It is a phenomenal truth that art shapes all our experiences. The way we experience cities, interpret culture and view the world around us. Yet, for many, stepping inside an art gallery can be the hardest task. While cities around the world and India have long cultivated the habit of visiting galleries as pastime activities, Hyderabad’s leisure time is still centered around dining and shopping.
The inaugural Hyderabad Art Week (HAW), set to run from October 26 to November 1, 2026, aims to change that. Driven by the shared goal of making art accessible, four of the city’s leading women gallerists have joined forces to build a one-of-a-kind festival that Hyderabad has not seen in recent times. The names are Lakshmi Nambiar of Srishti Art, Bhargavi Gundala of Dhi Contemporary, Rekha Lahoti of Kalakriti Art Gallery, and Supraja Rao of Kadari Art Gallery.
“We are going to offer a gallery circuit where people will go from one gallery to the other to experience exhibitions. This is common in Mumbai and Delhi where going to a gallery is an experience. But that is not the culture in Hyderabad and we want to change that. We thought, how can we make this experience of visiting a gallery a part of our culture? That is why all four of us have come together to give back to the city,” said Lakshmi Nambiar, Director, Srishti Art.
Though each gallery operates as a business competitor, the founders recognized that building a broader audience for visual art required collective action. By unifying their efforts, they aim to lower the entry barrier for first-time visitors while creating a dedicated, annual moment for the city’s creative community.
“Through Hyderabad Art Week, we want to create that hot moment in Hyderabad… I am really excited about the fact that this is a week of giving back to Hyderabad, and I am excited that so many people are coming to Hyderabad for this. It will change something within each one of us,” Lakshmi tells Siasat.com.
Seven days of culture, art and more
At the heart of the Hyderabad Art Week are four flagship exhibitions across the founding galleries, alongside an institutional showcase. Dhi Contemporary will host Marked Wings, a solo exhibition by Gayatri Danthuri, while Kadari Art Gallery presents Worlds Within Reach: Artists in Focus, featuring young and emerging talent selected through an open call. Srishti Art presents a quiet solo showcase of Alpana Vij’s artworks, titled The Weight of Small Things, and Kalakriti Art Gallery continues its ongoing exhibition, I Know What I Am Doing, curated by P.S. Jalaja.
Beyond the private galleries, visitors can explore an exhibition of drawings by students from the Department of Fine Arts, Hyderabad Central University, at the Salar Jung Museum, which will also offer daily guided walks at 11 am during HAW.
The broader itinerary expands into a dynamic lineup of workshops, talks, panel discussions, and open studio visits. Born from a push to connect Hyderabad’s scattered creative practices, HAW’s broader programming moves into studios, classrooms, archives, and collections. The intent is to ask “what it means to build a contemporary art ecosystem that is not just confined to ‘visiting a gallery.'”
Art students can attend dedicated mentorship talks focused on portfolio building and career navigation under the ‘Beyond the Classroom’ program, while Prshant Lahoti, co-founder of Kalakriti, will lead a session exploring historical heritage maps from the gallery’s extensive archives.
For those interested in seeing artists at work, artist Harsha Durugadda will host an open studio session, while a public walkthrough session at RMZ Asset in Cyberabad will introduce visitors to large-scale public artworks.
To make visiting galleries a seamless part of the city’s social fabric, Hyderabad Art Week is also collaborating with popular local cafes and restaurants. Stop at Concu, Gaurang’s Kitchen, Coffee Sangam, Tiger Lily – Cafe and Bistro, and Black Fuel Roastery, for specially curated ‘sip and hop’ events. These activations allow visitors to pause for coffee or light bites while transitioning between gallery circuits.
Intended as a perennial annual feature, Hyderabad Art Week hopes to continually expand its footprint, embedding contemporary art into the daily movement of the city for years to come.
For event registrations and to view the detailed schedule of talks, walkthroughs, and workshops, visit hyderabadartweek.com.
Contact to : xlf550402@gmail.com
Copyright © boyuanhulian 2020 - 2023. All Right Reserved.