This is an archive article published on January 8, 2022

Several major art exhibitions in the Capital postponed due to COVID

Even though private galleries have been allowed to operate

4 min readUpdated: Jan 8, 2022 11:47 AM IST

Many art exhibitions are getting postponed this season owing to the pandemic again (representational) (Source: India art fair)

It was more than a year ago that Sunaina Anand, director of Art Alive gallery, booked the venue for an exhibition at Delhi’s Bikaner House. To take place from January 13 to 22, the tripartite exhibition that brings together works of Sakti Burman and Maite Delteil and their daughter Maya Burman, has now been postponed due to the rising COVID cases in the Capital. “We had planned the show months in advance, hoping that things would normalise by now, but who would have thought this would happen. We are ready to put up the exhibition but the space has been shut for now due to the rising cases. The exhibition will be rescheduled once we get new directives from the government,” says Anand.

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With the COVID cases in the Capital spiraling, several major art exhibitions are being postponed even though private galleries are still allowed to operate. “We are open but people have reservations regarding visiting galleries at a time like now,” says Renu Modi, director of Gallery Espace. She recalls how the opening of her last show in the gallery in the first week of December was very well-received but given the current situation in Delhi, she has decided to postpone her next exhibition, which is the solo of artist Manisha Gera Baswani. “It will not do justice to the work. Not many people will come to the gallery. We will most likely open it in April,” says Modi.

Manisha Gera Baswani’s A New Earth (Source: Manisha Gera Baswani)

While the fourth quarter of 2021 saw several exhibitions of prominent artists opening in Delhi, the already economically impacted art industry is being cautious with India seeing the beginning of a third wave. Last week, India Art Fair (IAF) — one of the key elements in the country’s culture calendar, was postponed from February to April (April 28-May 1). Jaya Asokan, director, IAF, stated, “Everything else remains the same: the venue, fantastic art, and a huge (and safe) celebration of culture. We know the situation is unpredictable, but team India Art Fair with support from our artists, exhibitors and partners is ready to deliver a fair as dynamic and fresh as ever, come April.”

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While Subodh Gupta’s exhibition that was to begin at Nature Morte gallery in January will now take place later in the year, the same is for artist Ravinder Dutt’s exhibition “Mythos and The Historian” which was scheduled to take place at Bikaner House. Narayan Sinha’s exhibition, which is being presented by Art Ichol at India Habitat Center and was originally scheduled to be held from January 27 onwards, has also been postponed. “As an artist it is difficult to plan anything. There is so much uncertainty and feeling of being unsettled. An artist needs to be spiritually connected which is difficult at a time like now… Human touch is very important to understand an artwork. Everything is virtual now and collectors are also purchasing works but it’s claustrophobic to not be able to share my art with others,” says Sinha. The artist had a solo in Kolkata last year. “After the second wave I felt it was important to celebrate life. As a human being we might think that we are progressing but we have become so detached from nature.”

Narayan Sinha’s sculptures explore ideas of desire and excess through materials of brass and stone (Source: Narayan Sinha)

Though Modi notes that the physical viewing of art cannot be replaced with its online viewing, she shares that with regard to sales the connoisseurs do seem to have adapted to the digital model. “There is sale of artwork that is happening and going forward too I feel the hybrid model will continue,” she says.

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Vandana Kalra

Vandana Kalra is an art critic and Deputy Associate Editor with The Indian Express. She has spent more than two decades chronicling arts, culture and everyday life, with modern and contemporary art at the heart of her practice. With a sustained engagement in the arts and a deep understanding of India’s cultural ecosystem, she is regarded as a distinctive and authoritative voice in contemporary art journalism in India. Vandana Kalra's career has unfolded in step with the shifting contours of India’s cultural landscape, from the rise of the Indian art market to the growing prominence of global biennales and fairs. Closely tracking its ebbs and surges, she reports from studios, galleries, museums and exhibition spaces and has covered major Indian and international art fairs, museum exhibitions and biennales, including the Venice Biennale, Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Documenta, Islamic Arts Biennale. She has also been invited to cover landmark moments in modern Indian art, including SH Raza’s exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the opening of the MF Husain Museum in Doha, reflecting her long engagement with the legacies of India’s modern masters. Alongside her writing, she applies a keen editorial sensibility, shaping and editing art and cultural coverage into informed, cohesive narratives. Through incisive features, interviews and critical reviews, she brings clarity to complex artistic conversations, foregrounding questions of process, patronage, craft, identity and cultural memory. The Global Art Circuit: She provides extensive coverage of major events like the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Serendipity Arts Festival, and high-profile international auctions. Artist Spotlights: She writes in-depth features on modern masters (like M.F. Husain) and contemporary performance artists (like Marina Abramović). Art and Labor: A recurring theme in her writing is how art reflects the lives of the marginalized, including migrants, farmers, and labourers. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent portfolio is dominated by the coverage of the 2025 art season in India: 1. Kochi-Muziris Biennale & Serendipity Arts Festival "At Serendipity Arts Festival, a 'Shark Tank' of sorts for art and crafts startups" (Dec 20, 2025): On how a new incubator is helping artisans pitch products to investors. "Artist Birender Yadav's work gives voice to the migrant self" (Dec 17, 2025): A profile of an artist whose decade-long practice focuses on brick kiln workers. "At Kochi-Muziris Biennale, a farmer’s son from Patiala uses his art to draw attention to Delhi’s polluted air" (Dec 16, 2025). "Kochi Biennale showstopper Marina Abramović, a pioneer in performance art" (Dec 7, 2025): An interview with the world-renowned artist on the power of reinvention. 2. M.F. Husain & Modernism "Inside the new MF Husain Museum in Qatar" (Nov 29, 2025): A three-part series on the opening of Lawh Wa Qalam in Doha, exploring how a 2008 sketch became the architectural core of the museum. "Doha opens Lawh Wa Qalam: Celebrating the modernist's global legacy" (Nov 29, 2025). 3. Art Market & Records "Frida Kahlo sets record for the most expensive work by a female artist" (Nov 21, 2025): On Kahlo's canvas The Dream (The Bed) selling for $54.7 million. "All you need to know about Klimt’s canvas that is now the most expensive modern artwork" (Nov 19, 2025). "What’s special about a $12.1 million gold toilet?" (Nov 19, 2025): A quirky look at a flushable 18-karat gold artwork. 4. Art Education & History "Art as play: How process-driven activities are changing the way children learn art in India" (Nov 23, 2025). "A glimpse of Goa's layered history at Serendipity Arts Festival" (Dec 9, 2025): Exploring historical landmarks as venues for contemporary art. Signature Beats Vandana is known for her investigative approach to the art economy, having recently written about "Who funds the Kochi-Muziris Biennale?" (Dec 11, 2025), detailing the role of "Platinum Benefactors." She also explores the spiritual and geometric aspects of art, as seen in her retrospective on artist Akkitham Narayanan and the history of the Cholamandal Artists' Village (Nov 22, 2025). ... Read More

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