In the heart of Mumbai, overlooking the iconic Gateway of India, Jhaveri Contemporary has become a powerhouse in the global art scene. Founded in 2010 by sisters Amrita and Priya Jhaveri, the gallery has reimagined how South Asian art is positioned, celebrated, and contextualized on the international stage. Guided by a bold curatorial vision and a deep commitment to original scholarship, Jhaveri Contemporary transcends its role as a gallery, emerging as a catalyst for meaningful dialogue, cultural exchange, and transformative artistic engagement.
From organizing Anish Kapoor’s landmark first public exhibition in India to safeguarding the legacies of luminaries like Mrinalini Mukherjee and Anwar Jalal Shemza, Jhaveri Contemporary’s exhibitions consistently challenge established narratives. By juxtaposing modern and contemporary works, the gallery crafts compelling dialogues that resonate across generations and geographies.
Priya and Amrita Jhaveri recently shared with Whitewall their curatorial philosophy, their pivotal contributions to the evolving Indian art landscape, and the ambitious themes shaping their 2025 program.
Courtesy of Priya Jhaveri, photo by Derry Moore.
Courtesy of Amrita Jhaveri, photo by Matthew Cole.
WHITEWALL: Jhaveri Contemporary was established in 2010 with a focus on representing artists informed by South Asian connections and traditions. How do you select artists, and how does this regional emphasis shape your gallery’s global positioning?
AMRITA & PRIYA JHAVERI: As the gallery is based in India, we tend to seek out artists who might benefit from a sustained engagement with the region, one that extends beyond the market. Our roster includes artists from Sydney and New York, Bombay and Delhi, and South Asia more broadly: Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. For us, each practice ought to be compelling and open in a way that can speak to multiple contexts. We hope visitors to our exhibitions and fair displays enjoy a sense of discovery and a connection to the work they see.
“Each practice ought to be compelling and open in a way that can speak to multiple contexts,”
Amrita and Priya Jhaveri
WW: The gallery is renowned for its dedication to scholarship and meticulously curated exhibitions. Could you share how you approach researching and conceptualizing shows that feature both emerging and established artists?
A&P J: As a team, we are led visually—and it often happens that exhibitions germinate from a single work of art. From there, it’s about weaving a narrative: bringing together works that speak to one another and generate new ideas and readings. Working across generations and geographies is also a way for us to challenge received narratives.
“Working across generations and geographies is also a way for us to challenge received narratives,”
Amrita and Priya Jhaveri
Scholarship is a priority, and where possible, we invite academics, critics, or writers to contribute new writing for our displays.
Organizing “Anish Kapoor: Flashback” at Jhaveri Contemporary
“Anish Kapoor – Delhi, Mumbai,” 2010-11, Mehboob Studios, Mumbai; Courtesy of Jhaveri Contemporary.
WW: In 2010, you played a pivotal role in organizing “Anish Kapoor: Flashback,” his first public exhibition in India—a landmark moment for the art world. Could you reflect on how this collaboration came about and its significance for Jhaveri Contemporary?
A&P J: It came about through our friendship with the artist and Lisson Gallery. Anish had long sought a suitable venue to present large-scale work in the country of his birth, and sometime in 2008, he entrusted us with delivering this dream. As a small team, we worked collaboratively with the British Council, the Government of India, and Lisson Gallery to produce a public exhibition at one of Mumbai’s oldest film studios. Mehboob Studios had remained a private venue for filmmaking since its foundation in 1954, coincidentally the year of Kapoor’s birth. Activating a historic site with an exhibition of this scale gave us the confidence to embark on our own projects with artists.
Amrita and Priya Jhaveri on Shaping the Gallery and the Indian Art Landscape
Installation view of “Conversations on Tomorrow,” 2022, at Sadie Coles HQ, photo by Eva Herzog. Courtesy of Jhaveri Contemporary.
WW: How have your professional backgrounds prior to establishing Jhaveri Contemporary influenced your approach as gallerists and shaped the vision for the gallery?
A&P J: We come from different professional contexts, and neither of us had prior gallery experience, so we continue to learn on the job. Priya’s work as an editor makes her interest in communication, interpretation, and care for detail somewhat distinctive in our context. Her ability to engage clients is a skill we didn’t know she had! Amrita’s role at Christie’s in the early ’90s, establishing a department for Indian art and choreographing auctions while dealing with artists at a time when there was no secondary market, has been a fortuitous stepping stone to gallery life.
WW: In 2005, you collaborated on the guidebook 101: A Guide to 101 Modern and Contemporary Indian Artists. How do you perceive the transformation of the Indian art landscape since then, and what role do you think Jhaveri Contemporary has played in shaping its evolution?
A&P J: The world of Indian art has changed hugely since 2005, with a now-established modern market and growing confidence in contemporary art.
“The world of Indian art has changed hugely since 2005,”
Amrita and Priya Jhaveri
Jhaveri Contemporary has played a small role in this transformation by representing both modern and contemporary artists and by introducing lesser-known artists to what was once a hyper-local art scene.
Jhaveri Contemporary’s Vibrant Program for 2025
“Shifting Waters” Installation view, photo credit Mohammed Chiba, Courtesy Jhaveri Contemporary.
WW: Could you share an overview of Jhaveri Contemporary’s program for 2025 and some themes or ideas that will guide your exhibitions throughout the year?
A&P J: 2025 will be a year of dedicated solo exhibitions at the gallery: Rana Begum, Shezad Dawood, Lubna Chowdhary, and Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran. We also look forward to showing a rare group of woven tapestries by Monika Correa, alongside work by Seher Shah, with whom we return to working after a decade. The new year will have its challenges, no doubt, but we hope it’s a good one for all our artists, many of whom have supported the gallery from its earliest years.
‘Contact-Simryn Gill, Anwar Jalal Shemza’ 2023, Installation view, photo credit Mohammed Chiba, courtesy Jhaveri Contemporary.
