Supported by JSW and curated by independent researcher and curator, Shaleen Wadhwana, the 2026 Talks Programme– Rising to Challenge, brings together artists, curators, thinkers, and cultural leaders to address the overarching question: What Makes Art Happen? Each panel responds to this question with a “challenge”— from long-standing issues of access, accountability and social difference, to urgent contemporary concerns such as Artificial Intelligence and indigenizing cultural spaces.
All talks are conducted in English and Indian Sign Language (ISL), with some talks in Hindi, Punjabi, Odia, and Saura* live translated for the audience.
*Saura (also known as Soura or Sora) is recognised as one of the oldest Indigenous languages of the Indian subcontinent
THEMATIC PREMISE
Arts professionals come together to address the tough balance of ensuring the long-term sustainability of an arts career whilst ensuring one keeps their passion alive – be it curating, writing, administration or arts management. We present a round-robin group discussion addressing these very questions that have been crowd-sourced from our varied audiences in advance.
ROUND ROBIN DISCUSSION SPEAKER- INTERLOCUTERS
DR. ARNIKA AHLDAG
Director of the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP), Bengaluru
Dr. Arnika Ahldag is Director of the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP), Bengaluru, where she leads the institution’s vision to reimagine museums as dynamic, participatory spaces shaped by their publics. Her work emphasizes accessible, inclusive engagement with art and histories through intersectional approaches and innovative uses of technology. Holding a PhD in Visual Arts from Jawaharlal Nehru University, her research examines labour representation in contemporary Indian art. Her curatorial practice is informed by intersectional feminism and institutional critique, exploring how histories are written, remembered, and reimagined. Dr. Ahldag co-founded The Feminist Syllabus, building networks of support and critical discourse among art workers. Her work continues to examine the social and political dimensions of art and institutional care.
JESAL THACKER
Curator & Writer
Jesal Thacker is a curator and writer, primarily interested in recontextualizing Indian modernism and pedagogy. In 2005, she founded Bodhana Arts and Research Foundation, a not for profit organization that specialized in research and publications, notable amongst them being V S Gaitonde’s Sonata of Solitude; Prabhakar Barwe’s Blank Canvas, Prabhakar Kolte’s Writings on Art, and Vasant Wankhede to name a few. Independently she has curated several exhibitions, a major retrospective of Prabhakar Barwe at NGMA, Rhizome: Tracing Ecocultural Identities at the CSMVS, Haku Shah: Ya Ghat Bheetar at Subcontinent. Jesal has authored and edited texts on masters like Shanti Dave, Ganesh Haloi and Jogen Chowdhury. Currently she serves as the Project Director at the Tyeb Mehta Foundation, spearheading the centenary projects and editing the publications on the master Tyeb Mehta.
SAMEER KULAVOOR
Contemporary Artist
Founder of Bombay Duck Designs Studio
Sameer Kulavoor’s (b.1983) practice emerges from a way of seeing and decoding his surroundings, translating impressions into imaginative and intuitive forms and compositions. His works are ruminations on the ever-changing metropolis and what it means to exist in it, capturing its ephemerality, idiosyncrasies and multiplicity, much of which often goes unnoticed, unrecorded or undocumented. With over two decades in art and design, Kulavoor has found himself drawn to investigating patterns, peculiarities and anomalies in our complex landscape. Kulavoor’s work is held in notable collections such as M+, KADIST, Bangalore International Airport Ltd., and Bloomberg. Founder of one of the earliest specialised design studios in India, Bombay Duck Designs. His works include art, graphic design and contemporary illustration. They have taken the form of paintings, murals, books, zines, prints and objects.
PRAMOD KUMAR KG
Managing Director, Eka Archiving Service
Pramod Kumar KG is the co-founder of Eka Archiving Services, (www.ekaresources.com) India’s first museum advisory firm that provides its services to a range of institutions, collectors and collections. His primary area of interest is material culture from the Indian subcontinent and towards this he has curated and lectured extensively on the subject across India and the world. He is a published author and has made contributions to several edited volumes besides journals, magazines and other publications.
MANAN RELIA
Director, Archer Art Gallery
Manan Relia is the owner and director of Archer Art Gallery, where he has transformed the gallery founded by his father Anil Relia, into one of India’s leading online art galleries since 2010. A computer science graduate from Purdue University, USA, Relia leveraged his technical expertise to pioneer digital art commerce, building a global collector base and expanding accessibility to Indian art worldwide. Under his leadership, Archer Art Gallery has significantly expanded its artist roster, organized numerous exhibitions showcasing established and emerging talent, and participated in major art fairs including nearly all editions of India Art Fair, New Delhi. His work bridges traditional gallery practice with innovative digital platforms.
