The National Pavilion of India was inaugurated at the 61st Venice Biennale, attended by the Ambani family. The pavilion, a collaboration with NMACC, presents the 'Geographies of Distance: Remembering Home' exhibition featuring five Indian artists.
The National Pavilion of India was inaugrated at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia on Thursday. It was attended by Mukesh Ambani, Nita Ambani, Isha Ambani, Aakash Ambani, Anant Ambani, Shloka Mehta, and Radhika Merchant, along with others.
According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Culture, the Pavilion of India presented Geographies of Distance: Remembering Home art exhibition, which was curated by Amin Jaffer and presented by the Ministry of Culture in partnership with Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) and Serendipity Arts. It featured works by artists Alwar Balasubramaniam (Bala), Ranjani Shettar, Sumakshi Singh, Skarma Sonam Tashi and Asim Waqif. The exhibition explored the ideas of memory, migration, materiality and belonging through contemporary artistic practices rooted in Indian cultural traditions.
Isha Ambani on India's Evolving Cultural Dialogue
Isha Ambani addressed the attendees at La Biennale di Venezia and reflected on India's evolving cultural dialogue with the world at the opening of the National Pavilion of India. Representing the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, she acknowledged her mother Nita Ambani's vision and passion, whose enduring commitment to the arts continues to shape NMACC's mission of taking the best of India to the world and bringing the best of the world to India.
Isha Ambani said, "To stand here and support the National Pavilion of India at the 61st Venice Biennale is both a privilege and a moment of immense pride for all of us at the Neeta Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre. I must take a moment to acknowledge someone whose vision, passion and love for the arts has made this possible for us, my mother Neeta Ambani."
She added, "Our centre is named after her and NMACC was founded with the mission of taking the best of India to the world and bringing the best of world to India and today feels like a milestone in our path. To speak of India is to speak of home and there is no small way to do that. But India has always been a force. Speaking about India as "an idea of home", she shared her hope for "a long conversation between India and Venice, one that our ancestors would be proud of and our children will inherit". "I hope this pavilion is a continuation of a long conversation between India and Venice, one that our ancestors would be proud of and our children will inherit. Finally, I would like to thank you for being here today and thank you to the Ministry of Culture for your leadership," concluded Isha Ambani.
NMACC shared Isha Ambani's speech at the art exhibition on their Instagram handle on Thursday. https://www.instagram.com/p/DYAICdslyKR/?
'Geographies of Distance': Featured Artworks
The art exhibition included artist Alwar Balasubramaniam's art, which was titled 'Not Just for Us'. It was sculptural panels made from clay and soil from rural Tamil Nadu that explore memory, environmental change, and the passage of time, as per the press note.
Other art pieces included 'Under the same sky' by artist Ranjani Shettar. It was a suspended sculptural form inspired by flowers and natural growth create an immersive environment reflecting nature, craft, and emotional belonging.
'Permanent Address' by Sumakshi Singh. It is a life-sized reconstruction of the artist's demolished family home in New Delhi, created using embroidered thread. It reflected on memory, domestic space, and absence.
'Echoes of Home' by Skarma Sonam Tashi. It used papier-mache and highlighted the Ladakhi architecture. The installation examined ecology, sustainability, and cultural continuity.
'Chaal' by artist Asim Waqif. It is a large-scale bamboo installation inspired by urban scaffolding that reflects ideas of transition, renewal, and change in contemporary Indian cities.
A Milestone for India's Cultural Legacy
The NMACC also shared a group photo of the entire Ambani family on their Instagram handle as they attended the event. While sharing the photo, NMACC wrote, "At the Venice Biennale, the entire Ambani family came together to mark another milestone in their long-held vision of placing India's cultural legacy on the global stage, the opening of the National Pavilion of India, proudly presented by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, in partnership with the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (@nmacc.india)
At the historic opening of the National Pavillion of India, the Union Minister of Culture and Tourism, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, said, "Geographies of Distance: remembering home presents a contemporary India that is both rooted and forward looking. As our nation continues to evolve, this Pavilion reflects the strength of our cultural memory and the power of artistic expression to connect India with the world," as per the press note by the Ministry of Culture.
A performance programme curated by Serendipity Arts will accompany the exhibition across Venice from May to November 2026, featuring interdisciplinary presentations inspired by Indian cultural traditions and the Biennale theme In Minor Keys. (ANI)
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