Avtar Foundation for The Arts: The Avtar Foundation for the Arts, founded by Jaiveer Johal, is committed to promoting contemporary and modern visual art in Chennai.
With a clear vision of ‘From Madras, For Madras,’ the Avtar Foundation for the Arts wants to distil the best of South Asian art and expose the people of Chennai to the broader world of contemporary and modern visual art in a curated and accessible way.
Chennai Photo Biennale Foundation: Founded in 2018, the Chennai Photo Biennale Foundation (CPBF) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting visual literacy and deepening public engagement with photography and lens-based art in India. Based in Chennai, the Foundation envisions photography as a powerful medium for education, dialogue, and social change — one that bridges disciplines, geographies, and communities.
Through its four key initiatives — the Chennai Photo Biennale, CPB Prism, CPB Learning Lab, and CPBx — CPBF works year-round to create meaningful cultural exchange. The Biennale, India’s largest public photography festival, transforms urban spaces into immersive exhibition sites. Prism fosters visual literacy in schools, while the Learning Lab facilitates workshops, talks, and collaborations across disciplines. CPBx supports artists through residencies, grants, and long-term projects.
Championing inclusivity, accessibility, and sustainability, CPBF continues to build a dynamic ecosystem for photography that challenges boundaries, amplifies underrepresented voices, and reimagines the role of art in public life.
Sarmaya: Sarmaya is a carefully curated, privately-owned repository of art and artefacts from the larger Indian subcontinent. It’s a vast dynamic collection, shaped by the vision of Paul Abraham and Pavitra Rajaram. The objects fall into the categories of numismatics, cartography, photography, engravings, modern art, living traditions and rare books.
Sarmaya’s archive is housed in a heritage building in the historical precincts of Fort, Mumbai. It hosts micro-curations tailored for small groups, as well as larger art exhibitions and events, including the popular lecture series, Sarmaya Talks. The Sarmaya archive is a space for intimate, unhurried conversations on art, history and culture.
Sarmaya also invests long-term in artisan communities by commissioning works to indigenous artists, like Tholu Bommalata exponent S Chidambara Rao and Pattachitra master, Akshaya Kumar Bariki. Among the most ambitious collaborations is the Issanama, a series of 32 Biblical-themed paintings in the tradition of the Mughal Hamzanama miniatures created by Paul Abraham and Rajasthani miniature painter Manish Soni. The Issanama made its debut in December 2018 at the Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa in a show curated by Ranjit Hoskote.
Sarmaya is a digital-forward archive, and part of the collection is available to view online at Sarmaya.in. The website hosts articles, quizzes and interactive guides on indigenous art forms, legendary artists and key moments of history.
Twelve Gates Arts: Twelve Gates Arts (12G) is a non profit (501(c)(3) organization created with the aim to showcase international arts bound by the sensibilities of a diaspora identity, including the South Asian identity, to create and promote projects crossing cultural and geographical boundaries, and to educate the community about diaspora culture.
Public Arts Trust of India (PATI): Public Arts Trust of India (PATI), founded in 2022 by Sana Rezwan and based between Jaipur and Jodhpur, is a non-profit organization dedicated to democratizing arts and culture across India. PATI envisions art as an essential part of everyday life — not confined to institutions, but embedded within communities, landscapes, and daily experiences.
Through its wide-ranging programs — including artist residencies, commissions, exhibitions, and public engagement initiatives — PATI nurtures creative growth and accessibility for everyone, from emerging and established artists to non-artists and local communities. Its initiatives promote learning, exchange, and collaboration through free-access arts education and capacity-building opportunities.
Working with both local and international partners, PATI continues to build inclusive cultural ecosystems that encourage dialogue, imagination, and shared authorship, making contemporary art accessible and meaningful to diverse audiences.
Amplify Arts: Amplify Arts is a non profit arts organization based in Omaha, Nebraska dedicated to providing resources for artists, organizers, and cultural workers exploring liberatory ideas that move their communities forward. The organisation builds bridges through public participation, shared decision-making, and co-creation — prioritizing equity, accountability, and transparency in all its work. With a mission to foster connection, exploration, and sustainable support, Amplify Arts nurtures projects that challenge dominant systems and envision just, equitable futures. Practising what it preaches, the organisation shares power and decision-making among its staff, board, community advisory groups, and participants. At its core, Amplify Arts is a living experiment in collective creative care — providing resources, space, advocacy, and learning opportunities that enable artistic and cultural practitioners to thrive.
