About The Guild

The Guild was set up in 1997 in Mumbai, India. Since its inception, it has aimed at functioning as a semi-institutional space providing a platform for discursive practices, innovation and experimentation in contemporary art. It believes in promoting critical ideas and work with artists who are engaged in cutting-edge practices in distinctive mediums reflecting diverse perspectives. It specially engages with artists who have brought in robust dialogue within and across the field. The Guild's objective is to contribute to the artistic production as well as to the curatorial practices in India.

The Guild strongly believes in building an extensive scholarship through academically and critically rigorous publications authored by well-known and emerging academicians, art critics, art historians and artists – on artists and their practices that would hopefully form as significant scholarship in the trajectories of these artists and become a vital resource on Indian Art History. In December 2018 and January 2019, The Guild presented a retrospective The Earth’s Heart, Torn Out, Navjot Altaf: A Life in Art in collaboration with the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Mumbai, curated by independent curator and art critic Nancy Adajania. During November 2019 – February 2020 it presented and supported Walking Through Soul City, Sudhir Patwardhan: A Retrospective at National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai. Its latest publishing projects include The Photographic Eye of Jyoti Bhatt, essay by Ram Rahman. Two major books are at the completion stage and some in the planning. Catalogues on our past exhibitions are in the making including the catalogue of Sudhir Patwardhan retrospective at NGMA.

In 2015, The Guild opened its new premises in Alibaug, a 3,500 sq. ft. exhibition space amidst paddy fields and palm fronds. Since then it has hosted several important exhibitions and events.