Three moderns: Celebrating Indian sculpture at Gandhi King Plaza

The Gandhi King Plaza at the India International Centre hosted Three Moderns, an exhibition featuring three prominent figures of Indian modernism: Himmat Shah, Krishen Khanna, and Thota Vaikuntam. Presented by Namtech Fine Arts and curated by Uma Nair, the exhibition displayed 12 sculptures that explored the relationship between material, memory, and the human form.

Curator Uma Nair described the exhibition as “about creating a feeling—an energy formed through the synergy of great artistic minds. When masters like Himmat Shah, the last of the Progressives Krishen Khanna, and Thota Vaikuntam come together, time becomes witness and sculpture becomes language.”

The works were installed under the open sky and among the Plaza’s greenery, allowing the sculptures to appear as suspended moments of reflection. Khanna, celebrating his 100th year, presented four monumental works from his Bandwallah series, elevating everyday musicians into symbols of community and cultural memory.

Himmat Shah contributed four stone sculptures that focused on time, tactility, and presence. His works, often heads and figures, combined archaic elements with contemporary forms, emphasising silent eloquence and human journey. Thota Vaikuntam displayed bronzes from The Sacred Gaze, reflecting rural life in Telangana through earth-toned surfaces, steady postures, and ritualistic details.

Using marble, bronze, and resinated fiberglass, the exhibition highlighted identity, vulnerability, and abstraction. Visitors experienced the works as a walking meditation through modern Indian sculpture. The show also honoured the late Prof. M.G.K. Menon, who envisioned Gandhi King Plaza as a home for India’s leading sculptural voices.



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