An artistic display of seminal works of A. A. Almelkar and Akkitham Narayanan

Long after conventional exhibition hours had passed, QLA, Mehrauli, had transformed into a charged cultural commons as After Hours unfolded — an evening that dissolved the boundary between art discourse and celebration. Hosted by Dhoomimal Gallery and Gallery Silver Scapes, the gathering drew over seven hundred guests and evolved into one of the capital’s most animated cultural nights of the season, marked by music, dancing, and conversation well into the early hours.

Far from a restrained gallery affair, the night carried the momentum of a true after-hours party. DJs set the tempo, guests spilled across the venue, and the dance floor remained in constant motion. Yet beneath the sociability lay a serious curatorial premise: a focused engagement with Indian modernism through the works of Abdulrahim Appabhai Almelkar and Akkitham Narayanan.

The evening also marked the launch of Almelkar: The Resurrection – Letters & Lines of a Master, edited by Archana Khare-Ghose, a landmark publication that traced the artist’s life, philosophy, and practice through critical essays, archival material, and personal correspondence. Almelkar’s letters, particularly those addressed to his guru Hiralal Khatri, offered rare insight into the spiritual and intellectual scaffolding of his work. Essays by scholars, including Rehaman Patel and Deepak Kannal, situated his practice within debates on rural modernity, decolonial aesthetics, and institutional history, with reference to works held in the National Gallery of Modern Art.

In contrast, Akkitham Narayanan’s abstractions introduced a quieter visual register, canvases shaped by sacred geometry and metaphysical inquiry. His presence at the event allowed for direct engagement, as guests moved fluidly between close looking, animated discussion, and the pulse of the party itself.

The guest list reflected the breadth of India’s cultural ecosystem. Among those in attendance were Suhel Seth, Ajitabh Bachchan, Chetan Seth, and senior modernist Akkitham Narayanan, alongside artists Jatin Das, Biman Das, M. Pravat, and Manish Pushkale. Leading figures from fashion and design, including Bina Ramani and designers Rohit Gandhi and Aachal Jaipuria, as well as Sonu Wassan and Atul Wassan, Manu Mansheet, and Samar Singh Jodha mingled with collectors, diplomats, curators, and younger art practitioners, creating a rare intergenerational junction.

The evening unfolded with an ease that encouraged genuine exchange rather than spectacle. After Hours demonstrated that modernist legacies did not need to remain confined to institutional walls. When scholarship was allowed to circulate alongside music, movement, and shared pleasure, it became not only intelligible, but vividly alive.

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