2025: Art tests new waters in Hyderabad city

Over the weekend, EON Hyderabad, a caller high-rise bureau abstraction successful the Financial District, hosted HYD.ART 2025, positioning itself arsenic 1 of Hyderabad’s largest creation showcases. On presumption were artworks by modern Indian masters, emerging artists, with a spotlight connected yesteryear Telugu artists. There were workshops, sheet discussions and documentary screenings.

Annapurna Madipadiga, curator of HYD.ART 2025 and laminitis of EkChitra, who has conducted exhibitions successful creation galleries and offbeat venues specified arsenic Spirit Connect movie accumulation location and T-Works, says she is connected the lookout for venues that tin marque creation accessible to radical successful antithetic parts of the city. “I look for spaces that tin marque creation absorbing and spark curiosity.”

In January 2024, erstwhile she hosted Hue, a multi-disciplinary amusement astatine Spirit Connect adjacent Ramanaidu Studios, Film Nagar, the abstraction was transformed to lucifer a impermanent gallery, with lighting that accentuated the artworks.

“It took maine months to finalise the venue. When I pitched the thought to Rana’s (Daggubati) team, they were welcoming. Designing a amusement astatine a non-gallery venue is challenging. The abstraction has to resonate with the show’s narrative.”

In the past, she has curated large-format shows specified arsenic Chitram astatine the spacious State Gallery of Art, Madhapur. However, she observes that occasionally taking creation extracurricular a accepted assemblage creates an constituent of astonishment for visitors.

Art and the IT hubs

In February 2025, she curated Living Temple, a three-day festival of art, practice and architecture astatine T-Works, Rai Durg, and observed however IT assemblage employees arsenic good arsenic the housekeeping unit were taken successful by the paintings, sculptures, installations and interactive exhibits. “A fewer corporates said they came to spot the amusement alternatively of attending meetings,” she laughs. “The unit was besides enthusiastic and asked erstwhile we would organise different show.”

For specified shows, the inaugural time would person an attendance of good known artists and creation enthusiasts. Gradually, the newer assemblage walks in. “In the lawsuit of T-Works, which is surrounded by tall, factual buildings, creation adds a caller aesthetic,” says Annapurna. 

She observes that dissimilar New Delhi’s India Habitat Centre, Bikaner House oregon Triveni Sangam, Hyderabad’s creation shows are often constricted to galleries. “Just arsenic retail chains unfastened branches crossed an ever-expanding city, creation and taste events request to research caller venues to marque it easier for radical who privation to debar long, traffic-heavy commutes.”

Targeting young buyers

This November, India Art Fair hosted IAF EDI+IONS Hyderabad, its archetypal successful the metropolis astatine RMZ The Loft, Rai Durg. Jaya Asokan, manager of the fair, says the prime of venue astatine the bosom of Hyderabad’s IT hub, was intentional.

“We wanted younger professionals moving present to see creation arsenic a meaningful semipermanent investment, and to spot themselves arsenic the adjacent procreation of collectors. Equally important was the information that the RMZ Foundation is simply a patron of the arts, with a important postulation spanning modern South Asian and planetary practices. Upon entering the building, works by Shilpa Gupta and Bhuri Bai framework the experience.”

She agrees that organising an lawsuit wrong a non-traditional accumulation abstraction required cautious information astir the display, flow, and lighting. But it offered an advantage. “We included a guided RMZ creation tour, which allowed visitors to prosecute with works crossed the field and, importantly, signalled to a wider assemblage the beingness of collectors wrong the city, operating beyond assemblage oregon depository contexts.”

While IAF’s debut variation successful Hyderabad was conceived arsenic an invite-only programme to let visitors ample clip to prosecute with the artworks and interact with gallerists, the IAF squad did not crook distant groups that walked in.

The squad observed however a fewer enthusiasts spent astir a time astatine the creation fair. This, Jaya observes, was easier since visitors could measurement retired for luncheon astatine the respective eating options wrong the field and re-enter the exhibition. “That easiness encouraged sustained engagement alternatively than rushed consumption.” 

The IAF hopes to instrumentality to Hyderabad and pat the younger, emerging creation collector basal done initiatives specified arsenic the Young Collectors’ Programme.

Less intimidating

Miheeka Daggubati, who founded Art Connect and hosted shows astatine Spirit Connect, says antithetic venues marque creation little intimidating. “Those who are not clued into creation whitethorn hesitate to locomotion into a gallery, reasoning they bash not cognize enough. I started Art Connect to marque creation accessible to much people. In the exhibitions we person hosted, the effort has been to showcase antithetic formats — paintings, sculptures, installations, and assemblage. The stories that travel each artwork assistance visitors recognize and admit creation better. We besides had curated walks discussing the taxable and idiosyncratic artworks. With time, visitors observe what signifier of creation they are inclined to.”

Miheeka notes that offering ancillary sessions, specified arsenic talks connected investing successful art, is besides beneficial. “In addition, viewing an artwork successful a abstraction that is not a accepted assemblage helps imaginable buyers ideate however it would look astatine their bureau oregon home.”

Public installations

Art showcases beyond galleries is fundamentally not a caller idea. An illustration would beryllium the curated shows and nationalist creation installations astatine the yearly Hyderabad Literary Festival (HLF). Art has been a portion of HLF successful its respective venues — Hyderabad Public School, Vidyaranya High School, Saptaparni, oregon Sattva Knowledge City. The HLF 2026 volition beryllium held from January 24 to 26 astatine Sattva Knowledge City.

Established creation galleries and the Salar Jung Museum volition ever clasp pridefulness of spot among creation enthusiasts. However, the inclination of creation reaching retired to newer enthusiasts done antithetic venues volition proceed to thrive.