Contemporary art show at Shailja Gallery

A contemporary art show can sound vague fast. But this one is pretty specific. “The Contemporary Lore: Sojourn of Styles and Generations Unfurled” is a 23-artist group exhibition presented by Shailja Art Gallery, now on view in New Delhi from May 9 to May 14. The real hook is not just the headcount or the medium mix — it is the idea that older and younger practices should be read side by side, not stacked into a neat timeline. ### What is the show actually about? Basically, it is a cross-generational exhibition about artistic lineage — but not in the usual “senior artists first, emerging artists later” way. The show argues that contemporary practice grows through overlap, resonance, and friction across generations. That makes it less like a history lesson and more like a live conversation happening on the walls and in the room. (thepatriot.in) ### Where is it, and for how long? The Delhi leg is being shown at Bikaner House in New Delhi from May 9 through May 14, with visiting hours listed as 11 AM to 7 PM. After that, the exhibition is scheduled to move to Shailja Art Gallery in Gurugram from May 17 to June 13. That matters because this is not a one-week pop-up that disappears — it has a second life almost immediately. (thepatriot.in) ### Who is behind it? Shailja Art Gallery is presenting the show, Kiran K. Mohan curated it, and art historian Johny ML contributed the critical essay framing the project. That combination tells you the exhibition is trying to do two things at once — make a public-facing visual impact and also make a sharper argument about how we classify contemporary Indian art. (thepatriot.in) ### Which artists are in it? The roster pulls together 23 names, including Ashok Bhowmick, Anil Gaekwad, Asit Patnaik, Charudatt, Dilip Sharma, Haren Thakur, Nilisha Phad, Prem Singh, Rakhi Kumar, Sekhar Kar, Shaji Apukuttan, and Yusuf. The point is not that they all work alike. The point is the opposite — the show uses their differences in vocabulary, career stage, and material approach as the main structure. (thepatriot.in) ### What kinds of work are on view? Painting is a big part of it, but the exhibition also includes sculpture and mixed media. That sounds standard, but here the medium spread is doing conceptual work. A painter’s long-evolved visual language sits beside someone else’s newer experiments, so viewers are pushed to notice method and intent, not just polish or seniority. (thepatriot.in) ### Why does the “lineage” idea matter? Because a lot of group shows still sort artists into predictable bins — generation, school, region, market stature. This show is trying to break that habit. Turns out that is the more interesting curatorial move: instead of asking who came first, it asks which works actually speak to each other across time. (caleidoscope.in) ### So what should a viewer expect? Expect variety, not a single house style. One thread runs through existential inquiry, another through selfhood, material experimentation, and shifts in contemporary Indian visual language. If the show works, the payoff is cumulative — you start seeing connections between artists who would not usually be hung in the same conversation. (devdiscourse.com) ### Bottom line? This is a compact but ambitious group exhibition — 23 artists, six days in Delhi, then a longer Gurugram run. The selling point is not spectacle. It is the curatorial bet that contemporary art makes more sense when generations are allowed to collide. (thepatriot.in) (devdiscourse.com)