The art exhibitions and experiences worth making time for this October

October brings with it a packed calendar of art, design, and culture across India. In Mumbai, India Design ID returns for its third edition, while Second Nature at NMACC continues exploring the relationship between technology, nature, and how we experience art. The month also makes room for a rather different kind of cultural experience, with Krishna Das bringing his devotional music to Mumbai for his India tour.

Elsewhere, Delhi’s October calendar moves between landmark modernists and contemporary practices. 'Many Modernisms' brings together artists including Jamini Roy, Amrita Sher-Gil, MF Husain, FN Souza, and Ram Kumar to look at the many different ways Indian modernism took shape, while Master Impressions turns the focus to printmaking through more than 60 works by Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, and Salvador Dalí. 

From sculpture and painting to collectible design, jewellery and immersive art, these are the exhibitions and experiences to keep on your radar this month:

India Design ID

India Design ID, which is returning for its third edition, is set to celebrate 'The Deep Fathom' that gives design its depth, through an inspiring lineup of showcases, installations, and experiences. This year also introduces 'Undercurrents–ID Special Project', curated by Misha Bains (Fair Director, India Design ID), a gallery-like exhibition of six exploratory design practices.

When: October 9-11
Where: Jio World Garden, BKC, Mumbai

Art Meets Tea–Second Nature

'Art Meets Tea' is a curated experience blending immersive contemporary Art with an exclusive High Tea experience. The experience will begin with a guided walkthrough of Second Nature by Superblue at the Art House. Spanning all four floors, the pioneering exhibition features nine immersive installations by visionary artists and studios—Random International, teamLab, AA Murakami, Simon Heijdens, and Es Devlin. It is an inspiring blend of creativity, reflection, and culinary delight that celebrates the intersection of art, technology, and the simple pleasure of shared moments.

When: October 23
Where: Art House, NMACC

Krishna Das India Tour 2026

The 'bhajan clubbing' experience is set to get bigger and better as legendary kirtan maestro Krishna Das is all set to land in the country for his India Tour 2026 this month. Experience an unforgettable evening of devotion, music, and connection, accompanied by his harmonium and musicians, as his show offers a space to sing, reflect, and reconnect with your heart through bhajans and devotional music.

When: October 23, October 25, and October 30
Where: Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, respectively

Showkeen

Following successful editions in Mumbai and Delhi, ShowKeen is making its Hyderabad debut this October, bringing together a considered selection of modern and contemporary Indian art, fine jewellery, and luxury timepieces. The art selection will feature works by some of the most influential names in Indian art, including MF Husain, FN Souza, Ram Kumar, Krishen Khanna, SH Raza, Himmat Shah, KH Ara, CD Mistry, Gurcharan Singh and T Vaikuntam, alongside works by contemporary practitioners such as Suryakant Lokhande, Tom Vattakuzhy, Jagannath Mohapatra, Chintan Zalavadia, among others. The exhibition will also feature a curated selection of fine and heirloom jewellery and luxury timepieces.

When: October 17-18
Where: Hitex Exhibition Centre, Hyderabad

Many Modernisms: Figuring the New Artistic India

The exhibition brings together works by Jamini Roy, Amrita Sher-Gil, MF Husain, FN Souza, Ram Kumar, and Bhupen Khakhar, exploring the different ways Indian artists engaged with modernism. Moving between village and metropolis, tradition and international modernism, the exhibition looks at Indian modernism not as a single style or movement, but as a diverse and evolving set of artistic practices shaped by different histories, experiences and ways of seeing.

When: Until October 15
Where: Thapar Gallery, New Delhi

Between Presence and Absence

Contemporary sculptor Dhananjay Singh, known for his distinctive sculptures crafted from intricately intertwined bronze and copper wire, presents 'Between Presence and Absence', a selection of works spanning his practice. It draws sculptures made across time into a single conversation, from early experiments to recent forms, and in doing so reveals how steadily Singh has returned to the same questions. Presence and absence, weight and lightness, the human and the natural sit side by side, held in balance rather than resolved. The exhibition invites viewers to move slowly through this world of metal and wire, and to meet, in each form, a moment of transformation caught and held in place.

When: October 12-15
Where: Travancore Palace, New Delhi

Continuum: A 30-Year Retrospective

The solo exhibition, curated by Shibani Chawla, will bring together several previously unseen paintings and works on paper alongside significant pieces from different phases of acclaimed contemporary artist Asit Kumar Patnaik's artistic career spanning over three decades. Throughout his career, Patnaik has embraced experimentation, working across a wide range of materials and surfaces, including wood, fibreglass, paper collage, threads and canvas. Featuring around 50 works created between 1995 and the present, the exhibition will present his artistic journey through sketches, drawings, watercolours, landscapes, abstract compositions, graphic prints, and paintings.

When: October 14-18
Where: LTC Gallery, Bikaner House, New Delhi

Master Impressions

Presented together for the first time in India, CMYK’s latest exhibition brings together over 60 works by Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, and Salvador Dalí. The show presents three of the twentieth century’s most influential artists through an important, yet perhaps lesser-known, aspect of their work: printmaking. It offers a rare opportunity to encounter and acquire original lithographs and etchings by the stalwarts, and to discover this important dimension of the work of the three masters of modern art.

When: Until November 22
Where: CMYK Bookstore, 142, Meharchand Market, New Delhi

Bilanda: Walk Through Reminiscence

'Bilanda: Walk Through Reminiscence' is a solo art exhibition by Ghazali Moinuddin. The exhibition focuses on a "landscape within," inviting viewers to experience a vibrant symphony of colours and physical textures that represent longings, joy, and past moments.

When: October 1-5
Where: Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

Visual Disobedience

KYNKYNY presents 'Visual Disobedience', a group exhibition featuring Yuvan Bothysathuvar, S Ravi Shankar, Saravanan Parasuraman, and Ganesh Selvaraj. Lines are among the most elemental structures through which we apprehend the world. Alongside geometry, perspective, colour, texture, and light, line becomes a means for artists to construct and interrogate space. The exhibition explores these elements through material, predominantly paper, alongside a singular and striking engagement with iron.

When: Until October 17
Where: KYNKYNY, Bengaluru

Lead image: Brandstand PR

Inside images: Mirabilis Inc

Also read: Tishani Doshi on poetry, beauty and the art of paying attention

Also read: Six books, six worlds: Inside the Booker Prize 2026 shortlist