12 new art shows in India we’re excited about this November

Arindam Chatterjee doesn’t believe in burdening his viewers with his own artistic intentions or sources of inspiration. “Drawing with a certain motive is one way of making art,” shares the artist, “But there’s another way, that’s like life itself, as KG Subramanyan put it.” The works on show at Emami Art, created over a decade-long period, have developed from his own observations and contemplations, essayed in oil, ink, watercolour, charcoal, dry pastel and acrylic. Chatterjee lets his canvas guide him as he freely improvises. He hopes that his viewers will take away their own interpretations of his work, layered as they are with meaning and material. Visitors to the gallery can also delve into the fifth edition of Imaginarium, a group showcase that brings together ten emerging artists whose work engages with the fleeting nature of contemporary life.

Both shows are on view at Emami Art, Kolkata from 7th November to 24th December 2025

The Geometry of Ash by Anju Dodiya at Chemould Prescott Road, Mumbai

Anju Dodiya’s new body of work is best described as ‘emotional theatre’. Comprising large-scale, colour-infused fabric panels, alongside a collection of works on paper, she creates a sometimes-playful, sometimes-haunting rendition of the disquiet mind. Layered with both material and meaning, each work represents a deeper narrative rooted in ancestry, the environment and a sense of introspection. “Anju speaks of stillness not as passivity, but as resistance,” writes Anish Gawande in the exhibition catalogue, “In an age of urgency, of constant outrage and digital noise, her paintings compel us to pause… offering space for reflection when space itself feels endangered.”