Earlier this month, the Jaipur Centre for Art (JCA) unveiled “Non-Residency,” an exhibition curated by the Los Angeles-based gallerist Rajiv Menon. Presented within the regal confines of the City Palace, the show marked a series of firsts: it was the institution’s first exhibition curated by a single gallery, Rajiv Menon Contemporary, and the first by an American.
Courtesy of the aritist and Jaipur Art Centre.
Anoushka Mirchandani, Untitled, 2025. Courtesy of the artist and Jaipur Art Centre.
The JCA, co-founded in 2024 by HH Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur and Noelle Kadar, was established to highlight the city’s rich artistic legacy while creating space for contemporary expression. It’s part of a broader movement reshaping Jaipur, which has long been considered a haven for artisans, into a global cultural destination. From enamel-filled meenakari jewelry studios to workshops weaving hand-tufted carpets, the city is steeped in craft. In fact, it’s woven into its culture and traditions. With institutions like the JCA, Jaipur is increasingly becoming a site where heritage meets innovation, and where Indian art is launched onto the world stage and receives the appreciation it deserves.
With “Non-Residency,” Menon steps into an illustrious lineage of curators at the JCA—amongst them Anish Kapoor, Sean Scully, Shilpa Gupta, and Jitish Kallat—each of whom has shaped the institution’s reputation as a vital space for contemporary dialogue. His exhibition not only extends this tradition but also sharpens its focus, pushing the discourse further into questions of belonging, displacement, and the evolving narratives of the Indian diaspora. By foregrounding works that grapple with hybridity, migration, and cultural memory, “Non-Residency” positions itself as both a continuation and a bold expansion of the JCA’s commitment to exploring the intersections of art, identity, and global perspective.
The Exhibition as Homecoming
Shyama Golden, It’s All Uphill From Here, 2025. Courtesy of the artist and Jaipur Art Centre.
Kelly Sinnapah Mary,
Violette’s Book: The Girl with 3 Eyes, 2025. Courtesy of the artist and Jaipur Art Centre.
Rajiv Menon Contemporary, the gallery behind the show, focuses on artists from South Asia and the diaspora. Recently opening a permanent space in Hollywood, it plays a key role in expanding the visibility of Indian artists abroad. For “Non-Residency,” Menon selected 15 artists working across a range of media, from painting and sculpture to textiles. The result is a dynamic exploration of cultural memory, migration, and aesthetic reinvention.
Essentially, “Non-Residency” represents a certain kind of homecoming, also with an element of immigrant sentiment, too. It marks the first time Menon has shown work in India. “We are linking the art of India’s past to its future, to demonstrate to the world the excellent work that is being made by Indian artists today,” said JCA co-founder Noelle Kadar.
Ricky Vasan, Thanksgiving, 2025. Courtesy of the artist and Jaipur Art Centre.
The exhibition also reflects a shifting awareness, with the Indian art market expanding rapidly, many international audiences are first exposed to Indian creators through the diaspora. Menon’s curation acknowledges this trend while also challenging it, positioning diasporic work not as an external perspective but as an integral part of Indian contemporary art itself.
As Jaipur continues to attract tourists seeking a blend of glamour, artisanal heritage, and Art Deco charm, exhibitions like “Non-Residency” are furthering the prominence of its local voices and community. “This exhibition at JCA is a huge first step in cementing the significance of diasporic art—not only in the eyes of the Indian art world, but on the global plane, as well,” said Menon. Visitors leave not only with a deeper appreciation for art made in India, but also with a broader understanding of the diaspora communities shaping its evolving narrative.
Diaspora and Reimagined Identity and Jaipur Centre for Art
Keerat Kaur, The Source, 2025. Courtesy of the aritist and Jaipur Art Centre.
Suchitra Mattai, Set Free, 2024. Courtesy of the artist and Jaipur Art Centre.
Spanning continents, from the fog of England and sunshine of South Africa to the Caribbean shores of Guyana and the glitz of Los Angeles, the Indian diaspora is vast and varied. The artists in “Non-Residency” draw from their lived experiences, reflecting themes of immigration, exile, indentureship, and transformation. Their works are rooted in memory and reinvention, often blending the aesthetics of their ancestral heritage with those of their adopted homelands. But the thread of “home” is never lost throughout.
This collaboration of past and present produces striking new visual languages. Some pieces explore personal narratives, while others evoke collective histories and reimagine cultural symbols. What unites them is a shared sense of resilience and innovation, testaments to the artists’ ability to maintain and reinterpret their cultural identities in entirely new contexts.
The exhibition also introduces work by JCA’s two current artists-in-residence, Anoushka Mirchandani and Nibha Akireddy. Their contributions reflect the influence of Jaipur itself, its architecture, textures, and history, embedded within contemporary frameworks. Their pieces appear in dialogue with the rest of the show, further blurring the boundaries between rootedness and reinvention. What is home anyway, at the end of the day?
Maya Seas, Dreamscape (In Prayer), 2025. Courtesy of the artist and Jaipur Art Centre.
Asif Hoque, Up Up & Away, 2025. Courtesy of the artist and Jaipur Art Centre.
