A display of diversity: India Habitat Centre hosts Kalabimb 2026 art exhibition

Launched in 2014, PhotoSparks is a weekly feature from YourStory, with photographs that celebrate the spirit of creativity and innovation. In the earlier 1,000 posts, we featured an art festival, cartoon gallery. world music festival, telecom expo, millets fair, climate change expo, wildlife conference, startup festival, Diwali rangoli, and jazz festival.

The India Habitat Centre recently hosted the ninth edition of the annual Kalabimb arts exhibition. Curated by Finetouch Arts, it featured the works of 25 contemporary artists (see our coverage of earlier exhibitions at this popular cultural hub in New Delhi here).

“Rather than serving as a definitive chronicle of India’s present-day artistic movement, this exhibition offers a reflective journey that resonates with the pulse. Each artist brings a distinctive voice, navigating intricate cultural terrains while articulating the immediacy of India’s social, political and spiritual realities,” photographer-curator Ravindra Kumar Tanwar tells YourStory.

The exhibition pays tribute to the profound lineage from which Indian art has emerged. “The curated artworks represent a fluid space where boundaries blur between the figurative and the abstract, the tranquil and the turbulent, the ancient and the contemporary,” he adds.

The artist lineup includes Ashok Mahakur, Himani Pasricha, Jay Sethia, Mannish Rao, Mamta Lall, Mohammed Tariq, Priyanka Bardhan, and others. They display a wide range of techniques, influences, genres, and mediums.

Ashok Mahakur is a Gurgaon-based visual artist from Odisha with a distinguished 15-year global practice. His works in hyper-realism span painting, sculpture, installation, and photography. His current technique fuses semi-realistic Indian forms with realistically rendered newspapers, serving as a commentary on social issues.

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Himani Pasricha is a contemporary visual artist whose practice explores emotional freedom, inner movement, and the quiet resilience of the human spirit. Rooted in lived experiences, her work reflects moments of transition where struggle softens into acceptance. They feature fluid forms, layered textures, and expressive acrylic colour fields.

Based in New Delhi, artist and entrepreneur Jay Sethia practices written and visual expression, acting as a bridge between the material and the spiritual. His work illustrates that serenity is not the absence of noise, but the strength to remain centered.

Mannish Rao’s intense and intricate artworks create a sense of endless detail. The imagery blends elements that resemble plants, creatures, and abstract structures in a surreal manner, and feels simultaneously chaotic and meticulously constructed.

NID graduate Mamta Lall is a designer, educator and social design catalyst. Her works have been exhibited in India and overseas at Heimtextil-Frankfurt and Domotex-Hannover. Her textile art explores essential elements of space, form and texture.

Lucknow-born landscape artist Mohammed Tariq is presently based in Assam. His paintings capture the serene grandeur of Northeast India. They explore the region's lakes, mountains, tea gardens, and bamboo forests. Working primarily in oil, Tariq utilises a spatula to build heavily textured layers.

Priyanka Bardhan is a New Delhi-based professional artist who works across acrylic, oil on canvas, watercolor, pencil sketches, and mixed media. She translates indigenous life into simple yet distinctive compositions. Her visual vocabulary honours heritage while embracing innovation.

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The beauty of such exhibitions with multiple artists lies in their ability to connect seemingly unrelated ideas and cultures. A collection that blends historical themes with modern interpretations, or combines visual art with elements of literature, music, and technology, can reveal unexpected relationships and meanings.

These intersections inspire curiosity and reflection, allowing audiences to engage with art on multiple levels. As visitors move through the exhibition, they encounter a rich tapestry of stories, emotions and concepts that broaden their understanding of both the artworks and the world around them.

Moreover, multi-style and multi-theme exhibitions celebrate inclusivity and innovation by showcasing the diversity of artistic expression. They provide a platform for artists from different backgrounds, traditions and generations to share their perspectives, thus creating a vibrant cultural exchange.

The resulting atmosphere is often both inspiring and thought-provoking, encouraging viewers to embrace new ideas and challenge familiar assumptions. These exhibitions become more than displays of art, and create immersive experiences that highlight the endless possibilities of creativity and human imagination.

“It is both humbling and inspiring to witness such a powerful convergence of vision among artists from diverse backgrounds. Though grounded in unique personal histories, they are united by an inward impulse,” Tanwar describes.

The artists demonstrate a shared aspiration to converse, question and evolve. “Together, their collective expression forms a vibrant foundation for the generations of artists yet to come,” Tanwar signs off.

Now what have you done today to pause in your busy schedule and harness your creative side for a better world?

(All photographs taken by Madanmohan Rao on location at India Habitat Centre.)