Hyderabad, September 7, 2026: Art Connect will host MŪL – The Origin, an exhibition exploring contemporary expressions of India’s indigenous art traditions, from September 10 to 13 at Spirit Connect, next to Ramanaidu Studios, Film Nagar. Art Connect, in collaboration with the Gondwana Art Project, is presenting the four-day exhibition, which will be open to the public from 11 am to 7 pm.
MŪL, meaning “root” or “origin”, brings together works rooted in the indigenous artistic traditions of Central India. The exhibition examines how these traditions, shaped by relationships with nature, community, mythology, ritual and inherited knowledge, continue to evolve through contemporary artistic practice.
The exhibition presents indigenous art as a living visual language rather than a tradition fixed in the past. Artists draw on familiar symbols, narratives and intricate patterns while reinterpreting them through changes in scale, composition, colour and subject.
The works therefore retain strong connections to inherited traditions while reflecting contemporary experiences and perspectives. Through this approach, MŪL – The Origin seeks to broaden the conversation around indigenous art and highlight its continuing relevance within India’s contemporary art landscape.
The exhibition also marks the Gondwana Art Project’s first exhibition in Hyderabad.
“We are delighted to bring MŪL – The Origin to Hyderabad, marking the Gondwana Art Project’s first exhibition in the city,” said Sundeep Bhandari, Founder, Gondwana Art Project.
“MŪL celebrates the richness and diversity of India’s indigenous artistic traditions while exploring how these deeply rooted visual languages continue to evolve through contemporary expression,” he said, adding that the project hopes to introduce Hyderabad audiences to the distinctive forms, narratives and artistic voices represented in the exhibition.
Miheeka Daggubati, Founder, Art Connect, said the exhibition was intended to encourage audiences to look beyond the geographical origins of indigenous art and consider its future possibilities. “Indigenous art is often spoken about in the context of where it comes from. With MŪL, I wanted us to also ask where it can go,” she added.
Miheeka said artists working within these traditions continue to respond to their lives, changing environments and the world around them while carrying forward generations of symbols, stories and ways of seeing.
For Art Connect, bringing MŪL to Hyderabad is also part of a broader effort to expand the city’s engagement with different artistic practices, Daggubati said.