In India, one might expect contemporary art to command a thriving public life. It often doesn’t, as art spaces can feel exclusionary to people. Galleries that encourage dialogue, research, and archiving are scarce. The silence, however, is beginning to break with the arrival of initiatives such as Kolkata’s TRI Art & Culture and the UK-based Art South Asia Project (ASAP), which are rethinking what public engagement with art can look like. And audiences have responded with curiosity: lingering in galleries, asking questions, returning for talks and panels.
For Varun Thapar, co-founder of TRI Art & Culture, the idea was born out of absence. “I grew up in a home where the arts were deeply valued. Our travels often included visits to museums and cultural spaces,” he recalls. “What I have long felt missing in India is a network of accessible, public-facing cultural institutions that allow for this kind of engagement.” TRI took shape inside a triangular Ballygunge building, at once a heritage relic and architectural quirk. It is not a museum in the traditional sense but a fluid space where each exhibition is grounded in research and curatorial depth. “We envisioned TRI as a dynamic, evolving space. Each of our shows is different, but what connects them is a strong commitment to research and thoughtful curatorial framing.”
The aim is not just to showcase art but to give audiences context and clarity, dissolving the distance contemporary art often creates. “Too often, art spaces can feel exclusionary. We see it as our responsibility to build a bridge between artist and audience.” Kolkata, often nostalgic about its cultural past but hesitant with contemporary work, has responded with interest. “Even our more conceptual shows have been met with thoughtful questions and genuine curiosity,” says Thapar. “Young visitors are open-minded and eager to understand.” What also sets TRI apart is its refusal to play the market. “One of our founding principles is that no work will ever be sold from TRI,” Thapar says.
If TRI is a local intervention, ASAP functions as a cross-border bridge. Founded in the UK by Nour Aslam during the pandemic, it was conceived as a long-term commitment rather than another residency or sporadic open call. “We became aware that we needed to create an opportunity that would go beyond occasional open calls. We also wanted to focus on developing historical knowledge of modern and contemporary South Asian art, where several curatorial and research gaps still exist.” In just four years, ASAP has supported 12 institutions across South Asia and the UK. Their approach is layered: workshops, symposia, digital resources, and open-access platforms like Art Murmur interviews and ASAP Papers.
Archiving has emerged as a strong theme, most recently through a ten-month collaboration with Asia Art Archive in India. “The scope of what we do is vast, and realising projects takes time,” says Aslam
Dfferent in method but united in purpose, both initiatives share a conviction: that art must be visible, accessible, and inclusive. They remind us that for an art ecosystem to flourish, creation alone is not enough. It needs context, care, and community.