Major Indian Contemporary Art Exhibition at the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow Postponed, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art Announces New Date

New Delhi: Extension.India, the most extensive exhibition of Indian contemporary art ever presented, scheduled to open at The State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow in June 2020 will now be postponed to March 2021.

The State Tretyakov Gallery is presently closed to the public until further notice on account of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Extension.India is a joint project of Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA), The State Tretyakov Gallery, and the Indo-Russian Cultural Foundation.

Kiran Nadar, KNMA Founder said: “The whole world is currently waging an unprecedented battle against the pandemic; many countries are under quarantine. Under the circumstances, we have jointly decided to postpone the exhibition. We are committed to this project and are confident that in March 2021, we will all gather in Moscow to present contemporary Indian art to Russia and the world.”

Calling the exhibition “an incredible showcase of contemporary Indian art from over 60 artists under the curatorship of Roobina Karode and the Russian team from the Tretyakov,” Mrs Nadar thanked Tretyakov’s director, Zelfira Trefulova and her team, as also the Indo-Russian Cultural Foundation Chairman Alex Popov and his team. “I thank all those who are working hard to make this happen,” she said.

Adding her highly respected voice to the event, Zelfira Tregulova explained, “Only these extraordinary circumstances could force us to defer this important exhibition, especially after many months of work by the international team with artists from across India. However, we look forward to the opening next spring, knowing that the exhibition will break new ground in the understanding of the power and breadth of India’s contemporary art scene.”

“We are deeply grateful to our partners and collaborators, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in Delhi and the Indo-Russian Cultural Foundation, as well as the sponsors, without whom this project could not be achieved. Above all, we are grateful to the artists themselves and all lenders. We look forward to showcasing the works that capture the fears, the strength of spirit and hopes for the future,” Tregulova concluded.

The exhibition will bring together for the very first time, more than sixty cross-generational Indian artists including internationally acclaimed figures alongside emerging, younger generation artists including Nalini Malani, Vivan Sundaram, Bhupen Khakhar, Anish Kapoor, Amar Kanwar, G. Ravinder Reddy, Mrinalini Mukherjee, Anita Dube, Shilpa Gupta, Dayanita Singh and Jitish Kallat, among others.