Chennai is about to swap its filter coffee for a shot of creative adrenaline as Madras Art Weekend returns with its fourth edition from December 3 to 6, featuring a curated celebration of contemporary art, design and creative dialogue. Spread across iconic venues — from the halls of Taj Coromandel to the historic charm of the British Deputy High Commission and the cultural enclave of Amethyst—this four-day festival brings together galleries, artists, designers, thinkers, institutions, and patrons to celebrate the many languages of Indian art.
This year’s theme, Madras Reimagined, aims to celebrate the city’s heritage landmarks, everyday rituals, and living traditions. With an impressive line-up of galleries, including Dhoomimal Gallery, Art & Soul, Gallery G, Art Magnum, Sarala Art Centre, DakshinaChitra Museum, and more, it encourages a brings together a cultural movement — one that emphasises collaboration, conversation, and new ways of expressing art.
Upasana Asrani, founder, Madras Art Weekend, shares, “Our focus this year is on examining Chennai’s culture and traditions through both historical and futuristic perspectives. The theme highlights the many elements that form the very fabric of Chennai’s cultural identity and brings them to the forefront.”
Madras Art Weekend opened today, with an invite-only preview at Taj Coromandel, offering patrons and guests the first look at the curated gallery showcase. The evening continues with the first of several panel conversations — The Impact of Private and Public Patronage’, moderated by Deepali Goyal and featuring industry leaders such as Amit Khanna of Amaya Ventures, Siddharth Somaiya of Somaiya School of Art, Rhea Kuruvilla of Frieze VIP Consultant and Narayan Lakshman, Opinion Editor, The Hindu. The session explores how public and private patronage shape the arts and cultural ecosystem.
The night continues at the British Deputy High Commission, where Rosella Stephen, Editor, The Hindu Sunday Magazine, moderates, The Designer as Disrupter, with a panel that includes designer Tahir Sultan, multidisciplinary designer Nimish Shah, researcher and curator Kallol Datta and designer Vivek Karunakaran. The panel explores the evolving relationship between artistic expression and design innovation.
The day also saw an indigo installation by 11.11 / eleven eleven, a craft-driven, natural-dye fashion house at the Collage, Rutland Gate. The showcase marked the debut of the brand’s plant-based Indigo Paste, an innovation that enables printing and large-format mark-making without the use of chemicals, expanding the possibilities of natural dye artistry. Select pieces from this activation will remain on display through Madras Art Weekend until December 6.
The second day, December 4, opens with Curatorial Cartography, a public event at the Taj Coromandel, moderated by Pallavi Khandelwal, featuring directors and artists from Art & Soul, Art Magnum and Dhoomimal Gallery.
Later in the afternoon, design takes centrestage with Design Through Our Lens. Moderated by Samir Wadekar, the panel features founders of design studios across India, such as Sachin Gupta (Beyond Designs), Farah Ahmed (FADD Studio), Faisal Manzur (FMDS) and Shruti Reddy (Ceebros). The conversation foregrounds interior design as a form of storytelling, where objects, materials and spaces create their own narrative pulse.
The evening will feature Truths our Clothes Told Us, an exclusive walkthrough by Kallol Datta at the Raw Mango store. Guests will engage with the designer’s approach to fashion as an art form.
December 5, will feature a panel titled Art of Restoration at Taj Coromandel, where Pradeep Chakravarthy will be in dialogue with architect Abha Narain, together they unpack what it means to preserve heritage in an urban world that is constantly rushing towards the new. The day culminates with a poetic performance by multidisciplinary artist Lekha Washington, titled Unbecoming or Ways to Survive the Apocalypse. Hosted at Amethyst’s Wild Garden Café, this intimate evening will showcase an atmospheric performance blending text, movement and imagination.
The weekend, December 6, concludes with a full-day walkthrough of the gallery spaces at Taj Coromandel, offering students, educators and the general public a guided exploration of the artworks on display.
As the city opens its doors to creative conversations and collaborations, Madras Art Weekend offers more than just exhibitions — it offers a renewed way of looking at Chennai.
The Madras Art Weekend is on till December 6, at Taj Coromandel. Registration at urbanaut.app. Find the complete schedule @madrasartweekend on Instagram
Published – December 03, 2025 04:35 pm IST