MUMBAI.- Sakshi Gallery marks its 40th year in 2026 with The Fourth Wall, an exhibition that revisits the gallery's formative decades. Presented as part of Mumbai Gallery Weekend, the exhibition returns to the early years of the gallery's journey: years that shaped its identity, its artists, and its position within the evolving landscape of Indian modern and contemporary artistic practice.
Highlights include works by Krishen Khanna, KG Subramanyan, Nataraj Sharma, Gargi Raina, Rekha Rodwittiya and Sudhir Patwardhan, among others. Presented alongside these works is a selection of archival material drawn from the gallery's history, situating the practices on view within a longer arc of exhibitions, collaborations, and shifting artistic contexts.
Founded in 1986 in Chennai by Geetha Mehra, Sakshi began as a space committed to expanding the visibility of Indian contemporary art, bringing art from other regional centres to the South while building connections across the country. In its first decade, the gallery grew and operated spaces simultaneously in Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Pune. Many significant artists, among them KK Hebbar, Manjit Bawa, KG Subramanyan, Vivan Sundaram, Krishen Khanna, Himmat Shah, and Jehangir Sabavala, held important solo exhibitions with the gallery, establishing long-enduring relationships.
Over the years, Sakshi has continued to expand its footprint beyond India, fostering trans-cultural conversations through exhibitions in London, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The gallery operated a space in Taipei showcasing artists from varied geographies. While Indian contemporary art has always remained central to its mission, the gallery has also introduced Indian audiences to international voices, including Julian Opie and El Anatsui, broadening the scope of artistic discourse in the region. The gallery has also, in the past, mounted a solo exhibition by the artist Gregory Crewdson.
In Mumbai, where the gallery now holds root, Sakshi has had a varied and influential history. The shift to the Sri Ram Mills compound in 1997, acknowledged by Geeta Kapur in Tate Modern's Century City exhibition, marked a pivotal moment for Indian contemporary art. Sakshi became the largest private gallery in the country at the time. In this large industrial space, the gallery hosted landmark exhibitions, including major solo presentations by Nalini Malani, Vivan Sundaram, and Riyas Komu, and group shows featuring significant works from artists such as Nilima Sheikh, establishing a new scale for contemporary practice in India.
The Fourth Wall marks one of many exhibitions that will anchor Sakshi's 40th program. Over the year, the gallery will bring exhibitions and varied programming to Chennai, Bengaluru, New Delhi and Baroda, cities that have been foundational to Sakshi's history. Moving beyond India, a show in London will spotlight a selected group of artists who have been central to the gallery's ongoing journey.
By invoking The Fourth Wall, the exhibition invites audiences to step inside the gallery's own history: into the artists, ideas, collaborations, and turning points that shaped Sakshi's first forty years.
