TRI Art & Culture: For the curious and creative

In the series of looking at 25 spaces that reflect how Kolkata continues to reinvent its cultural landscape, the multidisciplinary, nonprofit arts centre, TRI Art & Culture is a much-loved space. Sibling duo Varun and Nitasha Thapar opened the space in 2024 inside a reimagined mid-20th century Ballygunge residence transforming a private address into a space of art lovers.From private to publicFor four generations, the triangular Ballygunge property was a family home, its proportions and light retaining that intimacy. When the lease ended, the founders reconsidered its role. “Kolkata has a rare cultural inheritance; what’s missing is year-round space,” says Varun Thapar. Nitasha Thapar calls it a shift “from private to public.” The heritage shell was preserved, upgraded with modern gallery infrastructure. Its triangular geometry now guides visitor flow, exemplifying adaptive reusein Kolkata.A space for allJust a year in, the space has emerged as a multidisciplinary ecosystem, moving across visual, performing, literary, culinary and research practices through workshops and collaborations. ADDA: The Third Space transformed it into a sensorium of Kolkata’s street culture. “People are increasingly uninterested in being positioned as an arts audience; they want to be participants,” says Varun; Nitasha stresses on “lowering the psychological threshold.” Winter 2025 drew 6,600 visitors — up 166% — with 94% capacity use. Its strength lies in neighbourhood integration. Unintimidating yet urgent is how student & art lover Riddhiman Sen describes it.Why we love it‘TRI has become a great space for dialogues from across different places and between different kinds of people,’ saysSoumyadeep Roy, artist