The changing pulse of the Hyderabadi viewer
“The art situation in Hyderabad has drastically changed, and changed for the better,” states Rekha Lahoti, director of Kalakriti Art Gallery, an institution celebrating its landmark silver jubilee next year. According to Lahoti, this transformation is deeply tied to a population that has become exceptionally well-travelled and globally exposed. Local art enthusiasts are regularly returning home from major national hubs like the India Art Fair and Art Mumbai, bringing back a mature perspective that demands high-calibre creative expression right here in the Deccan.
Is art democratised in Hyderabad?
Historically, fine art spaces carried an unwritten reputation of being intimidating to the general public. Today, both Srishti and Kalakriti are actively dismantling those invisible barriers to make art appreciation accessible to every regular resident. For Kalakriti Art Gallery, this process begins with absolute logistical openness, starting with a strong digital presence. “Our Google timeline gets a lot of inquiries to ask whether it’s open to public,” Rekha Lahoti notes. By ensuring their operational calendar is entirely clear and welcoming visitors seven days a week, the gallery aims to become a natural, hassle-free part of a resident’s weekend routine.
To ensure that these visitors do not feel lost once they step inside, Kalakriti intentionally pairs its exhibitions with educational context. Every show features interactive presentations, preview-day conversations, and structured dialogues between artists and curators. Recognizing that physical distance can often be a barrier to culture, the gallery has also expanded its geographical footprint. By pushing its art appreciation discourses out of Banjara Hills and directly into the corporate and tech corridors of HITEC City, Kalakriti is actively bringing art to where the city’s modern workforce lives and breathes, ensuring that “different parts of the city get to hear art appreciation discourses.”
Meanwhile, Kalakriti is offering a massive, multi-layered visual experience under one roof: Sumit Sarkar’s solo presentation Liminal Threshold, a sprawling display of sixteen different artists using everything from wood embroidery to resin in the Viewing Room, and the exclusive, highly appreciated Hyderabad debut of UK sculptor Anne Carrington.
By bringing such experimental, globally relevant art straight to the local public, these pioneers are proving that Hyderabad is actively helping define the contemporary art world.