Art with intent

India's contemporary art scene is shifting gears, as a new generation of socially engaged artists challenge old hierarchies while reclaiming space both locally and on the global stage

- By Shiva Kumar Thekkepat

India’s contemporary art scene is undergoing a quiet revolution. Across galleries, residencies, community platforms, and public spaces, a new generation of artists is challenging conventional boundaries of practice and purpose.

No longer confined by the white cube or dictated by auction calendars, these artists are engaging with the urgencies of their time — ecology, caste, identity, and decolonisation — in deeply embedded, socially conscious, and often collaborative ways.

Their work is not just about what art looks like, but what it does — who it speaks for, where it lives, and how it participates in the world. It is a shift not just in medium or method, but in mentality.

"Artists respond to the time they live in," says Smriti Rajgarhia, Director of Serendipity Arts, known for its interdisciplinary festivals, residencies, and community-based programming in Goa and South Asia.