November 14 , 2025
05:00 PM - 06:00 PM
Aditya Birla Auditorium | On-site
This panel discussion will explore the plurality in Krishen Khanna’s work and relook at his work through a contemporary lens. Journeying across the oeuvre of his iconic contributions, panelists will speak to Khanna as an artist, a friend and an archivist. It examines his contrasting "dark" and "celebratory" periods, alongside American, British, and Japanese influences, offering a fresh perspective on his enduring narrative of humanity and art. Krishen Khanna, a centenarian modernist and key Bombay Progressive Artists' Group member, captured post-partition life and marginalized struggles through vibrant, abstract figurative paintings. His 1960s–70s oeuvre includes politically charged works, evolving abstractions, and personal documentation of friends’ lives.
Dr. Zehra Jumabhoy is a lecturer in History of Art at the University of Bristol and the Inaugural Berger Trust Fellow for Future Leaders in the History of British Art (2025–26) at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and The Huntington, California. An art historian, curator, and writer specializing in Modern and Contemporary Indian art, she earned her PhD from the Courtauld Institute of Art, London, where she also taught. Formerly Assistant Editor at ART India and Visual Art Editor at Time Out Mumbai, Zehra curated the acclaimed 2018 exhibition The Progressive Revolution: A Modern Art for a New India, at the Asia Society Museum, New York, and has since curated exhibitions across the UK, USA, Singapore, and India.
Kajoli Khanna is a specialist in Modern and Contemporary Indian Art and the granddaughter of the eminent artist Krishen Khanna. Born in New Delhi, she moved to London in 2005 to study Fine Art and Criticism at Chelsea College of Art and Design, followed by a Master’s at Central Saint Martins. Her training provided a strong foundation in both the practice and theory of painting. She began her career at the Hayward Gallery, London, before joining Grosvenor Gallery in 2011, where she has played a key role in its growth and exhibitions. Kajoli continues to contribute to projects devoted to her grandfather’s practice and is currently cataloguing his archives—letters, catalogues, and photographs that document the evolution of his extraordinary artistic journey.
Dinesh Vazirani is the Co-Founder and CEO of Saffronart, an international auction house for modern and contemporary Indian art, and a co-founder of ART MUMBAI, the city’s first dedicated art fair. He holds degrees in Fine Art and Industrial Engineering from Stanford University and an MBA with honours from Harvard Business School. After returning to India, he helped expand his family’s businesses, WMI Cranes and WMI Power, and has since served on multiple boards, including the Stanford Alumni Association. A passionate collector and advocate for Indian art for over two decades, Dinesh is a respected industry expert and speaker.
Gayatri Sinha is the founder-director of criticalcollective.in, a knowledge portal on Indian visual culture. She has edited works including The Body of the Ascetic (DAG, 2025), Kali: Reverence and Rebellion (DAG, 2024), The Archival Gaze: A Timeline of Photography in India (KNMA, 2020), and Points of View: Defining Moments of Photography in India (KNMA, 2022). She has curated and lectured extensively in India and internationally, including at the National Museum, NGMA, Vancouver Art Gallery, and Fotografie Forum, Frankfurt. Sinha has written monographs on Krishen Khanna, Adimoolam, and Himmat Shah, served as visiting professor at JNU and Lady Shri Ram College, and is a recipient of Ford Foundation and Tate Asia Research grants.
Nishad Avari is Head of Department for Indian Art at Christie’s New York. He joined Christie’s South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art Department in 2013 as an Associate Specialist and, after over eight years of auction experience in New York and Mumbai, was appointed Head of Department in 2022. Previously, he was Specialist and Editor at Saffronart, overseeing cataloguing, research, and content. Nishad also worked with the National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai during the landmark exhibition Picasso: Metamorphoses 1900–1972. A graduate of Macalester College, Minnesota, with degrees in Political Science and International Studies, he has contributed extensively to exhibition catalogues, scholarly journals, and publications.
