In the Silent Valley of Jubilee Hills, a loud, kaleidoscopic conversation has begun. Within the halls of the Jubilee Hills Convention Centre, the third edition of the India Art Festival (IAF) is making a vibrant noise through a diversity of textures, colours, and mediums. Here, 3000 artworks from across the country have converged to challenge our perception of what ‘art’ can be in 2026.
To walk through this year’s festival is to navigate a living map of creative contrasts. Here, the ‘sacred’ is living comfortably next to the ‘subversive,’ and ancient charcoal techniques meet the high-gloss finish of modern resin. You will find intricate, microscopic miniatures that require a magnifying glass to unlock their secrets, standing feet away from massive sculptures.
Indeed, the India Art Festival 2026 is a testament to our evolving visual culture, where every booth tells a different story. In an attempt to offer a window into the eclectic heart of this year’s showcase, Siasat.com takes you on a walk-through of the highlights.
From zardozi prints to rural focus
As soon as you enter the festival, you are greeted with a sight of loud conversations at the Burgundy Art Gallery. Here, Umakant Tawde’s work in the Gnosis series is a masterful display of hyper-realism and vibrant colour, capturing the human form with such precision and depth that the boundary between oil paint and high-definition photography seems to dissolve.
However, the festival truly reveals its diverse soul when technology meets ancient craft. At Chitraksh, Rajeev Rai presents a sophisticated display that bridges centuries of artistry. “We are trying to balance between traditional and modern art by embroidering the traditional zardozi on photo prints,” Rai explains to Siasat.com. What stands out in his showcase is the collage of Rajasthani and Lucknawi monuments, where the architectural lines are literally stitched into place with zardozi.
At the Karjat Art House, Sachin Sawant translates his awe of Benaras into a series focused on “reflection.” “I have not named this series anything as I want people to interpret it according to their perception,” he said. This regional focus is echoed by Pradip T. Ghadge, whose realistic paintings of the Shri Vittal Birdev Yatra in Kolhapur bring the festive energy of Maharashtra’s rural heartland directly into the urban centre of Jubilee Hills. Both Sachin and Pradip’s work is a treat to the eyes with bold colours and a realistic touch.
Ramdas Lobhi uses his workspace to capture the stark, beautiful reality of rural India, a culture he fears may soon be swallowed by modernisation. His work acts as a visual archive of a simpler, grittier beauty that remains the backbone of the country’s identity.
The micro and the infinite
As the walk-through India Art Festival continues, the scale of art shifts dramatically. This shift is perhaps most arresting at the stall of Hyderabad’s own Kantha Reddy. His work demands immediate attention, dominated by a massive, sky-blue sculptural head that serves as a literal mindscape of our city. Within the silhouette of the face, Reddy has meticulously painted the soaring minarets of the Charminar and the rhythmic chaos of local auto-rickshaws.
This monumental presence stands in quiet, deliberate contrast to Kiran Hotkar’s stall, where the canvas shrinks to the size of a pebble. His “Painting on Stone” series features miniatures so intricate they can only be unlocked through a magnifying glass, forcing the viewer to lean in and engage with the art on a microscopic level.
The journey concludes with a philosophical pause at the stall of Mumbai-based artist Sayeeda Goriwala. Her series, titled “The Space Between Yes and No,” explores the profound potential of a single, suspended moment. “There are unlimited possibilities in the space until I make a decision. Until I say yes or no. My paintings are a reflection of the suspended moment before making a decision,” Sayeeda explains.
India Art Festival 2026 runs until April 5 at the Jubilee Hills Convention Centre.
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