EkChitra opens new gallery in Hyderabad’s HITEC City area

EkChitra, a curatorial platform founded by Annapurna Madipadiga, is well known in Hyderabad’s art circles. The platform has hosted small and large exhibitions at different venues in the city in the last few years. “We have been functioning from a small office space. I felt the time was right for a larger gallery,” says Annapurna, launching the EkChitra Art Gallery at Surya Enclave, HITEC City.

The nearly 7000 square foot gallery hopes to function as a “multidimensional creative space”. Annapurna explains, “We often see visitors at a gallery on the inaugural day of an exhibition and rarely later, barring a few buyers. The idea is to look beyond such transactional activities and position EkChitra as a space for creative pursuits. This can be a space where artists, writers and poets meet. We plan to host book launches, readings, and screen parallel cinema titles. Beyond showcasing paintings and sculptures, we want this gallery to be a space where artists can connect with writers and forge collaborations.”

The EkChitra gallery will soon include a dedicated printmaking studio. “A curator and an artist-mentor are on board. We will be conducting workshops of varied durations – weekends, week-long and month-long – to guide amateur artists in printmaking techniques,” she adds.

The exhibition space is also designed to accommodate multi-disciplinary artworks – paintings, sculptures, installations, textiles, ceramics, photography, mixed media, and performances. 

Annapurna Madipadiga
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The inaugural exhibition titled Transition: A Continuity to Change — An Ode to Identities in Flux reflects EkChitra’s transition from being a curatorial platform to a gallery. Emerging and established artists showcase artworks pertaining to themes of identity, tradition, transformation and contemporary life.

To coincide with the gallery’s inauguration, Annapurna also outlined a few upcoming events by EkChitra.

The curatorial platform will host the second edition of Living Temples. The first edition, hosted at T-Works, highlighted temple architecture. The second edition  will expand the conversation around cultural environments and look at the coming together of art, architecture, community and public engagement.

The platform’s pet project Keerthanam will bring to the fore the work of artists from the Telugu States through periodic exhibitions. 

A view of the gallery
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

EkChitra is also working towards hosting Baoli Art Sangam. Envisioned as the Telangana art biennale, in partnership with the department of tourism, government of Telangana, plans are afoot to bring together multi-disciplinary artists to showcase their work from December 1, 2026, to January 10, 2027, at multiple venues, particularly the stepwells or baolis of Telangana. “Architect and rainwater harvesting advocate Kalpana Ramesh has been proactively working with the government in restoring several stepwells in the State. Some of these spaces will become the venues for the biennale,” says Annapurna.

Expect site-specific artworks, exhibitions, performances, workshops, heritage walks, talks and community programmes. Twelve locations are in focus for the biennale, including temples, forts, tombs and stepwells pertaining to the Kakatiya, British and Nizam eras.