India’s art calendar in May is packed with must-see exhibitions across major cities. From Raja Ravi Varma’s landmark printmaking showcase in Bengaluru to A.A. Raiba’s eclectic works in Delhi, and nature-focused shows in Hyderabad, galleries spotlight themes of memory, ecology, visual culture and artistic lineages, offering a rich snapshot of contemporary and historical Indian art.
India's art scene is bustling with possibilities this May. From Raja Ravi Varma exhibition open for the public for a month in Bengaluru to art work by artist Abdul Aziz Raiba on display in Delhi, this month it's all about appreciating the artists and celebrating art in general.
Here's a list of art exhibitions you should go check out this month:
When: 8 May – 14 May
Where: Shridharani Gallery, New Delhi
A solo exhibition by Jyoti Tyagi presents a compelling body of work that explores themes of nature, memory, and ecological sensitivity. Working with charcoal, acrylic, and mixed media, Jyoti Tyagi creates evocative compositions that reflect on the interdependence between humans and the natural world, while subtly engaging with questions of care, responsibility, and environmental fragility.
When: 9 May - 14 May
Where: Bikaner House, New Delhi
Curated by Kiran K. Mohan with a critical essay by art historian Johny ML, The Contemporary Lore operates on a simple but radical premise: that artistic lineages are not linear, and that the most generative conversations happen when we stop organising by age or achievement, and instead listen for resonance across time, material, and intention.
The exhibition includes works by 23 artists including Anil Gaekwad, Charudatt, Dilip Sharma, Haren Thakur and more.
When: Ongoing until May 31
Where: Gallery G, Bengaluru
A landmark exhibition that explores how print culture shaped the visual imagination of modern India.
‘What India Learned to See, From Battala to the Ravi Varma Press and Beyond’ by Raja Ravi Varma Heritage Foundation, is a major exhibition examining the pivotal role of printmaking in shaping India’s modern visual culture.
When: Until June 21
Where: Thapar Gallery
The exhibition presents a nuanced exploration of A. A. Raiba’s practice, underscoring his distinctive visual language shaped by a confluence of artistic traditions.
When: 2 May to 15 June
Where: : Kalakriti Art Gallery, Hyderabad
Prakriti: A Quiet Continuum introduces viewers to ‘prakriti’ or nature as both an external landscape and an inner state. The works in the exhibition show each artists’ relationship to it through a personal lens. Roy K John depicts rich jungles, vegetation and flowers to portray giant cultivation areas which are used as symbols of sustenance, which are simultaneously under threat due to environmental issues. Lal Bahadur Singh’s subjects like the parrot and cow are easily recognizable creatures in India and are used as a reminder of how urban life has encroached on rural locale