Contemporary Now returns to Chennai for expanded third edition

Arshi Irshad Ahmadzai.

CHENNAI.— Conceived as a platform for dialogue, discovery and exchange, Contemporary Now brings together India's leading galleries in a shared presentation of contemporary art. What began as a collaborative curatorial initiative has evolved into one of the country's most exciting recurring art platforms, fostering meaningful connections between artists, galleries, and audiences.

The third edition of Contemporary Now, taking place from 8–25 August 2026, is its most ambitious yet, transforming Chennai into a vibrant destination for contemporary art through an expansive programme.

The exhibition will take place across two floors of Lalit Kala Akademi, with partner programmes unfolding across venues throughout Chennai. Together, the programme brings India's leading galleries and cultural organisations into dialogue through exhibitions, panel discussions, artist walkthroughs, open houses, and workshops.

The third edition brings together seven leading galleries: Ashvita's, Chemould Prescott Road, Chatterjee & Lal, Experimenter, Project 88, TARQ and Vadehra Art Gallery.
At the centre of the exhibition is the curatorial theme Practices in Continuum: Tracing the Present.

Bringing together 66 artists across seven leading galleries, the exhibition is built around continuity: of gallery programmes, artistic inquiry and evolving bodies of work. Each artwork is presented not in isolation, but as part of a wider conversation that has been shaped over years of research, experimentation and curatorial commitment.

The gallery becomes the first point of context, offering a lens through which an artist's practice can be understood. From there, the artwork unfolds as an expression of larger questions: of memory and migration, ecology and materiality, politics and identity, language and lived experience. To collect such a work is to collect more than an image or an object; it is to engage with an artist's way of thinking and with the ideas that define our present.

City-wide Programming includes:

• Open House

Ashvita’s Archival and Conservation Centre

• Continuiverse: Sculptures by C. Krishnaswamy

Preview presented at Ashvita's Campus.

• In Dialogue with Nature: Limited Edition Photographs & Portfolios

Presented by Chennai Photo Biennale Foundation and WWF-India, supported by Pheroza Godrej and Tarana Sawhney.

• I Have a Dream

A studio exhibition by George K, curated by Jaiveer Johal and presented by Apparao Galleries.

• Madras Abstraction

Presented by Gallery Veda.

• Masters in Madras

Presented by Apparao Galleries

• How Long Will We Live? Or When Will We Die?

Featuring a walkthrough with artist K. Benitha Perciyal at Ashvita’s
Key Conversations:

• From Mylapore to Mumbai (and Beyond): The Cultural South in the Context of Contemporary Art

In conversation with Prasad Ramamurthy.

• On Patronage: Public Impact, Private Collections

Featuring Anu Menda, Meha Patel, Jaiveer Johal and Siddharth Somaiya, moderated by Umah Jacob. Presented by India Art Fair in collaboration with Avtar Foundation for the Arts and Contemporary Now.

• The Many Lives of the Photobook: A Contemporary Lens to Publishing Practices & Shared Futures

Featuring Brendan Embser, Indu Antony and Balaji Maheshwar in conversation with Shuchi Kapoor. Presented by Chennai Photo Biennale Foundation and Ashvita's.

“Contemporary Now is not only an exhibition; it is a learning structure. It invites audiences to move from the gallery programme to the artist's voice, from the artist's voice to the artwork, and from the artwork to the larger world it reflects.” — Priyanjoli Basu, Director, Contemporary Now

The 66 participating artists include Amitesh Shrivastava, Anita Dube, Anju Dodiya, Anpu Varkey, Areez Katki, Arshi Irshad Ahmadzai, Ashwini Bhat, Astha Butail, Atul Dodiya, Ayesha Sultana, Aziz Hazara, Bhasha Chakrabarti, C. Krishnaswamy, Chanakya School, D.L.N. Reddy, Desmond Lazaro, Dhruvi Acharya, Faiza Butt, G. Gurunathan, Garima Gupta, Gigi Scaria, Hemali Bhuta, Jagannath Panda, Jagath Ravi, Jasmine Nilani Joseph, Jitish Kallat, Joya Mukerjee Logue, Julien Segard, K. Benitha Perciyal, Khageswar Rout, Lavanya Mani, Maanas Udayakumar, Mahesh Baliga, Minam Apang, Mithu Sen, Mohit Shelare, Moumita Das, N.S. Harsha, Natasha Preenja aka Princess Pea, Nikhil Chopra, Nityan Unnikrishnan, Parag Tandel, Parul Thacker, Prabhakar Pachpute, Prajakta Potnis, Pratap Morey, Pushpakanthan Pakkiyarajah, Radhika Khimji, Raghava KK, Rajen, Raqs Media Collective, Reena Saini Kallat, Saju Kunhan, Sakshi Gupta, Sameer Kulavoor, Sandeep Mukherjee, Shailesh B.R., Shakuntala Kulkarni, Sheetal Gattani, Shrimanti Saha, Soghra Khurasani, Soumya Sankar Bose, Tallur L.N., Thukral and Tagra, Varunika Saraf and Vishwa Shroff.

The exhibition offers an invitation to look more closely, to think more deeply, and to recognise contemporary art as an evolving record of the times we inhabit.
Through its expanded city-wide programme, Contemporary Now extends this invitation beyond the exhibition space. Across 20 days, audiences will be able to engage with contemporary art through exhibitions, conversations, artist-led encounters, workshops and open houses, creating multiple points of entry into the ideas and practices shaping contemporary art today.

With its third edition, Contemporary Now continues to expand the conversation around contemporary art, offering a dynamic snapshot of the ideas, concerns and creative energies shaping the present moment.