The Ultimate Gallery Guide To Kolkata: 5 Must-Visit Art Spaces

Very few cities wear art up their sleeves, but Kolkata, often hailed as the Cultural Capital of India, is undeniably one of them. With a landscape where colonial façades give way to vibrant street murals, and intellectual addas (salons) host underground art collectives, every neighbourhood in this city illustrates a rhythm of resistance and reverie. Once the literary capital of the British Raj, this city became a crucible for radical thought, modernist expression, and a burgeoning visual vocabulary that mirrored its ever-changing socio-political terrain. Kolkata’s early embrace of intellectual discourse, courtesy of reformers, poets, and painters alike, laid the foundation for a thriving visual culture.

From the Bengal Art School’s revivalist fervour to the avant-garde uproars of the Chaloman Shilpa Andolan (the Dynamic Art Movement) of the late 20th century, this city’s art scene has long been defined by its resistance to stasis. Later in the century, as the cultural elite sought to move beyond colonial exhibition formats and institutional control, spaces like the Academy of Fine Arts and the Indian Society of Oriental Art began to surface. These galleries became centres of critique and experimentation, where the evolving nationalism, modernism, and material culture intersect. Far from sterile white cubes, Kolkata’s galleries sustain an enduring dialogue between the bequeathed legacy of art and restless evolution. In keeping with this, DP rounds up five Kolkata galleries worth pencilling into your cultural calendar:

1. Experimenter, Ballygunge Place And Hindustan Road

Tucked into the verdant, residential heart of Ballygunge Place, Experimenter opened its doors in 2009 on Hindustan Road as a bold disruption to Kolkata’s art scene. Founded by Priyanka and Prateek Raja, the gallery foregrounds installation, performance, new media, and conceptually rigorous works that challenge the conformist norms with its sharp, multidisciplinary lens. The gallery champions emerging and critically acclaimed voices from South Asia and beyond, ushering in a spirit rooted in dialogue, revolution, and deep inquiry, all while reshaping the city’s artistic cadence. In 2018, the gallery expanded its capacity for large-scale, discursive projects with a second outpost in Ballygunge Place, Kolkata, driven by intellectual curiosity and shaped by the political and cultural currents of its time. The Alipore space, with its clean lines and generous scale, became a quiet stage for ambitious, spatially driven works. In 2022, Experimenter took its vision westward, opening a third outpost in Mumbai’s Colaba to deepen its cross-regional dialogue. Across its three outposts in India, Experimenter nurtures a significant dialogue that echoes throughout South Asia’s art landscape. 

Also Read: The Ultimate Gallery Guide To Mumbai (Part 2): 7 Must-Visit Art Spaces

2. Akar Prakar, Hindustan Park

Tucked into the cultural heart of Hindustan Park, Kolkata, Akar Prakar plays a vital role in shaping the evolving narrative of Indian modern and contemporary art. Founded in 2004 by Reena and Abhijit Lath, the gallery’s ethos draws references from the subcontinent’s artistic legacies while sculpting new regional and global discourse. Exhibiting the works of artists like Ganesh Haloi, Jayashree Chakravarty, C. Douglas, and Manish Pushkale, the gallery serves as a platform that fosters indigenous narratives. With a growing curatorial eye towards Southeast Asia, the gallery’s programming now also embraces cross-cultural voices like that of Cambodian artist Leang Seckon. Its Kolkata outpost partners with international museums and curators, while crafting the broader cultural discourse through publishing, residencies, and research-driven bequests. In conjunction with its presence in Kolkata, the gallery also maintains a parallel space in New Delhi, broadening its curatorial and cultural reach across geographies. With the launch of the ‘artVarta’ Residency in 2023, the gallery added a compelling new chapter to its expanding vision.

3. Emami Art Gallery

Tucked into the ground floor of the Kolkata Centre for Creativity, Emami Art was established in 2017 by entrepreneur duo R.S. Agarwal and R.S. Goenka. Under the visionary direction of Richa Agarwal and the curatorial insight of Ushmita Sahu, the gallery was envisioned as a cultural force, attuned to global resonances, becoming an innovative platform for contemporary art. Its programme foregrounds contemporary art practices shaped by the region’s layered socio-political and historical currents, with a sharp focus on artists from Eastern and Northeastern India. Emami Art showcases visually compelling and inclusive exhibitions, ranging from large-scale displays to mentorship-led residencies and the acclaimed Experimental Film Festival. With a steadfast commitment to contemporary practices across painting, sculpture, video, and performance, the gallery reaffirms its role as a community-driven space while expanding its national and international influence, shaping new visual discourse rooted in its heritage. 

4. Aakriti Art Gallery

Located in the heart of Kolkata on Hungerford Street, Aakriti Art Gallery was founded in 2005 by Vikram Bachhawat with a vision to create a space where Indian modernism and contemporary experimentation could coexist meaningfully. Over the past two decades, the gallery has become a cornerstone of the city’s cultural landscape, known for its nuanced exhibitions, deep archival engagement, and programme shaped by a commitment to accessibility. With an evolving roster that spans masters like Ramkumar, Sakti Burman, and K.G. Subramanyan, alongside emerging voices, a part of initiatives like the GenNext series. The gallery features an extensive collection of rare modernist works and contemporary sculptures, making it one of the country’s most significant art inventories. Its programme strikes a thoughtful balance between curatorial rigour and social impact through landmark initiatives like the Masterpieces series and the Affordable September Art Mela. As it approaches its 20th anniversary, Aakriti continues to evolve, orchestrating a dialogue between the past and future of Indian art.

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5. Galerie 88

Located on Shakespeare Sarani in the heart of Kolkata, Galerie 88 was founded by Supriya Banerjee in 1988. The gallery was established by gallerist Supriya Banerjee at a time when the city had few dedicated contemporary art spaces. Originating as a humble 500 sq ft gallery, this space has transformed into a quiet powerhouse, now boasting two additional locations in Kolkata and a 4,000 sq ft outpost in Mumbai’s Colaba, aptly named ‘Project 88.’ The gallery’s curatorial vision presents a rich juxtaposition of modern masters such as M.F. Husain, S.H. Raza, F.N. Souza, Ganesh Pyne, and Krishna Reddy, and the emerging next generation of contemporary Indian artists, including Mithu Sen, Chittrovanu Mazumdar, Riyas Komu, and Anupam Chakraborty. The gallery’s programming spans painting, sculpture, print, and installation, with a steadfast commitment to legacy and ingenuity. Beyond its programming calendar, Galerie 88 has built a robust publishing practice and regularly curates thematic shows for institutions. Over three decades later, it still remains a key node in Kolkata’s cultural fabric, rooted in the city’s modernist memory while borrowing global references.