Kalakriti Art Gallery presents I Know What I Am Doing

A group exhibition that brings together Contemporary South Indian
artistic practices
On view 9 October – 17 November

Anupama Alias Anil, The Shared Quiet 1, 2026, Mixed Medium on Paper; Alamu Kumaresan, The Legacy of Melody Dorcas, 2024, Yarn, Thread, Zari, Fabrics
Base on Plywood; and Santosh T.V, Protagonist and his Path of Divine Intervention – II, 2022, Watercolour on paper. Image Courtesy: Kalakriti Art Gallery

• Kalakriti Art Gallery will present I Know What I Am Doing, a group exhibition curated by PS Jalaja on 9 October in Hyderabad.
• The exhibition brings together works by Adarsh Baji, Alamu Kumaresan, Anupama Alias Anil, George Martin P J, Greeshma C, Jaya P S, Indu Antony, K P Reji, Lakshmi Madhavan, Priyanka Aelay, Reghunadhan K, Sanam Narayanan, Santosh T V, Siji Krishnan, Sujith S N, Vinu V V, and Transisters Collective.
• The group exhibition featuring senior and younger artists examines agency, political consciousness and the intentionality behind contemporary artistic practice.

Hyderabad, October 2026: Kalakriti Art Gallery delighted to present their upcoming group exhibition titled I Know What I Am Doing curated by PS Jalaja. Opening with a preview on 9 October, the exhibition brings together the diverse practices of contemporary South Indian artists working across different parts of India. The careful curation of works by contemporary artists Adarsh Baji, Alamu Kumaresan, Anupama Alias Anil, George Martin P J, Greeshma C, Jaya P S, Indu Antony, K P Reji, Lakshmi Madhavan, Priyanka Aelay, Reghunadhan K, Sanam Narayanan, Santosh T V, Siji Krishnan, Sujith S N, Vinu V V, and Transisters Collective.

The exhibition’s title, I Know What I Am Doing, foregrounds the deliberate choices that underpin artistic practice. At a moment when art-making is increasingly shaped by market forces, digital velocity and institutional structures, the exhibition turns its attention to artists whose practices are marked by a clear sense of purpose and engagement.

The works in I Know What I Am Doing have been selected around three central considerations: political consciousness, insight into medium and conceptual clarity. Curator PS Jalaja has brought together artists across generations to consider how artistic practice responds to the social, political and cultural complexities of the present. Across varied practices, the artists engage with questions of power, labour, environment, caste, gender, memory, migration, place and existence. Medium is not only a vehicle for aesthetic expression but an active part of how an idea is constructed and communicated. The exhibition recognises that these concerns are inseparable from lived experience and historical realities. I Know What I Am Doing creates a space for different artistic positions to coexist, converge and collide. The exhibition embraces the contradictions and diversity that characterise contemporary practice, allowing works and ideas to enter into dialogue without necessarily arriving at a single conclusion.

The sentiment behind the statement ‘I know what I am doing’ is an assertion of intentionality. It is an acknowledgement that making art today involves navigating complex social conditions, histories and structures. The artists in this exhibition recognise these challenges while insisting on the significance of their choices and positions.

Talking about the exhibition and artists Gallerist Rekha Lahoti says, “The title I Know What I Am Doing is a revelation, a declaration and a kind of provocation that backs the artists’ choice of medium. This exhibition includes several South Indian artists that work and live in various parts of India. Essentially, the exhibition features younger artists and senior contemporary artists, and they have been selected with clarity on their concepts and thoughts.

Adarsh Baji is one of our past Krishnakriti Scholarship awardees. Our foundation had given him a scholarship for his BFA and MFA. He is a specially-abled artist who has been affected by polio, but his work has been appreciated by the Geneva Peace Foundation and is in their collection, as well as the KNMA collection. His works are appreciated because they have their own language. As you will understand from his works, the boat and the arms are his crutches, so it is very thought-provoking and a statement in itself. Alamu Kumaresan’s works are very different and thoughtful. When she talks about whether you hold your nose from the front or from the side, or from the ear side, the destination is the same, but how we go about it, the ideology, is different. Another promising artist is Anupama Alias Anil. She is also one of our French Scholarship artists who went to France in 2016 and has definitely been influenced by her experience in France and her connections, which we can see in her works.

Lakshmi Madhavan is an amazing artist and I am happy to get her works to Hyderabad. Priyanka Aelay is our local Hyderabadi artist and is our represented artist again. Reghunadhan’s and Vinu V.V’s works are being shown for the first time at Kalakriti. Sanam Narayanan’s works are very soothing and I am extremely fond of the way he creates imagery with a rice-paper effect. George Martin, T.V. Santosh and S.N. Sujith works have some spectacular works in this exhibition. We also have performance artists in this exhibition; a group of three performing artists together as the Transisters Collective.”

For more information on the gallery, please visit kalakritiartgallery.com

Gallery Address: Kalakriti Art Gallery, Plot 8-2-465/1, Road No 4, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad – 500034
Hours: Open everyday, 11 AM – 7 PM

For further information, please contact:
Menaka Mahtab
E:[email protected]
M: +91 9830043238

Kalakriti Art Gallery

Founded in 2002, Kalakriti Art Gallery has established itself as the leading art gallery in Hyderabad and South India. Renowned for its significant contributions, the gallery focuses on exhibitions of contemporary artists and masters, having hosted numerous solo and group exhibitions featuring renowned and emerging artists. Additionally, Kalakriti has participated in various national and international art fairs, including the India Art Fair in New Delhi and the Kochi Biennale. These efforts include critical alliances with museums and cultural institutions both in India and abroad.

Kalakriti Art Gallery seeks to promote diverse artistic perspectives, expanding beyond traditional paint and canvas to include photography, installation, video, and performance art. Spanning 4,500 square feet, the gallery frequently hosts interactive sessions, book releases, panel discussions, and various art-related events and collaborations. The gallery has published numerous breathtaking publications with the support of remarkable writers, curators, and critics, producing hundreds of illustrated exhibition catalogues and literature on ongoing exhibitions and artist projects.

Actively collaborating with organizations such as Alliance Francaise, Goethe-Zentrum, and the University of Hyderabad, Kalakriti has organized numerous joint programs. The gallery has also been involved in significant public art installations in Hyderabad, including the Street Art Project, the IKEA India Underpass Mosaic Mural project, the IKEA India Median Sculpture project, and the LOVE HYDERABAD installation. Kalakriti India is a diverse group of companies spanning art, and hospitality, committed to the acquisition, preservation, and promotion of Indian art and narratives of India. Its initiatives include Kalakriti Archives (KA), one of the largest private collections of antique photographs and rare maps of South Asia; Art Café, offering lifestyle products inspired by contemporary art and traditional crafts; and The Gallery Café, blending fine ambience with culinary delights. Through The Krishnakriti Foundation, Kalakriti furthers its mission of supporting artists and safeguarding India’s rare art forms, celebrating the pillars of art, culture, and education.

Instagram: @kalakritiartgallery | Website: kalakritiartgallery.com

P. S. Jalaja

Born in 1983 in Perumbavoor, Kerala, India, P.S. Jalaja obtained her BFA and MFA in painting from Govt. RLV College, Tripunithura, Kochi, in 2007 and 2009, respectively. Her art delves into collective human history, exploring its complexities and contradictions. Drawing inspiration from daily life, she interprets events through her unique lens, portraying humans as both conquerors and defeated.

Jalaja’s work captures the nuances of these contrasting narratives, depicting stories of battles, victories, and defeats. Her art offers a multifaceted view of human history, blending laughter and sorrow on the canvas. Having served as one of the curators for the ‘IDAM’ art exhibition presented by the Kochi Biennale Foundation in 2022 and the ‘HORTUS’ art exhibition in Kozhikode in 2024, Jalaja currently resides in Kerala, pursuing both art and curation simultaneously. She continues to express her artistic vision through her compelling portrayals of the human experience.