The eighth edition of the Delhi Contemporary Art Week (DCAW) recently drew large crowds to Bikaner House, offering a fresh perspective on how art can be experienced. This year's event, curated by Amrita Guha and Joya Nandurdikar of Untitled Design, focused on creating an immersive experience where art and design were intricately linked.
Instead of a traditional exhibition, the curators transformed the spaces of Bikaner House into layered environments. This approach allowed visitors to feel a part of the art rather than simply observing it from a distance. The exhibition brought together leading contemporary galleries—including Blueprint12, Latitude 28, and Vadehra Art Gallery—into a cohesive whole. According to the curators Amrita and Joya, the goal was to make art and design "dissolve into one another," creating experiences that were both bold and immersive. The high attendance for the event suggests that this approach resonated strongly with the public.
Two specific installations highlighted this innovative curatorial style. One was Taqiya Qalaam, a redesigned space that transformed the typical white gallery cube into an intimate, lived-in home. This exhibit used everyday domestic items, such as a bed and a bathroom, to display art. For example, a salmon-pink bathroom became a viewing space for works by artists like Sunil Gupta, with a bathtub serving as a seat for visitors. This approach challenged traditional boundaries by placing art within a private, everyday context.
Another major feature was The Sculpture Show, which showcased large-scale works on the lawns of Bikaner House. This open-air presentation seamlessly merged art with the landscape, creating engaging encounters that played with scale, texture, and form. The design-driven approach of the curators successfully connected intimate indoor settings with expansive outdoor environments, providing a rich and varied experience for all who attended.
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