There is something quietly significant about opening a gallery today. In an ecosystem where spectacle often outruns substance, creating a space that asks people to slow down, look carefully, and return to art with curiosity is, in itself, a curatorial proposition. That is the premise behind Antarang Art Gallery, Gurgaon’s newest destination for Modern and Contemporary South Asian art, founded by Sania G. Vohra. Its inaugural flagship exhibition, Resonance: The Foundation Edition, brings together works by some of the most consequential artists of the region.
In this conversation with The Neo Art Magazine, Sania G Vohra speaks about founding Antarang, building a collector community in Gurgaon, navigating the evolving ecosystem of art advisory, and why meaningful collecting begins not with acquisition, but with looking. From the curatorial thinking behind Resonance to the larger ambition of positioning Antarang as a platform for Modern and Contemporary South Asian art, the discussion reflects on what it means to build cultural infrastructure at a moment when the Indian art world is entering a new phase of confidence and global relevance.
Sreerupa: Your artist list is dense with names that break auction records. Is the gallery’s remit South Asia broadly, or India?
Sania: As a gallery, we specialise in South Asian artists which includes the neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal etc. Resonance, being the first edition, focuses on Indian artists. That doesn’t limit us. In general there is a wider geographical reach to what we cover, and each annual edition going forward will have a different focus area. This is only the beginning.
Sreerupa: How did you envision the gallery? Is the ambition to take South Asian art outward, or to build something locally?
Sania: I wanted to create a space where art is encountered with greater depth, curiosity and context. The global art market is experiencing a major shift as South Asian art achieves institutional and commercial recognition. Driven by soaring auction prices, rising global demand, and major international retrospectives of senior Indian artists, this momentum presents a prime opportunity to expand and establish the standard.
Having lived and worked in Delhi across museums and galleries in different capacities for well over a decade, the move to Gurugram made me realise the need for a vibrant visual arts space rather than a traditional gallery. We’re building a community-centric space that comes alive through dynamic exhibitions, hands-on workshops and engaging talks.
Sreerupa: What does that programming actually look like?
Sania: A prime example of our dynamic programming is the Curious Collector Series – across three successful editions, the series has established a foundational environment where no question is naïve. Our goal is to dismantle the hesitation or intimidation visitors experience when stepping into high-end, blue-chip art galleries.
Sreerupa: Gurgaon’s wealth is largely corporate and tech, and relatively new. What does your collector base actually look like?
Sania: Gurgaon’s collector base is more diverse than one might assume. We have worked with some collectors for years, including from my time as an independent art advisor, while there is also a younger generation that is only now beginning to collect, often for their new home. Delhi is a more established market and, in many ways, more saturated residentially, whereas Gurgaon has seen a significant amount of new developments with a focus on community-led condominiums. That has created a very different opportunity for people to live with art.
The demographic is largely professional and relatively young to middle-aged, but we also see people who have retired and moved here for the community and amenities these developments offer. There is also a sizeable expat community, as well as collectors relocating from Delhi and other parts of NCR. So the base ranges from seasoned collectors to people just starting out.
What has been particularly interesting for us is how organic the engagement can be. We have had people come into the gallery simply because they were out for an evening walk, spend some time looking at a work, and return the next day to acquire that work.
At the same time, I don’t think our collector base is defined simply by geography. The quality of the artists we present and the intent behind our curatorial programme have allowed us to attract collectors from across the country as well. Gurgaon may be where we are rooted, but the audience we are building is much broader.
Sreerupa: What shapes a collector’s taste today- curators, advisors, or Instagram?
Sania: I think it is a combination. Instagram has completely changed how people discover art and it can be a great starting point, but what you see is also shaped by an algorithm, so what is visible is not necessarily what is significant. Social circles also have an influence, especially when certain artists or names are already part of the conversation.
But I think taste is really developed through exposure. Reading, going to exhibitions, seeing art regularly and speaking to artists, all contribute to understanding a practice beyond what you see visually. When you understand an artist’s journey, what has informed their work and how their practice has evolved, you begin to look at the work differently.
This is where curators and advisors can be valuable. They bring years of looking and engagement, and can help a collector navigate practices with greater context, while keeping in mind what the collector is interested in and why they are collecting. They can also bring attention to younger artists whose practices show maturity and a promising trajectory, and often have access and relationships that allow a collector to discover work.
Ultimately, I think all of these things play a role, but the aim should be to gradually develop a point of view of your own.
Sreerupa: How do you translate that into a buying strategy for someone starting out?
Sania: I would start with two things: understanding why you want to collect and setting a realistic budget. From there, you can work backwards and decide how you want to allocate it.
Sometimes you are drawn to a particular aesthetic or looking for a work that will anchor a room, and that is a perfectly valid place to begin. But if you want to build a collection over time, I think it is worth being a little more deliberate about what you acquire. See as much as you can, read, talk to artists, gallerists, curators, and don’t feel the need to arrive at a defined taste immediately. It develops with time.
As the collection grows, I think the works should have some kind of dialogue with one another. They don’t have to belong to the same period or style, but there should be a thread that makes the collection feel personal and reflective of the person who has built it. Ultimately, collecting is a journey. The more you see and understand, the more considered your choices become.
Sreerupa: In London or Hong Kong, advisory around passion assets is a structured business. In India it still runs on who you know. Is that shifting?
Sania: I think it is shifting. The Indian art market has historically been quite organic and relationship-driven, and there is still a certain amount of scepticism around art advisors. But as the market becomes more sophisticated, I do think there is a growing role for professional advice.
A good advisor can bring an important degree of objectivity to the process, provided the relationship is transparent and the collector is clear about the model of engagement and how the advisor is compensated. They can also bring access and context. Galleries don’t necessarily share their entire inventory with someone they don’t know, so an advisor who has longstanding relationships across the market can open up a much broader field of possibilities.
More importantly, knowing the market is only one part of it. You need to understand the work itself. A senior or highly sought-after artist doesn’t automatically make every work a great acquisition. Certain periods, subjects, mediums and individual works within an artist’s practice can be much more significant than others. Recognising those distinctions comes from years of looking and engaging with the field.
That, to me, is the real value of professional advice: not simply helping someone buy an artist, but helping them understand which work is right for their collection and why. Whether someone is starting with a smaller budget or building a significant collection, that kind of informed guidance can make the process much more meaningful and considered.
Sreerupa: Coming to Resonance, with work of this stature, how difficult was the curation?
Sania: I think the challenge with Resonance was less about researching a single artist or developing a curatorial concept over several years, and more about bringing together a broad range of practices in a way that felt coherent. The exhibition is really an extension of what we have been building at Antarang since we opened: a programme focused on significant modern and contemporary South Asian artists, across generations.
What interested us was bringing works spanning several decades, from the 1950s through to the 2000s, into conversation with one another and letting the works speak beyond chronology. We organised the exhibition around four broad threads: Nature, Urbanity, Portrayal and the Sacred. These aren’t rigid categories, but recurring ideas that allow different practices to find points of connection.
With 20 artists in the exhibition, the intention was not to offer an in-depth reading of any one practice, but to step back and look at the larger landscape: how different generations have responded to the world around them, and where their concerns intersect or diverge. In that sense, Resonance is a reflection of what Antarang has been showing since its inception, brought together on a much larger scale where the works engage in a new dialogue with one another.
Sreerupa: Is there a work in the show you’d point a new collector towards?
Sania: I would point a new collector towards the works by Manu Parekh. He is an important senior artist whose practice has had sustained relevance both in India and internationally, and his Banaras series, in particular, offer an immediate point of connection through a subject that carries such deep cultural and spiritual resonance. The fact that his works span a broad price range also makes the practice accessible to collectors at different stages. For me, it is a particularly compelling combination of an established artistic legacy, an enduring subject, and the confidence that comes with acquiring the work of an artist of his stature.
Sreerupa: Where does this exhibition take Antarang next?
Sania: I think Resonance marks the beginning of the next chapter for Antarang. We started by building a strong community within Gurugram, but the vision has always been to establish Antarang as a serious destination for modern and contemporary South Asian art, with a reach that extends beyond the immediate community around us.
For us, an exhibition doesn’t end with artworks on the walls. It extends into conversations, workshops and shared experiences that allow people to engage more deeply with the art. The opening of Resonance reflected that spirit beautifully. Kishore Singh’s conversation with the guests and Seema Kohli’s participative live painting brought an incredible collaborative energy to the evening, and that sense of community is very much at the heart of what we want Antarang to be.
Looking ahead, the focus is on strengthening our presence, continuing to build meaningful programming around the art we present, and taking that conversation to wider audiences. Ultimately, I see Antarang growing into a platform for South Asian art that is rooted in thoughtful curation and meaningful engagement, but has a much larger national and international footprint.
Resonance: The Foundation Edition is on view at Antarang Art Gallery, The Camellias, Tower 8, Promenade Area, DLF Golf Links, Sector 42, Gurgaon, until 30 September 2026. Tuesday to Sunday, 11 am to 7 pm. Non-residents by appointment.
