by Jogen Chowdhury curated by Abhishek Kashyap One of the major modern masters of India known for bringing indigenous modernism to figurative art, Jogen Chowdhury needs no introduction. With a highly personalised stylisation that he perfected early on his career, Chowdhury has... Read more
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(Un)Layering the Future Past of South Asia
Young Artists’ Voices 10 April - 21 June 2025 The vibrant, hybrid and paradoxical region of South Asia, home to one fourth of the world’s population, has birthed a new generation of artists. Sharing centuries of overlapping civilisations and an abundance of common cultural formations, they bring a fresh perspective to art making that defies national state boundaries. Except... Read more -
Line, Colour, & Tradition
The Art of Abdulrahim Appabhai Almelkar (1920 – 1982) 4 February - 15 March 2025 Abdulrahim Appabhai Almelkar’s art sings—a lyrical dance of bold lines, intricate patterns, and jewel-toned brilliance. His brushwork moves like poetry, weaving together India’s folk and miniature traditions into a visual symphony. Each stroke is a melody, each composition a rhythm.
Almelkar did not just paint; he composed, orchestrating a world where tradition and innovation exist in perfect cadence. Almelkar occupied a unique position in Indian art history, bridging the transition between the Bengal School’s nationalist revivalism and the academic realism of the Sir J.J. School of Art. His work sits between the pre-modernists and the Progressive Artists' Group, making him a pivotal yet often overlooked figure in the evolution of Indian modern art.
This exhibition invites you to step into the lyrical traditions of Almelkar’s art—a space where every detail hums with history and every colour sings of India's timeless beauty. His figures, often adorned in elaborate patterns, gaze from beneath heavy lids, carrying stories as old as time. The grace of his lines, both precise and fluid, creates a harmony that feels almost musical—an echo of the past reimagined for the present. Almelkar’s work stands as a vital link in Indian art’s journey, blending heritage with innovation, tradition with transformation. His legacy remains a testament to the enduring power of visual storytelling, where every stroke resonates with the soul of a nation.
Almelkar’s role as a bridge between these artistic movements is evident in his stylistic fusion, where he combined the decorative stylization of the Bengal School with a bold, rhythmic quality while incorporating the depth and structure of J.J. School training. His distinctive linework was characterized by intricate detailing, often resembling folk and miniature styles but with a modern, dynamic approach. His subject matter frequently depicted rural and tribal life in India, echoing the themes of Jamini Roy but executed with greater elaboration and texture. As a precursor to modernism, while not a member of the Progressive Group, his experimental use of line, form, and indigenous themes set the stage for later Indian modernists.
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