Whitewall’s inaugural exhibition in India, (IN DIA)LOGUE, TRADITION & TRANSFORMATION, marks a bold new expansion of the publication’s global presence. Presented in collaboration with the Jaipur Centre for Art (JCA) and curated by Noelle Kadar, co-founder of JCA and Whitewall’s Spring Artist Issue Guest Editor, the exhibition opened May 3, 2025, at the City Palace in Jaipur and remains on view through June 3. More than an art show, it is a vibrant celebration of India’s evolving creative landscape, coinciding with the launch of Whitewall’s Spring Artist Issue dedicated entirely to Indian contemporary art.
The exhibition’s title is both a provocation and an invitation—centering dialogue as a method of discovery and disruption. Featuring a dynamic group of Indian artists including Biraaj Dodiya, Thukral & Tagra, and Raghav Babbar, among others, the show presents a range of mediums that span painting, sculpture, installation, and textile-based work. Together, the artists reflect a shared urgency to examine and reframe questions of identity, materiality, memory, and place.
Material as Memory, Form as Transformation
Photo by Lodovico Colli di Felizzano.
Throughout the exhibition, materiality becomes a site of inquiry and reinvention. Biraaj Dodiya’s intimate, layered canvases, for instance, are meditations on interior space and psychological landscapes—using texture and abstraction to evoke impermanence and longing. In contrast, the collaborative duo Thukral & Tagra explore systems of survival and adaptation, with sculptural works that fuse pop culture, architectural motifs, and agrarian symbolism.
One standout work by emerging artist Raghav Babbar draws on figuration to grapple with masculinity, diaspora, and urban alienation. Babbar’s large-scale oil paintings, rendered in a muted yet emotionally potent palette, inhabit a liminal space—both rooted in India’s visual traditions and reaching toward a global, postmodern vocabulary.
Additional contributions from collectives like How Are You Feeling Studio foreground the psychological and emotional toll of contemporary life. Their participatory, text-based installation invites viewers to confront inner narratives and communal anxieties—reminding us that transformation often begins inward.
Jaipur Centre for Art as a Site of Contemporary Exchange
Photo by Lodovico Colli di Felizzano.
The choice of Jaipur as host city is no accident. Long revered for its craft legacy and architectural splendor, the Pink City is now emerging as a contemporary cultural destination. At the heart of this evolution is the Jaipur Centre for Art, a non-profit platform dedicated to fostering critical dialogue and experimentation. JCA offers not only exhibition space but also residencies, education programs, and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
The exhibition opens with a festive cocktail reception on May 3 at the City Palace, where collectors, curators, and artists from across India and abroad will gather to celebrate both the show and the release of Whitewall’s Spring Artist Issue. The issue offers in-depth features, artist interviews, and studio visits that mirror the exhibition’s curatorial ethos—focusing on voices that challenge dominant narratives and propose new ways of seeing.
(IN DIA)LOGUE, TRADITION & TRANSFORMATION embodies a generational shift in Indian contemporary art—one that resists easy categorization and embraces hybridity. Rather than positioning tradition and transformation as oppositional forces, the exhibition reveals their deep interdependence. It is in this tension that the most meaningful, and moving, dialogues arise.
About Jaipur Centre for Art
Photo by Lodovico Colli di Felizzano.
Founded in 1727 under royal patronage, Jaipur was envisioned as a centre of artistic excellence. Its rich heritage in crafts—from marble and pottery to textiles, jewelry, painting, and carving— remains alive through generations of artisans. Today, Jaipur uniquely blends tradition with innovation, attracting creative talent from around the world while preserving its artisanal roots.
Building on Jaipur’s rich artistic legacy, HH Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur is launching the Jaipur Centre for Art (JCA) in collaboration with contemporary art specialist Noelle Kadar.
HH Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur carries a family legacy of cultural patronage. Educated at Mayo College, Millfield School, and New York University, he is a dedicated promoter of both traditional and contemporary arts. As an avid polo player and philanthropist, he aims to share Jaipur’s rich history and culture with the world by fostering artistic initiatives and inviting global artists to experience the city’s heritage firsthand.
Photo by Lodovico Colli di Felizzano.
Noelle Kadar is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design with nearly two decades of experience in India’s contemporary art scene. As the former International and VIP Relations Director of the India Art Fair, she played a key role in its rebranding and expansion. From 2018 to 2020, she was the Artistic Director at The Sculpture Park in Jaipur, focusing on international programming and artist participation. Currently, she leads a boutique consultancy firm, Noelle Kadar Studio, where clients include, The Art House, Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, Mumbai, Interglobe Hotels, New Delhi, and Art Dubai, UAE.
JCA enriches the dynamic Indian art scene, fostering connections between global and local art communities by welcoming international and Indian galleries and artists to create, engage, and build stronger relationships with the Indian market.
Photo by Lodovico Colli di Felizzano.
