At the 61st Venice Biennale, the India Pavilion returns with “Geographies of Distance: remembering home,” a group exhibition curated by Amin Jaffer. Bringing together artists from across regions and generations, the presentation considers how “home” is shaped not only by place, but by memory, material, and lived experience.
“The Indian Pavilion has been a truly collaborative effort. Presented by the Ministry of Culture, curated by Dr. Amin Jaffer, shaped by the institutional partnership of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) and Serendipity Arts Foundation, it is together that we have bought the Pavilion of India to life,” said NMACC’s Isha Ambani.
Through works rooted in traditional and everyday materials, the pavilion reflects a country in transformation—deeply connected to its past while navigating a rapidly shifting present.
Amin Jaffer Reimagines Home
In process work by Ranjani Shettar, courtesy of Talwar Gallery.
WHITEWALLER: The exhibition looks at how ideas of “home” shift over time and distance. What first sparked this direction for the pavilion?
AMIN JAFFER: The idea of home has been central to my academic and curatorial work for many years, shaped in part by my own experience of being Indian but born in Africa and raised across cultures. The immediate catalyst for the project, however, came from encountering Sumakshi Singh’s reconstruction in thread and embroidery of her demolished family home in New Delhi. The concept powerfully captured how memory can reconstitute what has been physically lost. From there, the Pavilion developed into a broader reflection on how home is carried with us as an emotional condition across time and distance.
“They engage with the idea of home through material, memory and transformation.”
–Amin Jaffer.
WW: You’ve brought together artists from different parts of India, all working in very different ways. What connected their practices for you?
AJ: What unites these artists is not a shared aesthetic, but a shared sensibility. In their works, they engage with the idea of home through material, memory and transformation. Each artist approaches this through distinct practices, yet together they form a coherent narrative, where soil, thread, bamboo and organic forms become different expressions of belonging. Their works speak in harmony, articulating a collective condition while preserving individual voices.
WW: Many of the works use everyday or traditional materials. Why was that important for the story you wanted to tell?
AJ: Materiality was fundamental to the project. In response to the Biennale’s theme In Minor Keys, I felt it was important to work with materials that are organic, worked by hand and deeply rooted in Indian civilization, such as thread, soil, bamboo, and papier-mâché. These are not only historically embedded in daily life, but they also carry emotional and cultural resonance, allowing the works to evoke home through material as much as through form.
A Contemporary India
Skarma Sonam Tashi (right) and detail of his work for the India Pavilion. Courtesy of the artist.
Detail of Alwar Balasubramaniam’s work for the India Pavilion (c) Talwar Gallery.
WW: This is India’s return to the Biennale after several years. What felt most important to show about the country right now?
AJ: It was essential to convey a contemporary India that is both grounded in its roots and evolving towards the future. India is a country undergoing rapid transformation, yet it remains deeply connected to its cultural foundations. Rather than presenting a singular image, I wanted to reflect plurality, complexity and a sense of continuity within change. The Pavilion expresses this through artists whose practices are forward-looking yet anchored in long-standing traditions and ways of making.
The Pavilion has been realised through a public-private collaboration. Working with the Ministry of Culture, the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, and Serendipity Arts Foundation as partners, we have been able to highlight the dynamism of India’s contemporary art ecosystem, where private institutions make major contributions to public art.
“I wanted to reflect plurality, complexity and a sense of continuity within change.”
–Amin Jaffer.
WW: Alongside the exhibition, there’s also a program of performances and events. How do those add to the overall experience of the pavilion?
AJ: The performances and public programme organized by Serendipity Art Foundation extend the Pavilion beyond the visual into something lived and temporal. They introduce sound, movement and chance encounters, mirroring how memory and culture are experienced in everyday life. In this way, the Pavilion becomes participatory allowing visitors to engage with the ideas of home across multiple emotional registers.
What to Know
Ranjani Shettar and detail of work for the India Pavilion © Talwar Gallery.
Don’t Miss: Sumakshi Singh’s embroidered reconstruction of her demolished family home, a key inspiration for the exhibition.
Why it Matters: Marks India’s return to the Biennale with a presentation that reflects the country’s cultural depth, global presence, and ongoing transformation.
Dates: May 9 – November 22, 2026 (Previews: May 6–8).
Venue: Arsenale, Venice.
Special Program: A curated series of music, performance, poetry, and conversations activating the pavilion throughout the Biennale.
India Pavilion participating artists (L-R): Alwar Balasubramaniam, Asim Waqif, Ranjani Shettar, Skarma Sonam Tashi, and Sumakshi Singh.
Image credits (L-R): courtesy Balasubramaniam and Talwar Gallery – New York New Delhi, Richa Sahai, courtesy Shettar and Talwar Gallery, artopedia.ind, and Sunder Ramu.
