Contemporary Now · Edition III Marks a Successful Opening Week with Exhibitions, Conversations and Citywide Cultural Exchange Across Chennai

Contemporary Now · Edition III successfully concluded its opening week, transforming Chennai into a dynamic hub for contemporary art through a citywide programme of exhibitions, conversations, walkthroughs, institutional collaborations and cultural exchanges. Running until 25 August 2026, the third edition has brought together leading galleries, artists, collectors, cultural practitioners, institutions and audiences across more than ten venues, reinforcing Chennai’s growing significance within India’s contemporary art landscape.

The opening week commenced with the preview of Practices in Continuum: The Work and the World at Lalit Kala Akademi, the flagship exhibition of Contemporary Now · Edition III. Bringing together presentations from Project 88, Vadehra Art Gallery, Experimenter, TARQ, Chatterjee & Lal, Chemould Prescott Road and Ashvita’s, the exhibition explores contemporary artistic practices through themes of identity, ecology, memory, politics, materiality and cultural change. 

Extending beyond the exhibition space, Contemporary Now activated venues across Chennai through a wide-ranging programme that brought together galleries, foundations, artists’ studios, archival centres and cultural institutions. Across the opening week, audiences engaged with exhibitions, previews, conservation initiatives, artist-led walkthroughs and public discussions, reflecting the platform’s commitment to creating meaningful encounters with contemporary art through multiple points of access.

A key focus of the week was its programme of conversations examining the intersections of artistic practice, publishing, patronage and cultural ecosystems. Highlights included “From Mylapore to Mumbai (and Beyond): The Cultural South in the Context of Contemporary Art,” featuring Ashvin E. Rajagopalan, K. Benitha Perciyal and Mortimer Chatterjee in conversation with Prasad Ramamurthy, which explored the growing influence of southern India in shaping contemporary artistic practice, institutions, audiences and collecting.

The programme also included “The Many Lives of the Photobook: A Contemporary Lens to Publishing Practices & Shared Futures,” presented by the Chennai Photo Biennale Foundation and Ashvita’s, featuring Brendan Embser of Aperture, artist Indu Antony and photographer-filmmaker Balaji Maheshwar in conversation with Shuchi Kapoor. The discussion examined the photobook as an artistic form and a mode of circulation, considering how photographic work evolves through publishing and readership.