NEW DELHI: Delhi’s historic monuments, institutional spaces and heritage precincts will turn into exhibition venues as the ministry of culture prepares to host the second edition of India Art, Architecture & Design Biennale (IAADB).
The four-month-long event, beginning on December 4, will bring together artists, curators, museums, private collectors, studios, students and cultural institutions, with the programme set to include digital and new-media art alongside more traditional forms of artistic practice.
For the first time, a wide range of heritage monuments and institutional spaces across the national capital will be offered to curators and cultural partners to develop exhibitions and site-specific projects. The 16th century fort, Purana Quila has been chosen as the main venue.
Among the proposed venues are Red Fort, Qutub Minar complex, Humayun’s Tomb, Huaz Khas, Chandni Chowk, as well as the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Craft Museum, and the Pradhanmantri Museum and Library (PMML), besides over 20 other prominent heritage sites and institutions.
In an invitation to artists, curators, embassies, private collectors of artworks, museums, studios and students, the ministry said that the proposed event is a chance to showcase their work including digital and new media art along with the country’s significant monuments.
“The Biennale is designed to be entered from wherever you stand. Whichever path fits you, the invitation is the same: choose your venue, curate freely, and let the Ministry help carry the reach and the branding….Whether you lead a gallery, foundation, corporate arts programme, embassy’s cultural desk or simply care where Indian contemporary art goes next, there is a place for you here—and we would be glad to shape it together with you,” read the invitation.
The first edition of the Biennale (IAADB) took place at the historic Red Fort in December 2023.
According to the officials, curators and corporate partners will have the opportunity to adopt selected heritage sites for the duration of the Biennale. They will be able to commission and install site-specific artworks in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, allowing artists to respond directly to the history, architecture and character of the chosen locations.
After receiving proposals, the ministry will notify venue capacities and specifics will be shared so you can choose the site best suited to your work.
The Biennale’s principal venue –Purana Quila—will have the flagship ministry-curated exhibition that will anchor the second edition.
Selected states and Union Territories (UTs) will also be offered dedicated pavilion space at Purana Qila. They will have to design, curate and build their own pavilion, telling its own cultural story.
Embassies are also being invited to host artworks and programming within their own precincts as part of the Biennale's international layer, bringing their own artists, curators and cultural voice. Artist studios, collectors and institutions holding private collections are also being provided a rare chance to place a personal or institutional collection at the Biennale. The venues for student biennale are National School of Drama (NSD) and Lalit Kala Akademi (LKA).
