‘Resonant Histories’ Connects India and the Arab World

Sharjah’s Barjeel Art Foundation (BAF) and the Jehnagir Nicholson Art Foundation (JNAF) and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMS) have collaborated together to open Resonant Histories: India and the Arab World, which draws together modern artists from India and the Arab region. The first-of-its-kind exhibition traces the artistic conversation between India and the Arab world across the twentieth century. Highlighting the two regions’ shared struggles for independence with each having dealt with their own colonial past, the exhibition’s aim focuses on highlighting commonalities as opposed to differences.

Gallery view | Resonant Histories: India and the Arab World, JNAF Gallery, CSMVS Mumbai

The Mumbai exhibition showcases pieces from the BAF collection and the JNAF. Exhibited in dialogue with each other, the works highlight cross-cultural encounters that continue to shape artistic discourse today. Amongst the works on display, are works by Arab artists who lived, exhibited or trained in Indian cities including Mumbai, New Delhi and Santiniketan.

Gallery view | Resonant Histories: India and the Arab World, JNAF Gallery, CSMVS Mumbai

Big names are on display including Dia al-Azzawi, Inji Efflatoun, Marwan Kassab-Bachi, Menhat Helmy, and Zaha Hadid, alongside their Indian counterparts. The show succeeds in presenting work from the breadth of the MENA region by including artists across the MENA region, including those from Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia and the UAE.

Gallery view | Resonant Histories: India and the Arab World, JNAF Gallery, CSMVS Mumbai

Curated together by BAF's Suheyla Takesh and JNAF’s Puja Vaish, the exhibition has been described as tracing "the artistic and intellectual journeys of two regions whose modernities evolved through shared aspirations for cultural autonomy and self definition." The resulting show invites its audience to ask how art can reveal connections formed through creative exchange and parallel historical experiences. The exhibition is a mixed-media one, comprising everything from paintings and sculptures to ceramics and textiles. The curatorial thread is held together by both India and the Arab world's shared colonial past and struggles for independence. Its aim is not to show differences between the two geographies, but instead to highlight commonalities.

Gallery view | Resonant Histories: India and the Arab World, JNAF Gallery, CSMVS Mumbai

The majority of Arab artists whose works are on display exhibited at the India Triennales in Delhi from the 1960s onwards, though others studied at Indian institutions and participated in the Indian art scene. With collaborations, conversations and exchange between the Arab world and India becoming more frequent, this exhibition opens at an interesting time for both regions. We urge anyone in Mumbai to visit.

The exhibition is on view until 15 February 2026 at JNAF, CSMVS, Mumbai