Mumbai: The Nehru Centre AC Art Gallery in Worli came alive with colour, texture and contemporary energy as the exhibition ‘Up Next - A New Wave of Contemporary Art’ was inaugurated in the presence of actor Mahima Chaudhry, composer Dhirendra Mulkalwar of ‘Hanuman Ansh’ fame, noted philanthropist Dr Aneel Kashi Murarka, veteran artist Kiran Chopra, curators Ritu Chopra and Vikas Singh of Tela Art Gallery and the participating artists.
With works from across India and abroad filling the gallery, from vivid abstracts to monumental installations, the evening was truly a vision to behold. Adding a soulful touch to the occasion, Dhirendra Mulkalwar sang ‘Siyavar Ramchandra Ki Jai’, his composition from the box office hit film ‘Hanuman Ansh’, filling the gallery with a spiritual resonance and giving the show a truly auspicious start.
Mahima Chaudhry who spent ample time with every artist, understanding and admiring their works, shared, “I love all art, but contemporary art is really cool! There are no watertight compartments anymore... Today’s artists are expressing everything, from spirituality and religion to what is happening in the world around us, and they are doing it boldly, on their own terms. Now artists have crossed all boundaries, and it is beautiful to see this being encouraged at such shows.”
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Sep 22, 2026Dr Aneel Kashi Murarka and Dhirendra Mulkalwar also and expressed their appreciation for the range and depth of the works on display.
Curated by Ritu Chopra and Vikas Singh of Tela Art Gallery, the ‘Up Next’ exhibition brings together 16 artists who are pushing past medium-specific boundaries to ask what the new language of contemporary art is today. Ranging from early-career artists in their mid-20s to established practitioners in their 50s, the participating artists include Meena Yadav, Rita Chhawchharia, Puja Sharma, Rakhee Shah, Tithi Arekar, Bhavna Madhani, Nidhi Charan, Amita Goswami, Kalpesh Chavan, Rachana Karia, Shweta Badhani Modi, Kailas Kale, Cheena Madan, Rakhi Baid, Olga Vikhonina and Kanchan Mahante.
Among the exhibition’s highlights is a modular artwork of 108 individual canvases, each complete in itself, rendered in ochres, terracotta, deep greens and earthy browns, that together form three rising, temple-like forms. Drawing on the spiritual significance of the number 108, the work turns painting into an act of repetition, meditation and ritual. Another major draw is a towering textile installation built from fibre, weave, found fabric and painstaking handwork such as sewing and knitting, transforming a medium traditionally associated with the domestic into monumental contemporary architecture that opens conversations around labour, memory, sustainability and gender.
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Sep 20, 2026‘Up Next - A New Wave of Contemporary Art’ exhibition will be on display at the Nehru Centre AC Art Gallery, Worli, Mumbai, till 28th September 2026, daily from 11 am to 7 pm.
